S

Metrosexualism…

“The metrosexual man contradicts the basic premise of traditional heterosexuality – that

only women are looked at and only men do the

looking,” – Mark Simpson,

(1994).Retrieved from:

[http://www.marksimpson.com/pages/journali

sm/mirror_men.html]

The d

efin

ition o

f “m

etro

sexual”

What is it???

“Amanda Conseur, a former Science student at The University of Georgia who conducted her master’s thesis research on the influencing factors of the emerging metrosexual, says a metrosexual is defined

as, “ ‘a narcissist in love with not only himself but his urban lifestyle; a straight man who is in touch with his feminine side’ (Wordspy, 2004), metrosexuals have been identified as men who enjoy shopping, fashion and beauty products,” (p.1, 2004).

Retrieved from: Conseur, A.A., (2004). Factors influencing the emergence of the metrosexual. Athens, GA: University of Georgia. Retrieved April 26, 2011 from

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ss/docs/conseur_amanda_a_200405_ms.pdf

The term “metrosexual” and the origins of its

buzz… The combination of the

words metropolitan and heterosexual formed the term metrosexual.

Although the word is not very old, its concept is very familiar. Men have been taking care of themselves by primping, dressing, and accessorizing for longer than we can imagine.

This word has only been in existence for about 18 years now, but the concept of metrosexualism has been going on long before we could describe it.

We have witnessed men performing and participating in “metrosexual” activities and it has gone mainstream to magazines such as GQ, to commercial advertisements, all the way to television shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Celebrities such as Prince, David Beckham, and Denzel Washington are recognized for their suave looks and metrosexual tendencies, and the ladies love them! There is no question of their masculinity, despite the ways they choose to dress and groom.

Media and Advertisers taking advantage of the Metrosexual MarketProfessor Gary Drum at The University of Jackson Tennessee says that, “According to Marian Salzman of Euro RSCG Worldwide, the world’s fifth largest advertising agency, the metrosexual market in 2003 was an $ 8 billion one, with $2.3 billion of that in the United States alone. (K, Sean, “Enter the new man”). According to Salzman’s research, thirty to thirty-five percent of young American males have ‘metrosexual tendencies,’ (“Real Men Get Waxed”),” (2004).

Retrieved from:Drum, G. R. (2004). The metrosexual: Fashion conscious heterosexual or JGE (just gay enough)? Jackson,TN: Lambuth University. Retrieved April 26, 2010 from

http://www.hardyboy.com/metrosexual.html.

New Terms that developed from the era

of the metrosexual Pomosexual: “A person who

shuns labels such as heterosexual and homosexual that define individuals by their sexual preferences,”(Wordspy, 2003).

Retrosexual: The opposite of metrosexual. “A man with an undeveloped aesthetic sense who spends as little time and money as possible on his appearance and lifestyle,” (Wordspy, 2003).

Ubersexual: The updated term that is replacing metrosexual. According to Daniel King, staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, the ubersexual man is a heterosexual man who not only takes care of his appearance, but also can be sensitive and very confidence while obtaining his masculinity; He also doesn’t spend hours on his wardrobe, but still looks nice, (Nov. 13, 2005).

King, D. (2005, Nov. 13).And now presenting…The ubersexual?!. San Francisco Chronicle., Retrieved April 28, 2010 from http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/13/UBERSEXUAL.TMPMcFedries, P. (2003). Definition of pomosexual. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from

http://www.wordspy.com/words/pomosexual.asp.McFedries, P. (2003). Definition of retrosexual. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from

http://www.wordspy.com/words/retrosexual.asp.

How do people feel about the term “metrosexual”?

Or being classified as one??

The factors of the survey taker being a man or a woman, and whether or not he or she grew up in an urban or rural area, were both taken into consideration when analyzing the results.

I conducted a survey among 50 people and asked them questions about what “metrosexual” performances they felt comfortable with men practicing, without hindering people’s thoughts about the authenticity of one’s masculinity. This survey was given to both men and women (25 of each).

Survey Results

“I am okay being associated as a metrosexual if that means I shave, dress well, and take care of my appearance, but if it means that I am getting manicures and the tips of my hair dyed, leave me out of this classification!”—Anonymous Male Survey Taker

100% of the men and women who completed the survey had no concern with men who used or bought hair products, or spent money to get their hair cut and styled at a salon.

Only 10 out of 25 men (40%) were okay with men spending money on beauty procedures, like manicures and pedicures. While 24 out of 25 women were okay with men splurging on beauty treatments to impact their appearance.

All of the men (100%) thought it is more than okay for a guy to shave at least every other day, although some admitted that they don’t. The women also had no problem with men shaving often either. Two men referred to this primping activity as “manscaping” and stressed the importance this has on their daily appearance.

5 out of the 25 men (20%) would rather be referred to as “metro” and not “metrosexual” because they claimed the word metro had no left assumptions about the word and clearly had no reason for people to think the term was associated with sexual orientation.

Conclusion??There isn’t one…

Many men today participate in some kind of considered “metrosexual” activity to either groom themselves of dress in a sense that their appearance is impacted in some way. Whether or not they prefer to be classified as one is up to them.

As for the term “metrosexual”, it is fading. Society continues to develop linguistic terms to describe this old behavior of men, and advertising and marketing companies continue to capitalize on this “growing” industry. This is not a bad thing and I think society, men or women, respond well to people who take care of their hygiene and appearance.

Work’s Cited

Conseur, A.A., (2004). Factors influencing the emergence of the metrosexual. Athens, GA: University of Georgia. Retrieved April 26, 2011 from http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ss/docs/conseur_amanda_a_200405_ms.pdf.Drum, G. R. (2004). The metrosexual: Fashion conscious heterosexual or JGE (just gay enough)?. Jackson, TN: Lambuth University. Retrieved April 26, 2010, from

http://www.hardyboy.com/metrosexual.html.King, D. (2005, Nov. 13). And now presenting…The ubersexual?!. San Francisco Chronicle., Retrieved April 28, 2010 from

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/13/UBERSEXUAL.TMP.McFedries, P. (2003). Definition of pomosexual. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from

http://www.wordspy.com/words/pomosexual.asp.McFedries, P. (2003). Definition of retrosexual. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from

http://www.wordspy.com/words/retrosexual.asp.

Work’s Cited continued…

Salzman, M. (2003, July 5). Real men get waxed. The Economist. p. 57. Simpson, M. (1994, November 15). Here come the mirror men. The Independent. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from

http://www.marksimpson.com/pages/journalism/mirror_men.html.Simpson, M. (2002, July 22). Meet the metrosexual. Retrieved April 25, 2010 from

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/feature/2002/07/22/metrosexual/. St. John, W. (2003, June 22). Metrosexuals come out. New York Times. New York: NY, Retrieved April 25, 2010 from

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/style/metrosexuals-come-out.html.