Ooh, that's so interesting what you said about Pete having to martyr himself .... I would be sooo interested to hear what you mean by that?
Also yes late 00s Pete they could never make me hate you! He was literally going through the worst time EVER and IDK. I just. I think people are VERY unsympathetic about everything he's been through which is sad because on some level I feel like Pete KNOWS that
Also 2007 Pete Wentz is so AGHHH I feel insane every time I think about him like PR stunt with Ashlee (when he's always been desperate about being in love and instead ends up in a PR relationship), mental health declining, aftermath of nude pictures, etc etc
I think he was also going through some kind of queer crisis then too because there's this really concerning interview I remember from 2007 I think it was from Rolling Stone where he's lying on a bed and the interviewer is talking to him in his hotel room and Pete's just like straight-faced talking about being sent to boot camp and how horrible it was and the interviewer says something about like you've always been known to experiment with style, the infamous girl jeans, etc and Pete says actually I'm starting to work out nowadays. 'I want to be a man' which is? And the interviewer ends it like that too he writes something like 'and Wentz echoes himself, staring at the ceiling, "I want to be a man"' which is.......Okay. Not exactly subtle this is coinciding with PR stunt with Ashlee, more subdued fashion sense, worsening mental health, step back from makeup, etc.
It's just sad though like you said where Pete stopped wearing make up because that became his Thing where everyone was quizzing him about it and expecting it from him etc etc. Because the thing is like he's ALWAYS experimented with stuff like that even before he was famous like I mentioned before there are tons of pictures of him when he was in Arma in like 2000 where he's sporting full nail polish but it's just SAD it became like a Trademark when it was something he used to express himself. To a lesser extent it's also applicable to Patrick's sideburns like how Patrick mentioned he grew them and he thought they were okay but then he felt anxious about shaving them off because he was like oh they've become my Thing now.
Anyway, it's nice to see Pete's experimenting with style again like the mesh shirt with the roses, his weird jackets, leather jeans, a skirt, etc :)
hi anon!!! i am so sorry it took forever for me to respond to this - i totally thought i had!
in terms of pete martyring himself, it's best explained by himself in this interview chunk from 2013 @grandtreeangel graciously found for me:
[source]
fall out boy was always pete's vision, and he was determined to bring to life - especially after he met patrick. he was notably wishy-washy with committing to anything, but he was ALL IN with fob. i think he felt a strong sense of obligation to take on whatever consequences came with its success, especially to protect the guys who helped him build it.
i found the article you referenced, also a rolling stone piece: Fall Out Boy: The Fabulous Life and Secret Torment of America's Hottest Band, March of 2007
these reflections are genuinely fascinating to me, especially the language he uses. it actually begs the question of what inspired that stylistic experimentation to begin with.
i think pete's efforts for "strangeness" were partly rooted in expression and artistry, yes, but more in deep insecurity and discomfort with being "known." being normal and predictable doesn't sit well when, internally, you feel so goddamn abnormal.
kinda like, "i'm so fucking weird...might might as well just embrace it." if you give an external signal that you are "different," it feels less possible to be more gradually viewed as a freak once someone gets to know you. you're telling people right from the start who you are. "they're going to judge me eventually, might as well get it over with."
it's also worth noting that pete was perfectly "on trend" for the scene(s) he was in; he was just an "outsider" to the standard abercrombie preppy looks of the early 00s. put him in a shitty little venue of shitty hardcore bands and he would've blended right in.
however, what he used as a way to fit in actually made him stand out, and when that started to happen he started to shift.
when the weirdness you wrap yourself in as protection begins to show up on magazine covers, it begins to feel more stifling than comforting. then the options are to either go even deeper into "strange" or flip the script and blend right in with everyone. pete going stranger just would've gained him more attention - something he did NOT want - so, let's start to tone it down and be less of a spectacle.
there is a huge difference between self expression being a genuine reflection of yourself and how you feel most comfortable existing vs. it functioning as a mask and shield from what you perceive as inevitable harm.
pair that with being the frontman of a massive band and having to play a PR-constructed version of yourself to appeal to the right demographics etc etc etc. disaster waiting to happen.
pete has definitely shown more comfort with himself and how he presents himself - especially over the years since the hiatus. he truly just wears and does whatever the fuck now, some of it right in line with mainstream and some well away from it. he's no longer in a box because he no longer feels like he needs to be. he doesn't fear the repercussions anymore.
welp, yet again a fuckin novel. thanks for the prompt, anon! this was a fun one.