The Appearance of Power: How Masculinity is Expressed Through Aesthetics

by Tanner Guzy

Power has an appearance and appearance has power. Ideally those two would line up together and the world would be full of good, masculine men who dress and look like good masculine men. But all too often, reality is something different. There are good men and strong leaders out there who dress and look like children or bums. There are awful, lazy men in the world who dress in a way that hides their vices from those around them and makes them appear better than they truly are. In an attempt to correct for these disparities, our current culture tries to rob both appearance of its power and power of its appearance - to say that the way a person dresses or looks doesn’t - or at least shouldn’t matter. We’re given platitudes like, “don’t judge a book by its cover” and there’s a often a cultural rush to prove ourselves as non-judgmental as we can. But a man’s appearance has been an integral part of humanity since before the dawn of civilization. As human beings we use mental shortcuts when assessing our surroundings and the people within them. It is inefficient and dangerous to treat every object, scenario, and person as a blank slate or an unknown. And, because it is our tendency to judge according to visual stimuli, we use physicality, body language, grooming, and clothing to quickly and effectively communicate who we are and how we want other people to perceive us. Some men dress to appear more physically threatening, others to convey status and power within social spheres, some attempt to fit in and not draw attention to themselves, and others will use their clothing to show their disdain for the social norms around them. Regardless of what your intentions are, your clothing says something about you. And no, this doesn’t just apply to you, but to every man who has ever interacted with another human being. From the ancient shaman, to the Wall Street banker, the Pope to the gutter punk, all men use clothing and appearance to tell the world who we are. Which means it’s worthwhile for you to understand how to use this tool effectively. The purpose of this book is to outline the underlying principles of how clothing affects men and masculinity. Understanding and applying those principles will take you far beyond looking like you’ve been dressed by an image consultant, in one of his five variations of acceptable clothing, and into the realm of being well-dressed all the time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Development, Fashion, Relationships, Lifestyle

150 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2017

Reviews

[Alex Drysdale · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly thought this book was terrible and a complete waste of time.

It says that it outlines principles on how to do your own style.... and the author repeats that probably 6 or more times .... but never actually gets to it.

Constantly repeats the same information over, and over, and over, and over, and over...
It was a real chore getting through this book, and I only kept reading because he kept saying he was going to get to some real information.

Instead it was just babbling about nothing.

There were about 3 lines of useful information which was shorter than the description of the book.

This really should have been a pamphlet or 300 word email blast.

[Joel Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I paired this book up with some coaching from the author as I found the ideas he was reviving was something I wanted to bring back into my world.
We live in a weird ugly time for men where we don't care what our bodies look like, we don't care what we put on top of those bodies and we don't care what that projects. Tanner argues against this with a brief history lesson on the glory of masculinity, the power we project and how our clothing through time (think legionnaires, generals, warriors, Indian chiefs, aristocrats) has helped men convey that glory.
This isn't a skin deep glory either, if you aren't articulate or you don't have the muscles under your skin to hold your attire appropriately you'll quickly look and sound a fool. But clothing when paired with a virtuous man is a great asset.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Едно време имаше чалга певица, с лек говорен дефект, на име Кати, чиято може би най-популярна песен беше "Нестандартни сме" (а други бисери от творчеството й са Най ми е добре с няколко мъже и Пеперуда). Тогава в тийнейджърска възраст, имах съмнителното удоволствие да наблюдавам (главно) женската част от връстниците ми как еуфорично скачат в дискотеката на тази песен, вдигнали ръце, пеещи припева "Защото нестандартни сме!", облечени всичките до една в приблизително еднакви черни ластични клинове, черни обувки с дебели платформи, дебело очертани с еднакво кафяво червило устни и разбира се неизменната прическа с бретонче. Какво да се прави, такива бяха 90-те години, но иронията на ситуацията не ми убягна и тогава - дотолкова, че съм я запомнил и до сега.

Ако погледнем други сектори на обществото, които се опитват да са "различни", неизменно забелязваме, че идеята им за различност е да се обличат и държат еднакво с другите като тях. Поклонниците на всякакъв вид "алтернативни" субкултури дотолкова си приличат и се обличат и държат еднакво в стремежа си да са различни, че веднага можем да определим не само конктетната им субкултура, ами и от кой магазин са си купили дрехите.

Говорейки за дрехи, конкретно мъжете, които твърдят, че "не им пука за модата" и "носят каквото им е удобно", неизменно се оказват облечени почти еднакво, с твърде широки тениски с надписи, карго къси панталони, хавлиени чорапи и сандали/квази-туристически обувки/обемни маратонки.

Въпреки странното си име, настоящата книга разисква теоретичните постановки на мъжката мода. Не логистиката на това какво точно да се облече, а по-скоро стратегията на това защо се обличаме по определен начин, какво казват дрехите ни и какво отличава лошо облечения мъж от добре облечения такъв.

Въпреки досадния навик на автора да дава прекалено опростени и абсурдни примери, не е зле да се хвърли един поглед на теорията на облеклото.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

To quote the book a bit:
“The purpose of this book is to outline the underlying principles of how clothing affects men and masculinity.”

“Appearance isn’t about right or wrong, it’s about effective vs ineffective. It’s about being able to have the way you look enhance your life.”

This books has some useful ways for figuring out HOW to pick clothes that fit you, your persona, and your goals.

It was a short read, and honestly it should have been shorter. Of the 13 chapters. Almost half of them should have been significantly cut down in size.

You should probably read 1-8, and then can basically ignore the rest.

[John Bush III · Rating 2 out of 5]

Largely speaking, what's original is not helpful and what's helpful is not original.

[krishnendu mukherjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel the author had an incredible opportunity to talk about a subject which is so much neglected or often downright rejected i.e. male dressing sense or appearance. But he starts inconsistently and wavers a lot, from defining masculinity to the selection of aztec warriors, to the hierarchical systems in military. I mean, all that discussion is fine, but he overshadows the technical and possibly the most useful aspect of the book, which is how symmetry operates, how skin tone and color clothing should be matched and all discussions considering the golden ratio. This main kernal of the book is hardly 20% but it is very good and written quite well. It is direct and succint. I would have preferred a shorter version without all the overarching commentary in masculinity.
Overall, I find the 20% really useful and maybe some of the other stuffs. Also I feel if the author wanted to really dive deeper into masculinity, its origins and history, probably he should added some research or at the very some empirical evidence. Although some stories about bravery and courage are definitely good but most of the part feels little ranty and oversimplifying things.

I am a generous reviewer, so maybe it was like 2.5 for me but I genuinely appreciated the technical chapter so maybe a 3 will do.

Krish

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprei este livro pensando que ele trataria de modo histórico a questão da estética masculina e sua importância e impacto para os dias de hoje. Na verdade ele é mais um livro que se aproxima principalmente de um guia de estilo para homens do que de um livro propriamente teórico. Prova disso é o grande espaçamento que existe entre as frases para deixar o livro um pouco mais parrudo. Claro que ele não é apenas um guia de estilo. Ele traz toda uma justificativa simbólico e histórica para explicar porque os homens devem se vestir bem, devem cuidar da sua aparência. Aqui e ali dá para tirar algumas coisas interessantes das teorias que Tanner Guzy apresenta em seu livro, principalmente retirado de outras teorias que ele usa para justificar a necessidade do cuidado com a aparência. Também achei que o livro ia tender para um lado machista e chauvinista de superioridade masculina, mas que bom que ele não segue esse caminho, fica bem neutro quanto a esse posicionamento. No fim, o livro acaba sendo bem isso: neutro. Que não fez muita diferença sua compra, mas o dinheiro gasto nele, fez.

[Zakary Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

What did I just read.

My biggest problem with this book is that is is SUPER over explained. This could have been a long essay, hell even a short story that is less than 60 pages. Truly there is about one chapter worth of useful advice and one chapter of worthwhile history.

The contrasting skin tones and color wheel analysis is very basic but some of the only useful material here. This book just made me want to read one of the other books it mentioned that this one summarizes most of the useful information from.

The first two chapters were an okay intro but ehh.

[Jeno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure what that was.
If you advertise it as a book with a promise of deep understanding of 'why we uniform, we the apes' - it definitely fails at this task.
I understand that writing it all would be a research job spanning 5-10 years and today no one's able to write such a long body of work. But this brochure... I almost feel sorry and even ashamed for having it on my Kindle.

[Mason Frierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are plenty of resources out there that cover the what, when, where, and how of men's style. This covers why, and does it very well.

As he says in the beginning, this book isn’t about lists of what to wear, it's about using clothing and style to reflect who you are and who you want to be; that, in turn, helps you figure out what to wear. One can make an analogy about giving a man a fish versus teaching a man to fish but Tanner goes beyond teaching you to match colours or fabric types into helping you understand why those things matter.

Tanner knows what he's talking about and does give advice on colour and body type, etc. but the focus is on the "why." He's also honest and says that dressing well alone won't make you a success; substance matters more than style, especially in the long run. But understanding that how you dress communicates something about you to others whether you want it to or not is an important lesson and gives you the power to control that communication.

What I learned from this book:

- Why I do not need to buy a suit to look good
- Why some celebrities look great in a Henley, while others look bad in the best suit money can buy
- It challenged my self understanding
- I learned that what I wear is an extension of who I am as a man
- If I want honor I need to show what I have done. If I show it, I have to have done it
- What my clothes are communicating
- Why I should care about what I wear, up to a point
- How clothing is a feedback loop: dressing better can express confidence, but it can also give you confidence
- Why many men choose to ignore the effect style has on their life

It was an excellent read. I highly recommend it to any man who wants to not just dress better, but improve as a man.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went to high school with Tanner, and have watched from a distance as he has become a social media influencer centered around men's fashion, style, and "art-of-manliness"-type topics. I thought I would give his book a read, as it is always interesting to catch up with people by means of their professional output.

First, the book is directed at men who seem to take the attitude that clothing should be suited to (1) not cause embarrassment (2) not draw undue attention and (3) be comfortable and functional. Thus the cargo shorts and superhero t-shirt uniform developed, mainly by those who claim that men shouldn't care what anyone else thinks, and ... whatever...

Tanner points out that everyone cares about what others think just by virtue of being intelligent, socially-oriented creatures. You can't show up to a board room business meeting in swim trunks and flip flops, and not expect anyone to care or notice.

So the key is to dress intentionally. Doing so means becoming attuned to things that may not seem interesting or relevant to any given's man's interests: patterns, cuts, styles, etc. But, you can't escape being a clothed person, and putting on the blinders on yourself doesn't blind anyone else with eyes. So it up, pay attention and become aware of the signals you send by the way you present yourself.

Overall, it is a good discussion on a much-neglected topic, but this is not a fashion magazine. You'll have to get specifics elsewhere: this book is about strategies, ideas, history, and philosophy.

[Frj · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book would be useful if I'm not living in an Arabian country because we are all wear the same three things over and over. But it worth the read regardless the whole idea of the book can fit a half of A4 paper

[Diego Barragán · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. The Importance of Appearance: The book emphasizes that power has an appearance and that how one dresses can significantly influence perception. It highlights the dichotomy where good men may dress poorly and bad men may dress well, thereby masking their true nature. The underlying message is that appearance is a powerful tool for communication.

2. Visual Communication: Guzy asserts that clothing and appearance are crucial for non-verbal communication. Men use their attire to project different messages—whether it's to appear threatening, to convey status, or to show disdain for social norms. The goal is to use aesthetics to achieve personal and social aspirations.

3. The Halo Effect: The book explores the psychological concept of the Halo Effect, where one positive trait, such as a well-dressed appearance, can influence the perception of other traits. Attractive people are often seen as more persuasive and competent, demonstrating the significant impact of visual presentation on social interactions.

4. Gender Differences in Dressing: Guzy discusses the different objectives men and women have when dressing. While women often dress to enhance visual appeal and compete with peers, men dress to project power and competence. This differentiation underscores the biological and social underpinnings of appearance.

5. Symmetry and Proportion: The book delves into the concept of the Golden Ratio, which defines ideal facial and body proportions. Guzy explains how understanding and applying these principles through clothing choices can enhance visual symmetry and attractiveness. The use of patterns, colors, and fit are all tailored to achieve a balanced and powerful appearance.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Philosophy Of Fashion.

Like many other reviewers, I was expecting a guide telling me how I should dress. I had expected detailed explanations of different kinds of shirts, suits and, shoes.

What you get instead is a new way to think about clothing. The book can essentially be split into 2 parts. The first of which explains why dressing well is important, giving historical and societal context. The second half explains what you should consider when deciding on your style which includes; body, tribe, taste and, location.

To paraphrase the author - this book teaches you how to know which shirt is perfectly suited to help you accomplish a particular goal in life, rather than tell you about the one shirt you need in your closet (p.g. 57 para 3).

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who wants to give more consideration to how they should dress rather than a guide on what exactly to wear.

[Paige Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has spent 33 years of my life “not caring” about what I looked like and only focusing on if my clothing served a purpose, this is not a book I ever expected myself to read, much less enjoy, much less find to be deeply life-changing. But all of those things were what I experienced with this book. Tanner speaks about masculine style with an authority and understanding unlike anyone else I’ve ever heard and does so in a way that calls men out of mediocrity and complacency and into the next level of excellence in “being good at being a man”. This book is deeply profound and helpful and is one that I will return to again and again. It is not an exaggeration to say that it has changed my life and it is one that I would recommend to any guy out there. Short and sweet, but man does it pack a punch!

Favorite Quote: “It’s foolish to want to hide your newfound growth for fear of being incongruent with the man you used to be.”

[Steven]

This is really not a bad book. I think people are being overly negative about it. for a lot of subject matter experts, like the author, there's a great risk of saying what you know instead of letting what you say be a consequence of what you know. There is undeniably an amount of that. So, the critical readers do have something to say.

Regardless, I think that this is a good first pass book for people interested in this topic with the goals of the author's target audience. his taxonomy is probably more productive for his readership than the Kibbe types would be, for example.

on a personal note: I did find it interesting that the author said status was relevant to whether or not you can depart from conventions in how you dress. I've said the exact same thing about attractiveness giving you a "license" to be more eccentric. I'll have to think about that.

[Dixie Normous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guzy plows head on through the modern dogma surrounding male attire. Argument is made to counter the now 40 year old ideals that the least amount in all aspects has never, and isn't how men and boys attire themselves, nor the chant of "I don't care about my clothes" doesn't hold up even within male society which champions such ideology.
Instead of tactics, that is, "what should a man wear to....", Guzy's book is strategic, explaining why men and boys wear certain things a given way, historically, and in modern context. Inherently, this makes Guzy's ideas valuable for those men and boys seeking a footing for rethinking the clothes on their backs.

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather glad this was a free audible book rather than paying any money.

Though the premise of the book is worthwhile (Appearance matters, how we dress conveys our core values, and can aid us in the achieving of our goals), it could be written as a short blog rather than this book. This reminded me of a GCSE paper, where the pupil has a core idea they are trying to stretch out to reach a word count; leading to thin, sloppy metaphors employed far too often, distorting and watering-down the original idea.

Furthermore, the book has an air of masculine superiority woven throughout, which left a sour taste in my mouth.

Interesting idea, poor book.

[Thomas Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward but helpful. Feel like it could really be cut down to just an essay rather than using space to make a (short) book. Wish he delved more into his philosophy of masculine & feminine aesthetics, his thesis is interesting (men=visual power, women =visual beauty) but he really just drops it and then gets going with how to dress better.
The best portion would be his three archetypes, I easily understood the three categories and how I relate to them and how to use them according to my own personality, interests, and skills.

[Albert Guler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5

This book says in the beginning that it explains to you the concepts of dressing. Not really what you should wear. That you have to figure out on your own. That's the only reason I gave it a 4.5

But this book really did change my entire mindset on dressing well. How you dress does affect everything else in your life. Including how other people behave around you.

So I will be developing my own style soon.

[Nathanael S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is good for what it is, but I expected more. The thesis content are solid. It has a good system to help men look to define their goals and a good list of basic design elements that can help men reach their goals. However, most of the content was stated as Tanner’s opinion. He has had experience as a professional style coach, so I expect more anecdotes and research to back up the application.

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Appearance of Power is an intriguing book which explores style and fashion for men from the perspective of power and how men dress to display power. Reading it made me consider some of my fashion choices and why I dress certain ways as well as how I can make different choices with my appearance, both in terms of clothes and in terms of other aesthetics.

[Martynas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers insights into the significance of personal aesthetics and how they intersect with masculinity, power, and personal success. It encourages readers to reflect on their own appearance choices, embrace authenticity, and use aesthetics as a means to enhance self-confidence and influence in various aspects of life.

[Eric Mendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and engaging read

You do yourself a disservice when you don’t care about your appearance. Not only can dressing well be an effortless social hack, but you can even learn to feel better about yourself. Look good, feel good. Stay pimpin’.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book but sorely lacks details

Well written and interesting. However, it provides very little detail on how to dress better. Mainly focuses on why men should dress better. I don’t feel I got my money’s worth.

[Jayde Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author talks a lot about what it means to wear something but few specific stuff. He talks about archetypes, what they mean and all but rarely of the actual technical stuff like best colors for skin tones.

[Ellixs Tulagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critical book on aesthetic, clothing and appearance through the guise of power, expression, archetype and more. Essential reading for anyone looking to improve their appearance.

[Benjamin Gerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

To any man who doesn't understand the theory of men's style, get this book! It's a life changer and a quick read!

[Jason Prugar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with practical advice - not the "three shoes every man needs" - and told in a no-nonsense style. More books need to be written this way.

[Nacho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good explanation at the beginning on why some men prefer not to dress up and why some do.