The Return of Men’s Crop Tops & Why You Need a Few For Summer 2022

Ah, Twitter. The internet’s biggest downfall and our guiltiest of all pleasures. Back in 2019 way before the world ended, Twitter’s controversies were spewing left and right regarding the 2020 election between Trump and Biden, Gucci’s heinous “Blackface” balaclava and of course, whether or not crop tops for men should exist.

That might sound like a load of bullshit, but we’re dead serious. In the summer before the pandemic, ASOS launched a number of men’s crop tops that took the internet by storm. Like, for real, people were pissed off. Simply the idea that some man somewhere might be proudly showing off a couple of inches of midriff parked a conversation.

“Should men wear crop tops?”

“If so, what kind of men can wear crop tops?”

People let themselves become so worked up over… shirts. Old-fashioned straight folks were upset because of all of their precious gender roles, and some LGBTQ+ people were upset because there was an assumption that “only gay people would wear these fugly shirts” when, in reality, that shouldn’t have been the case. It’s like nobody ever watched an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wherein Will Smith repped a cropped tee (pre-Oscar slap, of course). What about teenage Johnny Depp clad in a cropped jersey talking on the phone in Nightmare on Elm Street. (Okay, we understand some of you have blocked that out of your memory.)

But like, baby, listen — men’s cropped t-shirts have been here all along. Like men’s rompers before it, this controversial article of clothing actually has a long, butch history. Sorry not sorry that we had to be the ones to say it.

It’s safe to say that as a society, we’ve grown a lot since then. Any kind of man can wear a crop top. Let us repeat that: any kind of man can wear a crop top. Dudes are more comfortable sporting nail polish than they’ve ever been, TikTok trends involving men wearing maid’s dresses have been taking over the app since the fall and crop tops for men are back once again. The Earth is healing, people. Let it.

Now is the best time of year, too — because we’re nearing men’s crop top season. Because if there’s one thing about summer 2022 we’re looking forward to, it’s going absolutely apeshit with our style. Balls to the wall, if you will. This is the first summer in a bit we’re essentially completely letting our guards down, so you better fucking believe we’re making questionable outfit choices in these streets. Mind your business.

With that being said, grab yourself a crop top or two. Fuck it. Who cares. Abs, dad bods, beer bellies, skinny, hairy, smooth, gay, straight, trans — whatever. This summer is the summer to say “fuck it” and finally get fun with fashion. Time for you to do the same.

1. SHEIN Men Striped Contrast Binding Crop T-Shirt

You already know what the girlies on TikTok say: SHEIN haul! This striped crop top comes in sizes up to XXL so no matter your size, that bod can probably squeeze. The tee itself is incredibly cheap, so it’s not going to cost you an arm and a leg. It’s got a classic striped look that feels pretty retro, so match it with whatever you feel comfortable with.

2. Rowing Blazers ’70s Stripe Cropped Rugby

If it’s a story about fashion at SPY and doesn’t include at least one pick from Rowing Blazers, is it even a fashion story at SPY? Probably not. This cropped rugby is fulfilling our wildest dreams as Rowing Blazers fanatics. Sure, it might be specifically made for women, but we’re willing to make it fit. If there’s a will, there’s a way. Hey, Rowing Blazers, get some boys up on the site modeling these crop tops! And you know dang well who to hit up if you need a model!

3. Budweiser Cropped Tee

Sporting your favorite beer never looked better. This crop top from Etsy is plastered in the classic Budweiser logo, reading for wearing as you’re flipping burgers with a beer in hand all summer long. This crop top is a must for any dude that continuously finds themselves wearing jorts and aviators 99% of the time in the summer. Bonus points if you’ve got a mullet.

4. Runcati Workout Cropped Tank Top

Crop tops for men really don’t normally cost an arm and a leg, our pick prior is just costly because of all the organic, sustainable qualities. Most crop tops for dudes cost right around the $10 mark, such as this workout cropped tank from Amazon. There’s really nothing to this one aside from a solid black coloring. It ditches both sleeves to let you show off those shoulders, bi’s and tri’s and of course leaves an ample amount of room for a b it of a belly peak. There are a few more colors available such as white, pink and purple, so feel free to go bonkers and stand out like a sore thumb this summer. It’s up to you!

5. D.A.R.E Crop Top

Alright, if you’re trying to reach toward that summer vintage aesthetic done so well by Will Smith and Johnny Depp, you’re going to have to do it right. Take this vintage D.A.R.E crop for example — it’s old-school, it’s effortless and it looks like something you could have easily found at the local thrift store. If you want to look like one of the hot muscle dudes from your favorite 80s film this summer, a crop top like this is how to pull it off.

6. SweatyRocks Striped Long-Sleeve Crop Top

Since summer isn’t necessarily as close as we’d like it to be, peep this long-sleeve crop top from Amazon you can wear when you still want to show off that gut but need to keep those arms warm. We’re going to keep it real, this one is 100% supposed to be for women, but, what? Oh, yeah, we don’t care. Throw this on with a pair of jeans and your go-to Converse hi-tops and pull a look everyone on the street will geek out over.

MORE: Most Comfortable Men’s T-Shirts

7. Sport Crop Top T-Shirt

Bring it back in time with this mesh crop top that kind of looks like your peewee football jersey from when you were a child. You know what they say: what goes around comes back around. This sporty yet flirty crop top will bring some masculine vibes to your cropped look this summer by keeping you looking effortlessly cool no matter how you style it. Wear it playing basketball with the boys, to a backyard pool party, barhopping with your friends, wherever. If the day calls for something casual, you know what to do. Put it on. It might be a little more cropped than your average crop top for men, but who cares? Get ready to have yourself a true hot boy summer.

8. ASOS DESIGN Mesh T-Shirt with Ringer Detail

Sporting mesh? Never look better with this crop top from ASOS is covered in a funky patterned mesh material. This crop top is a must for any dude that likes to stand at the very center of attention. It’s the perfect head-turner and can surprisingly be paired with just about whatever.

9. Marek + Richard Toxic Goo Crop Tank

This isn’t your classic crop top. Honestly, nothing Marek + Richard does should be deemed “classic”, as you’ll see again at the end. This gooey cropped tank is all you need for any upcoming festival or rave you might have lined up in the future. It’s dripping with a unique, unbalanced shape and will absolutely get you a lot of compliments.

10. Marek + Richard Thrussy Crop Tee

Okay, we know we said that crop tops for men aren’t necessarily gay, but this cropped tee is gay as fuck and we’re absolutely obsessed. We’re not going to sit you down and explain to you what “thrussy” means, it’s as simple as if you know, you know. This iconic shirt is a crowd-pleaser from the beach to the backyard BBQ to your next IG selfie. Just be careful wearing it around the straights.