Alan Downs, author of The Velvet Rage, YouTube vids

I've heard of the book before, seems a bit of a hack job though.

Can it really be summarised as "childhood rejection can cause harmful behaviours or the need to prove oneself"? That is what I've got from the blurbs and critical reviews. Surely that is stating the bloody obvious! Can I write a book summarising "our lives are a product of things that have happened to us", slap a fancy name on the cover and begin raking in the cash?

I found another quote by the author on why gay men are often stylists and fashion designers:

Seems to be really overthinking that one to me. I think the main reasons so many gay men are involved in styling/fashion are a. cultural norms and stereotyping (seeing these defined as "gay careers" from a young age), and b. they are industries where fewer straight men work (so a form of self-preservation, subconscious "heterophobia" if you like).

I don't think gay men are any more creative than straight men, not at all, just cultural norms push the two to express their creativity in different forms (for example gay men typically designing dresses, straight men typically designing cars for instance). I do think there is an argument of gay men being more driven (due to a desire to prove oneself or offset the external negativity with praise), but again, surely that is rather common sense.

 

The book is a must-read.

 

+1

The book is a compelling read that has opened my eyes to the landscape of gay culture and even some of the things that I did to deal with the shame before coming out (and even before I came out to myself).

 

Yes! It definitely gives answers to so many questions. (I need to read it again.)

 

Yeah, it is an excellent book. Explains so much, and what is more is really practical and helpful.