Metrosexuality
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Women were traditionally the ones associated with pampering themselves for hours on end. From manicures and pedicures to hours of beauty preparation at least twice a day, it is all a part of being a woman. This used to be something that men just did not understand. But in this current day and age, women are beginning to find it necessary to reserve the bathroom and try to beat their life partner to it in the morning. This life partner, however, is not a female. It is the boyfriend or husband that is as in tuned with his appearance as any woman is. This new type of man that has erupted has now become referred to as a metrosexual.
In 1994, a man by the name of Mark Simpson published an article in The Independent defining exactly what a metrosexual was. In the article, Simpson gave a very clear explanation of this new word that was about to be born:
Metrosexual man, the single young man with a high disposable income, living or working in the city (because that’s where all the best shops are), is perhaps the most promising consumer market of the decade. In the Eighties he was only to be found inside fashion magazines such as GQ, in television advertisements for Levis jeans, or in gay bars. In the Nineties, he’s everywhere and he’s going shopping.
Metrosexuals did not become a big thing until 2002, when Mark Simpson, once again, published it in one of his articles. The only thing different this time around was that he named a few celebrities who, as he referred to them as, were the “metrosexual posterboys.” The most famous of these men were David Beckham, the captain of the England soccer team and also model.
Aside from Simpson, the media has quite a place in spreading this new breed of men also. Without exactly embracing the term metrosexuality, billboard across the country and magazine covers are notorious advertisement spots for these men. From Calvin Klein models in underwear to Armani models with a thousand dollar pair of jeans on, they are showing that it is okay to have waxes and spend thousands of dollars on a pair of jeans that they will only wear a few times. Sounds like these men have a knack for embracing their feminine sides pretty well.
With his hairstyles that have been around the world and back, there is no question why David Beckham has become the poster boy that is commonly associated with metrosexuality. He uses 3 different hair styling products in his hair a day, and also has more shoes than your average woman, not to mention the extensive wardrobe. This, however, is not due to his fame and fortune that came from playing soccer and modeling. This is what many men across the globe are transforming into, obviously ignoring the gender roles and lines set down decades ago.
Decades ago, a “traditional man” was always associated with rough hands to show that they were hard working, a buff and toned body to display their strength, and when it came to women, well, they were only needed for pleasure, cleaning, and cooking. These men also usually only dressed in two fashions — hard working jeans and boots during the work week, or sometimes, a suit and tie for religious gatherings on Sunday. Any other drastic wardrobe changes were just not expected.
Never would these traditional men be caught putting on aftershave and spending even an hour on their hair. Their past time was not spent on the strip shopping and looking for manpurses. Not to mention there was not even a gesture towards getting a man version of a bikini wax for the summer time. On these issues alone, it shows how much the gender roles have changed. These metrosexuals are embracing their feminine side, and pretty proud of it.
They are starting to do more than just shower and throw on clothes. They now have a morning