When my wife began noticing that I paint my toenails and shave my legs and under my arms, and wear pink socks, she said she thinks I'm turning into a metrosexual. I just let her think that, because it's a lot easier than trying to explain that I'm turning into a girl!
What's a metrosexual, anyway?
It's this whole silly Euro trend, made popular by that soccer player David Beckham, who seemingly was able to display many feminine traits while still maintaining his masculinity. Okay, maybe not so silly, but certainly trendy.
Any money found in the laundry is MINE!
"This is no social crisis....this is me having fun!"
www.flickr.com/photos/tgmarla/
Hi Ronni
According to Wordspy:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/metrosexual.asp
A Metrosexual is......
metrosexual (met.roh.SEK.shoo.ul) n. An urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle.
—metrosexuality n.
Example Citations:
At dinner the other night, my date listed the calorie count of the main entrees, raising an eyebrow at my chicken Alfredo selection after he had ordered a salad. I saw him check his reflection in the silver water pitcher three times. During dessert, he looked deeply into my eyes and told me he thought what we have together is very special. It was our third date.
It was then that I realized why my dating life has been as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle since I arrived in Washington. This city, unlike any other place I've lived, is a haven for the metrosexual. A metrosexual, in case you didn't catch any of several newspaper articles about this developing phenomenon (or the recent "South Park" episode on Comedy Central), is a straight man who styles his hair using three different products (and actually calls them "products"), loves clothes and the very act of shopping for them, and describes himself as sensitive and romantic. In other words, he is a man who seems stereotypically gay except when it comes to sexual orientation.
—Alexa Hackbarth, "Vanity, Thy Name Is Metrosexual," The Washington Post, November 17, 2003
The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis — because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be officially gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference. Particular professions, such as modeling, waiting tables, media, pop music and, nowadays, sport, seem to attract them but, truth be told, like male vanity products and herpes, they're pretty much everywhere.
—Mark Simpson, "Meet the metrosexual," Salon.com, July 22, 2002
Notes:
A metrosexual is a clotheshorse wrapped around a dandy fused with a narcissist. Like soccer star David Beckham, who has been known to paint his fingernails, the metrosexual is not afraid to embrace his feminine side. Why "metrosexual"? The metro- (city) prefix indicates this man's purely urban lifestyle, while the -sexual suffix comes from "homosexual," meaning that this man, although he is usually straight, embodies the heightened aesthetic sense often associated with certain types of gay men.
Mark Simpson invented this term in 1994 (see the earliest citation, below), and it drifted slowly from one media source to another throughout the rest of 1990s and early 2000s. Then Simpson wrote another article about metrosexuals in the online magazine Salon.com on July 22, 2002, and the term took off. Since then it has been picked up by thousands of media outlets, has made numerous TV appearances, has spawned at least a couple of books, and has been dropped in untold numbers of cocktail party conversations. There is no escaping the metrosexual.
The second example citation gives Simpson's succinct description of the metrosexual type from his Salon.com article.
Earliest Citation:
The promotion of metrosexuality was left to the men's style press, magazines such as The Face, GQ, Esquire, Arena and FHM, the new media which took off in the Eighties and is still growing (GQ gains 10,000 new readers every month). They filled their magazines with images of narcissistic young men sporting fashionable clothes and accessories. And they persuaded other young men to study them with a mixture of envy and desire.
Some people said unkind things. American GQ, for example, was popularly dubbed ''Gay Quarterly''. Little wonder that all these magazines — with the possible exception of The Face — address their metrosexual readership as if none of them were homosexual or even bisexual.
—Mark Simpson, "Here come the mirror men," The Independent, November 15, 1994
~~~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Me? Well since I don't really come up to scratchas a man.... I'm just a boring old tranny
Ellaine
Nothing human can be alien to me.
Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.
-William Blake
"Anyone who knows how to run a household, knows how to run the world."
-- Xilonem Garcia, a Meshika elder in Mexico
Okay, I'm mildly offended here... Are the European's ALL to blame for this "silly trend?"Originally Posted by TGMarla
[size=3]Hugs xx[/size]
[size=2]"You don't have to be fat to be a lady", Sophie 2006[/size]
[SIZE=1]"Hey, those are nice shoes, but they'd look better in my pants! ... I mean..." Robot Chicken, 2006[/SIZE]
[size=1]"He's just said a word we don't understand! And he's won at scrabble with it!" - Eddie Izzard 1998[/size]
[SIZE=1]"Head over heels is fine, unless you're in stilettos." -The Beautiful South, 2005[/SIZE]
[size=1]"Forgive me. Let live, me." - Antony and the Johnsons 2005[/size]
[SIZE="1"]"We walk amoung you..." TransAmerica, 2005[/SIZE]
[size=3]THREAD SUCCESSFULLY HIJACKED[/size]
A metrosexual is a straight guy who's a bit of dandy. In other words a guy who likes both football and getting facials.
More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosexual
Lena
A dream? What is a dream, but a blueprint for courageous action.
http://www.adahlshouse.com
The whole metrosexual phenom, for my money, is a blessing for us. Anything that encourages the GM pop to accept using cosmetics, wearing more colorful, luxurious garb, and otherwise breaking from traditional notions of masculinity can only help stealthily promote acceptance of all people who violate traditional gender rôles... meaning, basically - us!
I don't give a tinker's damn whether it's trendy; as long as it means we get fewer dirty or puzzled looks when we do nonmasculine things, it's all to the good.
Last edited by Lauren_T; 11-20-2005 at 01:01 PM.
[SIZE=1]
Marge, you being a cop makes you the Man, which makes me the woman. And I have no interest in that!
...besides occasionally wearing the underwear, which, as we discussed, is strictly a comfort thing.
~ H. Simpson
Silly goose, of course that's not me in my avatar![/size]
It is not a silly trend at all! It is putting men and makeup together and is the first step in creating more acceptance for crossdressers.
Even Shaquille Oneal is painting his toenails and Nick Nolte also admitted to doing this in a recent interview.
Okay, I'm mildly offended here... Are the European's ALL to blame for this "silly trend?"
Amen Lauren! :-)
The whole metrosexual phenom, for my money, is a blessing for us. Anything that encourages the GM pop to accept using cosmetics, wearing more colorful, luxurious garb, and otherwise breaking from traditional notions of masculinity can only help stealthily promote acceptance of all people who violate traditional gender rôles... meaning, basically - us!
I don't give a tinker's damn whether it's trendy; as long as it means we get fewer dirty or puzzled looks when we do nonmasculine things, it's all to the good.
I think there are two issues here.
First, it is a trend that that got started like so many other trends, but this time it is one that the cosmetic companies can really cash in on by catching half of the population that previously haven't used cosmetic products, ie guys. Just think of all the lotions and sprays and whatever that are now being available for guys. Because it's being advertised as being 'in' we can now all use (for example) a cleansing creme on our faces before going to bed. When our SO's say 'what are doing?' we can say 'being trendy!'. I'd say that this is one up for the good guys and the TG's.
Secondly, whilst the name is reasonably new, being a metro is not new. Back in the 19th century they had young men who tarted themsleves up. The name then was 'dandy' or 'fop'. Both those names are now terms of derision.
Metrosexual is what I say I am when someone ask me if I shave my arms, or I arrange my eyebrow...
Kisses
Sandra
this is how my friend explained it to me when she called me one .....
it's a straight gay guy ........ has all the traits of a gay guy but likes women.
[SIZE="4"]Body of a man, mind of a woman...strength and intelligence...not good enough though[/SIZE]
*~Girl At Heart~*
That is not true. Gay guys that I work with dress very masculine in the best men's suits and would not be caught dead in anything that is even remotely feminine.
I can't speak for the rest of the world but here in Australia, the "metrosexual" seems to be dying off.
Yet another fad that has come and gone really.
Maxine
Ronni,
I want you to know that I'm happy you are being yourself.
Much love.
Surely that would make him at least bisexual.
hey girls
I to am upset at the remsarl about Europeans starting a silly trend. I might live in North America but still have a strong UK connection.
The market for men'sproducts in worth millions to the manufactures of these new male products.
This site will give you an idea of what is actually available for men, from cover up to mascara!
www.4voo.com
Emma
Ronni,
I couldn't stop laughing after reading your comment about rather explaining to your wife that you're a metrosexual.
You have a funny way of putting things.
It's ok to be a metrosexual and a crossdresser.
Just take it in stride!
Take good care of yourself!
emmi
i meant the stereotypical gay guy... like in queer eye for the straight guy
sorry the word 'stereotypical' makes a big difference lol
[SIZE="4"]Body of a man, mind of a woman...strength and intelligence...not good enough though[/SIZE]
*~Girl At Heart~*
It is sad to see the derision in Ellaine's citations about metrosexuals. Apparently any man who cares about his looks is immediately labelled narcisstic and of course is compared with homosexuals.
I live in Asia and here it is quite common for men to get facials and manicures and even eyebrow shaping. Only in our homophobic Western culture are such men ridiculed for taking care of themselves.
Well Ellaine citations may have been derisive, but out in the real world people are getting used to the idea -- at least in major urban areas that I'm familiar with.
Like any fad, there comes a point where people poke fun of it. In fact the SF Chronicle just had a tongue-in-cheek article on how metrosexuals are passe, and the new, new thing is the ubersexual.
But there's definitely an undercurrent of unease reflected by the humor -- probably particularly in the States, since it goes against a lot mythology of the rugged individualist. OTOH, I suspect in coming years, it won't be that big a deal -- some guys will be well-groomed and some won't, just as some GGs like to look fashionable and others just wear sweats all the time.
As Emma said, the cosmetics companies are just drooling to expand their market share -- lots more gulliable customers to sell stuff too. Interestingly, according to the Cosmetics Cop, a lot of the men's skincare products are identical to women's -- except for the masculine packaging and lower price tag. She actually advises women to consider buying them instead. (BTW, the book is a really excellent Consumer's Guide approach to skincare and cosmetics products -- there's far too many overhyped and over-priced products -- and it's probably available at your local library.)
Lena
A dream? What is a dream, but a blueprint for courageous action.
http://www.adahlshouse.com
As stated before, it's namely a late trend among males who spend inordinate money and time on being clean cut and good looking, including shaving off grody body hair, and spending time using products to maintain health and beauty.
Personally, when I manifest feminine traits en drab, it's called emo.
Oh come on now, New Yawkers are far ruder than the French.
Lena
A dream? What is a dream, but a blueprint for courageous action.
http://www.adahlshouse.com
I never expected such a reaction!
Ellaine, you are the authority here (arguably).
Emmi, you're a doll.
The rest of you, thank you for your courteous explanations.
I'm just a regular gurl.
What's a gurl?
I've read that here and there too, but even if that's true, I think there is going to be a redisual effect - which is great, I think. Pick up any men's fashion mag like GQ or whatever and you'll see tons of evidence that fashion-concious men are stocking up on beauty products and spending more time in the bathroom.
And I don't think it's silly at all.
If all men started spending more time in the bathroom then think of the enormous queues. It is one of the advantages of the male toilet, nobody hangs about there...unless you are gay.
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