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The Metrosexual Man
A few years ago the appearance of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and other similarly-themed
shows brought a new word into our lexicon. That word is “Metrosexual”. The word, and the increasingly large number of men whom it
describes, has spread across the globe and now has become an ideal to which many men aspire.
But what is a “metrosexual”?
According to sources cited on Wikipedia, the term “metrosexual” was coined by a British
journalist named Mark Simpson in an article titled, “Here Come the Mirror Men” published on November 15, 1994 in The Independent (a
major British daily). In 2002, Simpson returned to the topic of his previous article in “Meet the Metrosexual”, an essay he wrote for
Salon.com. This introduced the term to the U.S. online public. Of course, this is contested by former Metro Radio presenter Mitch
Murray, who claims to have coined the term in the 1980s as a combination of “Metro Radio” and “heterosexuals” making a play on the
words, which was to be a successor to the term, “Yuppie”.
Regardless of whether or not Murray’s claim is true, the use of the term today in consistent
with its use by Simpson in his articles and essays, and is now used to describe any urbane man with a strong esthetic sense and who
spends a lot of money and effort on his appearance and lifestyle.
What Makes A Metrosexual?
There are a number of areas in which the metrosexual man will focus his attention: fashion
trends, hairstyle trends, hair and skin care, physical fitness, food, popular culture and home décor and technology. In many occasions
these areas will have cross-over. For example, the hottest new restaurant in town would be a crossover of the areas of food and popular
culture, or the gym a man joins may offer spa services which would combine physical fitness needs with hair and skin care. Let’s look at
these areas a little more in depth:
Fashion Trends
The metrosexual man will pay attention to what’s currently popular in men’s fashions and will
usually incorporate the looks into his own personal sense of style. This isn’t to say that he necessarily has to go and spend hundreds
on designer labels. It simply means that he keeps abreast of current trends and shops for those looks at outlets to match his budget.
Hairstyle Trends/Hair and Skin Care
These two areas are easily combined because they can actually be placed under the umbrella of
“grooming”. Often this is the most notable difference between the “metrosexual” and the average heterosexual man. Most men don’t think
much about grooming apart from shampooing and shaving in the morning, and getting their hair cut every other month or so. And these are
best case scenarios.
However, the metrosexual man will pay attention to his specific needs as far as having a
flattering hair cut, as well as cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing his skin in order to look healthier and help fight signs of
aging. He will have his nails cared for with manicures (AND pedicures) and will take care of the little problems that arise from time
to time, such as athlete’s foot fungus or acne breakouts.
The metrosexual man tends to spend far more time on his appearance than the average man. This
in and of itself may seem shallow and vain, but also shows a strong sense of self-worth and respect for those people with whom he
chooses to spend time since he wants to look his best at all times.
Physical Fitness
The metrosexual man is body conscious. That doesn’t mean he is necessarily anyone’s physical
ideal. He may be overweight, but he is aware of what he needs to do to be healthier and makes an effort to do so. Physical fitness may
involve membership in a gym for aerobics and weight training, or it may be something less structured and rigid, like spending an hour
or so a few times a week playing basketball, rollerblading, bicycling (or some other physical activity) with a friend.
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