One – no, two? Or maybe, three minutes, an old lady in her 80s while travelling in metro, draped in bright red saree, sits in a metro, eyes fixed on a young girl in a pink floral crop top that barely reaches past her navel.

Who is going to tell her, that the same men who would have glitched like an NPC (non- playable character) in a video game if had been asked to wear the saree, is now luring over the crop tops.

For ages, baby tees, have been the Bollywood’s favourite pick for the women. From Madhuri Dixit’s iconic Dhak Dhak look to Kareena Kapoor’s Bole Chudiyan moment, these were the centre of attention as the “feminine fashion”. But wait, this is not female’s dress anymore. Men are reclaiming these standards away, and they are now owning it.

Reeling back to 80s and 90s, heartthrobs of Bollywood, Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor often flaunted their strong built torso in cropped sweatshirt. Then came the phase when men decided this look was “too feminine,” as hyper-masculinity became more dominant in pop culture (especially with the rise of action heroes of 2000s) and crop tops faded into the background. Well, that’s not the end, fashion always comes full circle, and guess what? It’s back in the spotlight!

Ranveer Singh, a ruling star has outshine many with his unique choices like cropped blazer, Ayushmann Khurana is another one serving the effortless cropped fashion, even Kartik Aryan and Siddhant Chaturvedi have been spotted in midriff-barring fits.

“While shopping I came across the collection of half shirts in men’s category, brands are definitely gearing up with this trend. H&M and Zara are leading the race for now. And with no doubt Nike, Adidas are also cooking things to make sports stylish.” says Chinmay Agrawal, 20, a fashion enthusiast, studying Bachelors in Business Administration at Symbiosis, Pune.

From fitted ribbed crop tops to oversized boxy cuts, the market now offers a variety of styles for men. Streetwear brands are pushing, graffiti-printed cropped hoodies, while high-street fashion houses are leaning into structured crop blazers for a bold look. H&M and Zara’s collections range from Rs. 1,299 to Rs. 3,999, featuring minimalistic and logo heavy designs.

On the premium side, Nike and Adidas offer athletic fit cropped tees and sweatshirts priced between Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 6,000, catering to those who love a sporty yet fashion-forward vibe.

If you think that crop tees are only for aesthetics? well rethink again. Why one would not love to show off his gym-built abs and feel breezy in the hot summer, specially when one has to bare the heat of India.

On a serious note, there is definitely a shift in “boys don’t wear that” era. Men are flaunting their choices and society is appreciating their self expression. Social media is adding fuel to the fire – scroll through Instagram or TikTok, and you’ll find influencers, K-pop idols, and global celebs rocking cropped fits without a care. The message is clear: style has no gender, and confidence always wins.