Padriag
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Joined: 3/30/2005
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Okay dammit... now you folks got me curious so I Googled. This is what Wikipedia had to say.
quote:
Metrosexual is a neologism generally applied to heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance, or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically seen among gay men. The metro- (mother[1]) prefix indicates this man's purely urban lifestyle, while the -sexual suffix comes from "heterosexual," meaning that this man, although he is usually straight, embodies the heightened aesthetic sense often associated with certain types of gay men.
And also this
quote:
The term originated in an article by Mark Simpson ("Here come the mirror men"[2]) published on November 15, 1994, in The Independent. Simpson wrote:
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.
The term increased greatly in popularity following Simpson's 2002 Salon.com article "Meet the metrosexual", which identified David Beckham as the metrosexual posterboy. The advertising agency Euro RCSG Worldwide adopted the term shortly thereafter for a marketing study, and the New York Times published a Sunday feature, "Metrosexuals Come Out"; the story trickled into local news outlets across North America.
Simpson's Salon.com definition is more nuanced than the term's common use today.
"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.
"For some time now, old-fashioned (re)productive, repressed, unmoisturized heterosexuality has been given the pink slip by consumer capitalism. The stoic, self-denying, modest straight male didn't shop enough (his role was to earn money for his wife to spend), and so he had to be replaced by a new kind of man, one less certain of his identity and much more interested in his image – that's to say, one who was much more interested in being looked at (because that's the only way you can be certain you actually exist). A man, in other words, who is an advertiser's walking wet dream."[3]
Then on another site I found this...
quote:
A metrosexual is a man who spends a certain amount of time and money on his lifestyle, specifically his appearance. Here are a few questions that will help you to ascertain whether or not you are, indeed, a metrosexual.
- Do gay men hit on you? If you're a metrosexual, it's already happened. (Who can blame them for trying?) And while you were flattered, you're really a het (and maybe even a "hef") at heart. The term, "metrosexual," as originally coined, described heterosexual men who have adopted the dress and appearance of gay men.
- Do you carry a purse? A purse gives you an automatic entrée into metrosexualdom. Welcome. And by the way, which designer? See a good-looking manbag at PurseBlog. And find the top ten ultimate metrosexual man bags at Kineda.
- How do you feel about your socks? As you read this, do you know what color socks you are wearing? Are they designer socks? Did you put these particular socks on this morning because they were at the top of your drawer or because they go well with your outfit? And finally, do you ever go shopping for socks only? Your consideration of your socks reflects your overall concern with your clothes: Metrosexual men care about socks, along with everything else that adorns their sacred bods.
- Do you wear tighty whities? Sorry about that. A metrosexual would never be caught dead in a pair of tighty whities. Given the choice, they would rather go without any underwear at all than succumb. And come to think of it, going commando sounds pretty good to a metrosexual (maybe in his new leather pants)!
- Do you use more than one product in your hair? Do you refer to your hair products as "products?" Two yeses here make you a met. And you get bonus points if your hair is highlighted.
- Have you ever used hair removal services other than shaving? You know -- waxing, tweezing, laser, electrolysis? If so, you've entered metro country.
- Do you receive spa services? Does a paraffin dip help to calm you? Manicures, pedicures, facials and exfoliation are all part of a metrosexual's routine. Bonus points if you're a regular and/or see your stylist socially.
- Do you borrow products from the women in your life? Does your co-worker have a moisturizer that you just can't go without a hit of come mid-afternoon? Does your girlfriend wonder why she seems to be going through her toner so quickly? When she's not looking, do you use her shaving gel instead of yours? And when she is looking, do you use it anyway? Metro alert!
Now what the hell is a "manpurse"? Nevermind... I don't want to know.
For the record, my socks are white, I carry a wallet, and while I try to dress appropriately I'm by no means a "clothes horse".
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Padriag
A stern discipline pervades all nature, which is a little cruel so that it may be very kind - Edmund Spencer
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RE: Metrosexuality ? - 
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