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Candace Owens, boldly breaking gender norms by wearing a suit. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

In 2020, is cross-dressing still considered to be provocative?

Rock stars were challenging gender norms back in the seventies - youd think wed have moved on to more interesting conversations by now. But for attention-starved conservative commentators, the sight of a man wearing a dress is still, apparently, worth making a fuss over.

Conservative commentator Candace Owens, infamous for her bizarre, completely unprompted defense of Adolf Hitler, sparked a tiresome Twitter debate after criticizing Harry Styles, who dared to don a dress in his cover for Vogue.(The first man ever to appear alone on its cover in 128 years.)

On Twitter, Owens wrote: There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.

It didnt take long for Ben Shapiro, the embodiment of raw masculinity, the modern-day Marlboro Man, to chime in:

Im not sure what Vogue marketing their big-name photoshoot through an outdated subversion of gender norms has to do with the Left, but needless to say, Im pretty sure Harry Styles is extremely comfortable with his sexuality, and doesnt stay up at night worrying about being perceived as effeminate.

But Twitter users rarely give up the opportunity to poke fun at these two towering intellectuals, so Owens and Shaprio spent the rest of the day being mercilessly mocked, the price of being a controversial internet commentator (although, I suspect the pay is pretty good).

It is genuinely interesting (or maybe depressing?), to look back at the culture wars of the seventies and see how little has changed. Its quite remarkable, really. The very notion of breaking gender norms seems to strike intense fear into the heart of certain people; a line that, once crossed, marks the end of Western civilization, an imagined descent into barbarism and hedonism.

It sounds like a great deal of fun, but perhaps it's time to move on - nostalgia culture might be trendy right now, but that doesnt mean we have to argue over men wearing dresses for the next century.

Candace, seemingly satisfied with her attention-grabbing Tweet, ended her commentary on the subject with a mind-melting, incendiary take, writing:

Wait until they find out that I also think women should be feminineand I enjoy cooking for and taking care of my husband.

The Tweet was accompanied by a GIF of Elmo, writhing in flames ... because its fiery.

I cant wait to hear what Owens and Shapiro are offended by nextlong hair and tattoos?

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Candace Owens Criticizes Harry Styles, Sparks An Embarrassingly Outdated Culture War - Forbes