"From Paul Mescal to Barry Keoghan... Irish men seem to have rediscovered their sparkle In a civilised society, jewellery is only for women. Or so said the writer and historian H Clifford Smith in 1908. For him, male adornments were a mark of barbarism."
"It was only in more primitive cultures that "the love of ornament is chiefly characteristic of men". In civilised society, he argued, jewellery was more properly displayed by women alone: "The gentle sex has ever sought to add to its charms by adorning itself with jewels.""
Irish men are adopting jewellery and male adornment, with public figures like Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan exemplifying the trend. Historical attitudes once framed jewellery as a feminine domain, with H Clifford Smith in 1908 describing male adornments as a mark of barbarism. Smith contrasted so-called primitive cultures, where men chiefly sought ornament, with civilised society, where jewellery was deemed more properly displayed by women. He maintained that the gentle sex had long sought to enhance its charms by adorning itself with jewels, positioning jewellery as part of female expression rather than male.
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