The Mirror Men Hath Cometh

City. Clinique. Diet. Gym. Designer wear. Male. All of those words, when associated, conjures up the image of a new breed of men called the metrosexuals. This new term, which came to life around early 90's, according to Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang, means a heterosexual male whose attention to his appearance likened to that of a homosexual.

According to Marian Salzman from the ad agency Euro RCSG Worldwide, who identified the famous Beckham--who likes to say how comfortable he with his feminine side --as the epitome of 'metrosexuality', which is the characteristic of a heterosexual man who spend time and money on their appearance and enjoy shopping. (Time, 30 June 2003)

So does that means metrosexuals are gay?

Since sexuality is being brought up, it is important to clear up any misintepretation on the subject. A metrosexual (not by Oxford's definition), doesnt necessary have to be straight. He can be officially gay or bisexual but this is utterly immaterial because he has taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preferance. In short, he is so in love with himself that he sometimes forget to "introduce his wiener to the little man in the boat".

But the fact that a lot of prominent figures in the world like Becks and Ian Thorpe claim themselves to be metro or 'a lil bit different', the gay community do indentify with them. In an interview with Brit gay mag, Becks admits that he's gay. Not! He admits that he's happy to be a gay icon; he likes to be admired, whether the admiring is done by men or women. Oh, that is so Becks. Yup, his 'appearance' is another good feature of him apart from his right foot.

Metros considerably take more interest in their appearance. They go to to hairdressers instead of 'kedai gunting Ravi', avoid using soap because it's too harsh on their skin, and even finding it hard to decide on what to wear. Not to mention they spend more time in front of the mirror. Because taking care of your appearances means making sure about a hundred times that your hair is in the right place and your face receives the benefits of advances in cosmetic technologies. Now this is interesting.


Is metrosexual the product of fashion industry?

Many, many years ago, what we can find off the rack is clothes. Now, it is called fashion. Simply because Becks, Thorpe and Hugh Jackman are more and more interested in fashion and they send out a message that by doing so, you are not going to look like a fairy. Thus, more and more fashion line came out of the woodwork. Colours, never worn before by men, like salmon pink, has become a norm.

But these fashion boom doesnt come for nothing. Becks, for example, is a staple for newspapers, magazines, billboards and TV ads, and any other possible ad media you could think of. He is said to reap around $70 million for his endorsement of Gillet*te. Gillet*te, however, denied the allegation and specific financial details were kept undisclosed. April this year, Gillet*te announce that its first-quarter profits rose to 43%, the biggest increse in more than a year. Now isn't this amazing? Now all of you EPL junkie, I bet you still remember the Cast*rol ad where Becks had his upper chest opened like a fuel tank cap, and poured lubricants into himself while playing football? Even ridiculous ads like that would boost up sales, just because Becks endorse it.

Why is this metro thingy happening?

Well, presumably straight, macho men are changing because women damand their partners to take greater effort with their appearance. It is expected of men to have a certain kind of look that pleases women of today. It is expected that men too, like women, must have a certain standard of appearance set by the second person. It all happens because of the rule of conformity that applies here. One, will deemed as 'not normal' if he doesnt conform with others. The space for individuality is lessening here.

The workplace itself has changed for many men too. As the proportion of white-collar workers grow, so does the need to look good. Pleasing the eyes of others is important here. To compete in today's work environment, you must dress well, have your hair neatly and take care of your body (nails).

So are we going to see the demise of metrosexuality soon? I dont think so. With the trend going on in Malaysia (KL especially), we will be seeing more and more men with clutches roaming around. They will be everywhere. And soon enough, there will be competition between the 'real' metrosexual and the wannabes. Then, maybe we will see its demise.