Metrosexuals: It's a Guy Thing!

[James S]

Hmmm...
Sounds like a politically correct way of saying "he's got more vanity than a bathroom showroom!"

[]
James.

[Nay]

Hehehehe James!

quote:And judging by the popularity of the new TV program Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, many more once slovenly men want to join the ranks of this new breed of Renaissance man.

Hey, I saw that show... I thought it was good.  The guy they did over, well...was a slob..he needed help!  He looked great when they got done with him! []

Nay. []

[beavis]

I dont like that superficial crap on men or women, but they can do what they want.

[Nick]

Interesting, but not surprising considering how bombarded we are by advertising regarding looks. Not just advertising either. It's what we see on tv, in magazines (example, 100 most beautiful people, blah, blah). It's epidemic. Sad that the same level of attention isn't given to the importance of looking within and perfecting that.


very best,

[Tisha]

In my opinion, this is really about Baby Boomers in the United States in denial (or in panic) over getting OLDER!  Market research has determined pretty conclusively that Baby Boomers (in their 50's and older now) refuse to age.  This is a nationwide midlife-crisis!!!  

For us young folk (21-48) who think meterosexuality is only about our generation, don't be so sure. I think the younger generations HAVE mellowed out when it comes to gender issues, but that's about the extent of it.  The rest of it  - - the obsessions with looks - - - is about the 50-and-up crowd.

Anyone in the U.S. born after the Baby Boomers has been stuck with Baby Boomer values and culture, like it or not (I even hear young folk wax nostalgic over the 1960's as if they'd been there).  Society (and the market) pretty much still caters to the Baby Boomer mindset . . . the rest of us just follow along . . . so get ready everyone, when they're in their 80's things are going to get . . . weird . . . until they start dying off from diabetes related illnesses (60% of Baby Boomers in the U.S.A are clinically obese).  

Soon there will be walk-in plastic surgery clinics.  People
who can't afford liposuction, who won't work out, and who continue eating like pigs are going to be buzzing around all day on those little motorized tricycles, and they're going to run over YOUR feet at the mall. Just watch.

Prophecy By Tisha

[Nick]

Wow, I thought Metrosexuals was about one thing, now I learn it's all the boomer's fault. This is a theme I've heard before. It's not really fair or legitimate to blame one generation though. The "obsession with looks" is not a generational malady, it's an individual one.

Besides the definition of what constitutes a "boomer" goes something like this:

quote:Usually the period 1946–1965, associated with high fertility rates and high numbers of births, although the definition varies slightly between countries.


source:http://www.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/omni/omni.nsf/55552a258bc2e5514c25689b0018524c/d3b106eb05f4ff7acc256c5c0007bc4a?OpenDocument

That's a lot of people, right down to those in their late 30's.

One last thing, when I look at advertising and who they're targeting, it isn't someone my age. So I don't buy that argument that society caters to me, not anymore anyway, and that's ok.

The market caters to later generations. The market's thinking being as one member here wrote recently (about older members): "Sorry pops time to move on".

[Athios]

quote:Originally posted by James S

Hmmm...
Sounds like a politically correct way of saying "he's got more vanity than a bathroom showroom!"

[]
James.

Hahahha.....nicely put. But of course, that probably won't apply to everyone the term is supposed to describe.

Yeah, a guy friend of mine is soooooo picky/worried about his hair. His bathroom counter consists of at least 8 types of hair care products (not including shampoo/conditioner), and he messes with his hair where-ever there's a mirror (even though it always looks the same). Man, that totally pisses me off.... [xx(]

[Tisha]

Actually, if you're seeing "younger" folk in commercials, and you're "older," don't be fooled, they're still marketing at YOU.  These are called ASPIRATIONAL IMAGES in the field.  They look the way you (supposedly) WISH you looked!  

Examples:  

a.  Companies will use 16-18 year olds to market toward the pre-teen crowd, because 12 year olds want to be 16-18.

b.  Companies selling geriatric products to the 70-and up crowd will choose healthy, fit models (with full heads of hair and white teeth?)in the 50-60 range.

c.  Companies will use teenage models to market cosmetics and upscale clothing to women in the 30-40 range (in Vogue, some of the models are as young as 13). Some magazines are responding to criticism and are starting to show older models, but for the most part these models are celebreties who are "older" but who, due to plastic surgery and airbrushing, still look like they're 20.

d.  Companies choose studly guys in their 20-30's to market things that are obviously in the price range of wealthy middle-aged executives (golf products, fancy cars, expensive liquors, etc.)

I could go on . . . and on . . .  and on . . . the whole point of marketing is to make you yearn deeply, and conclude that their product will make you like the person in the commercial (handsome, healthy, rich, young, married, single, whatever).  These yearnings are impossible to fill, so you are always hungry for the next miracle product.

Marketing toward the "Y Generation" is proving very tricky.  Market Research is actually pulling its hair out.  The young hip crowd is street-wise and fickle, these kids have incredibly good bullsh** detectors, can spot a marketing ploy a mile away, and don't like to be categorized.  What's "hip" or "hot" can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and it can change from week to week.  Trust me, big companies TRY to grab them, and some succeed.  But it's proving a crapshoot for other companies, and many marketing ploys meant for the teens-twenties cohort BOMB.

BabyBoomers are much more reliable, a much easier sell. That is not to say that there aren't "metrosexual" men in their 20's and 30's.  Vanity is universal.  I just have strong feelings about what the Metrosexual trend is all about.  Maybe I'm alone in this, but I remain opinionated!

[cainam_nazier]

Nope....That one doesn't fit me.

Cave troll.  That fits me.  Not as stupid, or as fugly, but I maintain many of the same habits as one.

[PeacefulWarrior]

I stumbled upon this article on the MSN page and found it interesting.  I have pasted the entire text below.  Here in CA I can see this happening already, in fact I myself have some of the traits of the so called "Metrosexual," e.g., lots of hair care products, etc.  I don't think this in anything new, however, the trend of men being more in touch with their feminine side began happening here in the US in the 60's and 70's.  Besides, looking back to ancient civilizations even, men have had their fair share of vanity and the like.  Anyway, here it is:
(from: http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/71/81366.htm )
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An emerging breed of man, the metrosexual, shows his soft, sensitive, feminine side. [/size=4]

By  Richard Trubo  
Reviewed By Brunilda  Nazario, MD
on Monday, July 28, 2003
WebMD Feature


There, deep in the hair-care aisle, carefully selecting the product du jour, or in the salon having his nails buffed to the perfect shine while checking out the latest fashion magazines -- it's not a bird, not a gay man, it's a metrosexual!


And judging by the popularity of the new TV program Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, many more once slovenly men want to join the ranks of this new breed of Renaissance man.


Not yet familiar with the new buzzword, "metrosexual"? Some social observers and product marketers believe it's just a matter of time until "metrosexual" becomes part of your vocabulary -- and perhaps a description of your own lifestyle as well.


So what makes a metrosexual man? He's been defined as a straight, sensitive, well-educated, urban dweller who is in touch with his feminine side. He may have a standing appointment for a weekly manicure, and he probably has his hair cared for by a stylist rather than a barber. He loves to shop, he may wear jewelry, and his bathroom counter is most likely filled with male-targeted grooming products, including moisturizers (and perhaps even a little makeup). He may work on his physique at a fitness club (not a gym) and his appearance probably gets him lots of attention -- and he's delighted by every stare.


Blurring Gender Lines


Curiosity about metrosexuals climbed considerably in June when Euro RSCG Worldwide, a marketing communications agency based in New York City and more than 200 other cities, explored the changing face of American males in a report titled The Future of Men: USA. As part of this research, men ages 21 to 48 throughout the U.S. were surveyed on masculinity-related issues. The conclusions? According to the report, there is "an emerging wave of men who chafe against the restrictions" of traditional male roles and who "do what they want, buy what they want, enjoy what they want - regardless of whether some people might consider these things unmanly."


The metrosexual male is more sensitive and in some ways more effeminate than his father probably was, says Schuyler Brown, one of the architects of the study and associate director of strategic trendspotting and research at Euro RSCG Worldwide. Metrosexuals are willing to push traditional gender boundaries that define what's male and what's female, she adds, but they never feel that they are anything but "real men." Yes, a little primping and pampering were once considered solely female indulgences, but they are becoming much more permissible for men, too.


Metrosexual men "are very secure in their sexuality," says Brown. "They're comfortable getting a facial or a pedicure. It doesn't make them feel any less masculine or any less heterosexual."


The Future of Men report noted, "One of the telltale signs of metrosexuals is their willingness to indulge themselves, whether by springing for a Prada suit or spending a couple of hours at a spa to get a massage and facial." They might devote an afternoon to choosing their ultrafashionable attire for the night. They may don an apron and prepare a mean and meatless pasta dish for friends.

Beyond Testosterone


So what's prompting men to think outside the box of male stereotypes? They might be influenced by a new breed of male-oriented magazines such as FHM and Maxim, which are devoting an increasing number of their pages to fashion. These popular magazines are encouraging men to dress to the nines and fall into line with media images of men with washboard abs and bulging biceps.


Members of the homosexual community also appear to have influenced their straight brethren. Even though metrosexual men are absolutely heterosexual, the gay movement has helped society as a whole accept so-called effeminate characteristics and lifestyles. "As a society, we're more comfortable with homosexuality today," says Brown. "It's no longer taboo, it's portrayed on prime-time TV, and heterosexual men have become more comfortable with the gay culture."


Ironically, if one of the metrosexual's goals is to transform himself into a "chick magnet," some of his efforts -- particularly those spent pumping iron in the local fitness facility -- might be misplaced. Some research suggests that his straining and sweating to inflate the size of his muscles may not be as interesting to women as he might think. According to Roberto Olivardia, PhD, co-author of The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Obsession, the average male thinks that women are attracted to men who are 15 to 20 pounds more muscular than what women actually find attractive.


Coming to Your Neighborhood


Who are examples of prominent metrosexual men? Brown points to the flamboyant, makeup-wearing Johnny Depp ala Pirates of the Caribbean at one end of the metrosexual continuum and Bill Clinton at the other. The former president, she says, "conveys a personal concern for body image, and is a publicly sensitive guy who wears his feelings on his sleeve." The list of metrosexual-style celebrities includes Brad Pitt and George Clooney. British soccer star David Beckham (whose wife is Victoria Adams - a.k.a. Posh Spice) may be the quintessential metrosexual icon, sometimes attired in a sarong and embellishing his nails with colorful polish.


While you're most likely to find metrosexual men in big cities, particularly media centers such as New York and Los Angeles, they are certainly not confined there. "Because of Hollywood and the fact that many of the male glitterati exhibit metrosexual qualities, you can see the imitation and the experimentation among men in many smaller cities as well," says Brown.


Yet facial plastic surgeons such as Seth M. Goldberg, MD, whose patients in his Rockville, MD, office include politicians, lobbyists, and attorneys in the Washington, D.C., area, question whether the label "metrosexual" is one that is really catching on in the nation's capital. At the same time, however, he notes that "in the last few years there has been a tripling of the number of men who are coming into my office for cosmetic surgery or office-based cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections. A generation ago, we wouldn't have seen any of these men in our office."


Olivardia points to a Psychology Today survey showing that 43% of men are dissatisfied with their overall appearance, and 63% are unhappy with their abdomen in particular. So they might seek out the services of a cosmetic surgeon for some major or minor retrofitting. Abdominal liposuction to wipe out love handles is particularly popular. The number of lip augmentation procedures in men in the U.S. increased by a startling 421% from 2001 to 2002, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.


"It's definitely more acceptable for men to undergo these procedures than it once was," says Olivardia, clinical instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. "Even so, there are still many men who won't tell anyone they've done it; they won't volunteer that information."


Goldberg says that when men opt for cosmetic surgery, it's often the last step in their personal campaign to improve their appearance. They tend to be well dressed and well groomed, and then thanks to their affluence, can afford to move on to plastic surgery -- for example, eyelid procedures, chin augmentation, or laser skin resurfacing.


But can a metrosexual's preoccupation with his physical appearance be carried to extremes? Olivardia says that if your preoccupation with maximizing your looks is interfering with your relationships, your job, or your schoolwork, perhaps you should talk to a therapist and work on creating a healthier balance and a more sensible approach to your physical exterior.


Published July 28, 2003.



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SOURCES: American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Alexandria, Va. Schuyler Brown, associate director, Strategic Trendspotting and Research, Euro RSCG Worldwide, New York. Roberto Olivardia, PhD, clinical instructor of psychology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Seth M. Goldberg, MD, facial plastic surgeon, Rockville, Md.