Breaking Bond
Written by Menswear Style
in
Fashion History
on the
7th May 2025
Once, he was the man every other man wanted to be. Today, he might just be the man every therapist wants to talk about. Tailored tuxedo. Wristwatch with a built-in laser. Aston Martin with missiles and minibar. A drink order so iconic it became a catchphrase. Maybe back then, he’d start the evening at a casino – or a private member’s club in London – before slipping off to thwart some grand, villainous scheme.
From cologne counters to cocktail menus, James Bond’s impact still lingers in how men dress, drink, and even date.
But in 2025, the image of Bond – the original aspirational male fantasy – isn’t so straightforward. In a time of rapid change, increased social awareness, and emotionally available men, we ask: is Bond still a cool, aspirational figure, or has he finally become a relic of outdated ideals?
From Martini-Drinking Relic to Rugged Renaissance Man
When Ian Fleming introduced Bond in 1953, he was the embodiment of mid-century masculinity: hard-drinking, womanising, loyal to crown and country, and emotionally bulletproof. Sean Connery gave him cinematic charisma, Roger Moore made him charmingly aloof, and Timothy Dalton brought glimpses of brooding. But overall, these were tweaks, not transformations, of the ideology of “Bond.”
True reinvention of the character arrived with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006)—a more human Bond who bled, mourned, and made mistakes. This “double 0” wasn’t just dodging bullets; he was confronting emotional scars. He downed whiskey not out of bravado, but to silence grief and inner demons. For many modern men raised on the idea of vulnerability as a sign of real strength, Craig’s Bond felt a stride closer to home.
What We Want from Our Heroes
Once, Bond’s characteristics almost defined the apex male fantasy: untouchable, unfazed, and utterly in control. Today, that fantasy feels increasingly tired. Men are more likely to celebrate success in therapy than how many martinis they can chuck back, and brag about setting boundaries rather than breaking necks. While Bond’s sophistication and courage still resonate, his swagger can sometimes feel performative.
Even now, Bond’s ripple effect runs through every Tom Ford lapel, Omega watch advert, and online guide to ordering the “perfect martini.” He may be emotionally stunted, but the man knows how to wear a dinner jacket.
Even today, there’s still something undeniably magnetic about a man who knows what he wants and doesn’t apologise for it. In a world flooded with uncertainty, Bond’s decisiveness, resilience, and unflappability hold enduring appeal – especially when paired with genuine introspection.
The Feminine Shift
The franchise’s treatment of women has long been its largest sore spot. The “Bond Girl” trope—ephemeral, beautiful, usually doomed—has aged poorly. No Time to Die gave us progress: Nomi (Lashana Lynch), a 00 agent, and Paloma (Ana de Armas) stole scenes without needing to be reduced to a mere “lust interest” of the main character.
Still, critics argue these women orbit Bond’s gravity, noting that real progress means giving them agency outside his shadow. Ana de Armas herself has stated that “there’s no need for a female Bond. […] What I would like is that the female roles in the Bond films – even though Bond will continue to be a man – are brought to life in a different way”.
Who’s the Alpha Now?
In today’s pop culture, Bond competes with emotionally complex figures like Pedro Pascal’s Joel in The Last of Us, Robert Pattinson’s emo-Batman, or even the quietly competent Roy Kent from Ted Lasso. These men are flawed, protective, and introspective—the modern blueprint for true – and still aspirational – masculinity.
Bond, for all his glamour, sometimes feels like he’s reading from a script written in a different decade. But maybe that’s the point: he’s not supposed to be relatable. He’s supposed to be mythic, larger than life. He may not leap from buildings or shoot lasers from his eyes, but in many ways, Bond is a less ‘super’ kind of superhero—flawed and fallible, yet still unforgettable.
The Verdict: Icon or Outdated Ideal?
So is Bond still cool? If we define cool as aloof charm and elite competence, yes. If we define it as emotional fluency and moral clarity, then Bond, though making strides in the right direction, is still playing catch-up.
Perhaps Bond doesn’t need to be reinvented entirely – just recontextualised. Let him be the myth, while the men watching learn to pick the traits worth emulating: the courage under fire, the style, the integrity. And leave behind the misogyny, the repression, the inability to let anyone in.
Bond might be a dinosaur, but he’s a dinosaur in bespoke tailoring, driving a £300K car, capable of saving the world with nothing but a smirk and a sidearm. Is that cool, by today’s standards?
Maybe not, but it’s still hard to look away.
