{"id":183002,"date":"2025-10-29T15:17:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T14:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=183002"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:57","slug":"huib-gaat-een-nieuwe-norm-zetten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/10\/29\/huib-gaat-een-nieuwe-norm-zetten\/","title":{"rendered":"Huib is setting a new standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s an object of love,\u201d says Huib (29) about his headphones, which are barely held together with duct tape. \u201cIt started with a small tear, which I fixed with tape. Later, a button broke, so I unscrewed the headphones and repaired it\u201d, he says. \u201cBut when I tried to close them again, they tore even more. So I needed more duct tape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Huib is wearing suede deck shoes, corduroy trousers and a soft pink jumper today.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

He feels a bit ashamed, but he keeps wearing the headphones \u2013 as a quiet protest against the constant throwing away of objects that could last much longer. \u201cI hope to set a new standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huib is working on a collection of short stories about objects. It fits well with his studies \u2013 a master\u2019s in Philosophy \u2013 to reflect deeply and find metaphors where others might only see a broken pair of headphones. \u201cOne of the stories is inspired by a pair of headphones that are afraid their owner wants to replace them. Because you know what sound you play in someone\u2019s head, but not what\u2019s going on inside that head.\u201d Huib himself enjoys listening to punk and Scandinavian minimalist jazz.<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Huib has trouble leaving his trusted headphone behind.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Today he\u2019s wearing suede deck shoes, corduroy trousers and a soft pink jumper. \u201cIt\u2019s been a bit of a stressful week, so I felt like something comfy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huib thinks the jumper was originally made for women. He bought it at the second-hand shop Episode, where they make no distinction between men\u2019s and women\u2019s clothing. \u201cThat gives me a wider range to choose from. I think men\u2019s clothing is generally quite boring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI also recently bought heels. It\u2019s a shame I\u2019m not wearing them today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before studying Philosophy, Huib did a master\u2019s and teacher training in Physics in Delft and worked at a ministry. There, he dressed more in line with the masculine norm. Not because he felt external pressure, but because he didn\u2019t yet feel free enough to deviate from it. \u201cSince studying Philosophy, I\u2019ve become more interested in aesthetics, which has made me appreciate the role of beautiful clothes more.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he doesn\u2019t wear heels as a statement to draw attention to gender roles, but simply because he finds them beautiful.<\/p>\n\t

\n\t\t

What\u2019s the nicest compliment you\u2019ve ever received?<\/p>\n

\u201cI was dating someone with a phenomenal sense of style. We went to a classical concert together and sat next to two ladies. I was wearing my heels, and the ladies said to my girlfriend: \u2018You must have picked those heels out for him.\u2019 At first, I thought that was a mega-sexist comment, as if I couldn\u2019t choose my own clothes. But because she always looks so good, I actually took it as a compliment that they thought my heels were her idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t