It's Friday night and I'm going out with one of my dearest guy friends. I go to pick him up and he's still running around trying to get ready. Unaccustomed to such a situation in which a guy takes longer to get ready than I do, I mill around his place and poke at his stuff. I pass his closet bursting with clothes, some gym equipment, a couple of Maxim's, a 20-piece cologne collection and a shoe collection that rivals that Imelda Marcos. Knowing full well that my buddy is a strapping hetero, some of these items make me raise my eyebrows. After he sprays on some expensive cologne from his vast selection, we head out the door when he exclaims, "I can't believe I lost my Gucci sunglasses!" Did he just say the "G" word?
My friend is a part of the new cohort of males who are living another kind of alternative lifestyle: Metrosexuals. Defined, the metrosexual is the straight, urban male who is in touch with his feminine side. He is interested in fashion, art, and personal grooming. Metros not only go to the gym and watch their diet, but they get facials, pedicures, and are familiar with the term "product" in the hair-related sense.
"I have so many male clients," says Luna Lujan, an aesthetician and massage therapist at Mood Swings salon on Mill Avenue. "I get a lot of back, eyebrow and chest waxing appointments." Lujan says that most of her clients are very bashful about the services they receive and they usually refuse to label it as narcissistic grooming: "Men like to say it's hygienic." Hygiene is hardly the motive considering the salon also offers a "For Men Only!" package that includes a massage and a manicure along with a haircut.
It's easy to blame this trend on high-profile actors, musicians and athletes who have been setting the standards. Super hunky soccer player David Beckham is the ultimate poster-child, notorious for his crazy sense of fashion (he's worn a sarong) and not-so-normal hairstyles (everything from corn rolls to mohawks). Although Beckham is an extreme example, other celebrities are not far behind. P.Diddy is the ultimate fashonista but is also noticed for wearing large amounts of jewelry of the bling-bling persuasion - diamonds are a boy's best friend? Throw in other ultra-cool stars like Brad Pitt and Ashton Kutcher (and take a look at Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore), and you can see why men want to emulate this style.
Hints of this trend were evident in the late '70s and early '80s but it arrived full force in the 21st century. "I think the style pertains only to this newer genre of males," says Wesly Evans, manager of Rumors salon on Mill Avenue. "It used to be something that was associated with homosexuality and being a sissy, but I think the idea of male grooming is not so unacceptable anymore."
And as this trend becomes more acceptable and mainstream everyone from marketing giants to local hair salons are hot on its trail, anxious to capitalize in a market that rarely sees such drastic changes. You've probably seen (or avoided) "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," which essentially morphs the everyday man into the chic metro. Axe body spray has provocative commercials that feature women throwing themselves at the classy, trendy male. Aveda, along with other hair product makers, features a line just for men. Conde Nást, the magazine giant, is developing a shopping magazine specifically for men and even Maxim magazine has its name on hair-color boxes.
The phenomenon of men wanting to look good has reached such a high peak that plastic surgeons have been profiting. In 2001, nearly 1 million men in America had some sort of cosmetic surgery. The numbers have almost tripled in the last two years; the most common procedures include muscle implants (pectoral and calf) and liposuction. Men claim it not only gives them greater self-esteem and confidence but also feel it helps with career advancement.
Androgynous tendencies are nothing new - women have been trying to be more like the boys for decades now. For the professional woman, it was a matter of corporate survival. Women have constantly been trying to match their male counterparts and in doing so, the girly girls have become few and far between. However, some may argue that men taking on more effeminate characteristics is more of a novelty and isn't done out of necessity. The male reaction: if women can get facials then men can too. "There isn't anything wrong with a guy who gets a manicure - it doesn't change, or dictate, his sexual orientation," says Anukool Sethi, supply-chain management senior, "I use products and like nice clothes because when I look good I feel good and I want to take care of myself."
Much like the perfect clutch, the metrosexual pal can be the best accessory of a woman's life. He is a well-rounded man who understands what women are interested in and doesn't question her grooming habits. He is a sharp dresser, smart, articulate, and she wouldn't have to worry about him sulking in the corner because the party didn't have a keg. Isn't this what women have been looking for?
Not necessarily. The same generation of women who are witnessing this change are the ones who grew up attracted to the rugged, down-and-dirty boy. Although he seems almost like a Neanderthal in comparison to the metro, his lack of attention to grooming habits and choice of beer is almost endearing. "Being with a feminine guy can be a lot of fun and it's nice that they are more open with their emotions, but girls like macho guys," says Breanne Donahue, political science junior, "Hanging with the girls gets old, so they enjoy their un-high maintenance guy friends who are laid back and can just be themselves. When the guy doesn't have any pressure on himself, the girl doesn't have any on herself."
The metrosexual trend has turned into a lifestyle and detaching the homosexual stigma can be a little hard to swallow. Whatever the hang-ups, it looks like a whole new generation of men are ready to stand tall and proud in their Prada loafers.
Reach the reporter at rehka.muddaraj@asu.edu.
