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A man walks past. He is impeccably dressed, well-groomed, and confidently sports a man purse, or murse, in a way that is enviable, and although his slacks cover them, you feel certain his socks are argyle. But wait… there is also a woman on his arm. You aren’t sure, it could be his intoxicating aftershave causing you not to think clearly, but he may just be the epitome of the VH-1 Pop Culture Dictionary term “Metrosexual”. That is, he is heterosexual, but spends more time on his appearance than most monks spend in prayer.
The term was first seen in print in Mark Simpson’s 1994 article, “Here Comes the Mirror Men” published in The Independent. He explains, “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… he’s everywhere and he’s going shopping.”
AP Photo/ Richard Drew
Simpson went on to write numerous articles on his coined term, and in one of them, “Becks the Virus”, he named David Beckham the poster boy for metrosexuality. “His hero/role-model status combined with his out-of-the-closet narcissism and love of shopping and fashion and apparent indifference to being thought of as [gay] means that for corporations he is a pricelessly potent vector for persuading millions, if not billions, of young men around the world to express themselves… Beckham is the über-metrosexual…”
As the American equivalent, creating a brand out of everything “him”, Ryan Seacrest proudly wears the term metrosexual like a new pair of J & Company jeans. In fact, he’s so in tune with his own metrosexual side, he seems to have developed a keen metro-dar, spotting other like metros, such as Gavin Newsom. Seacrest outted the mayor of San Francisco on his radio show after inquiring about the superb quality of the product in the politician’s hair.
Photo: Business Wire
Some say metrosexuality is a dying trend, opting for macho man over metrosexual man, but take one look at Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl or Dr. Rey on Dr. 90210 and the answer becomes apparent… Pretty men have spent their savings on manicures and cashmere sweaters and they aren’t going anywhere!
As a public service announcement, if you are confused or have a friend that may be confused and want to find out if you could be a metrosexual, take a look at this: How to Know if You're a Metrosexual
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If you enjoyed reading this article, don't stop now! Try a few of my others:
Pop culture dictionary term #2: mommywood
Pop culture dictionary term #3: elevator talker
Pop culture dictionary term #4: screwed, stewed, and tattooed
Pop culture dictionary term #5 – cell crazy
Comments
I'm a member of the "Toronto Real Men", the world's only anti-metrosexual organization, run by "Dimitri The Lover", aka "The Prophet". In the same way that John Connor fights the machines for survival of humanity in “The Terminator”, The Prophet has dedicated his life to fight "Metrosexuality" for the survival of masculinity. He is a modern-day Rasputin ... a real-life Tyler Durden.
leo's metro
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