In today’s society, there has been controversy over homosexuality and anything that goes along with it. Metrosexuality is a hot topic in American society and media today. The constant debate between whether or not metrosexual men are gay or what is becoming an issue. The future is unsure for this debate. How will straight men react when they face men who fall into the metro sexual category? Will they respond with fear and aggression or will they become more likely to embrace such predilections as just another lifestyle choice, like a preference over baseball and football? Metrosexual men should not be discriminated against nor shunned by society. Instead, they should be embraced because they are a positive influence on the advancement of males. Metro sexual men can make a difference to society. They can be the binding to society between the division of gay and straight men across America.
Around 15 years ago, we did not have the need to specify products with the label “women” in front of it. Nowadays, you hear phrases such as “women’s cosmetic products”, “beauty tips for women”, or “women’s latest hairstyles and trends.” It was automatically assumed everything related to beauty and fashion was associated with females. Today, the gender line is blurring and the new breed of male species is booming, shifting the conventional gender-role structure. These men look as if they’re ignoring gender stereotypes and embracing what was traditionally perceived as feminine traits by enjoying designer clothes, pricey haircuts, skin care products, facials and shopping sprees.
Men of all sexualities are taking a greater interest in their appearance. They go to hairdressers rather than barbers; avoid using soap because it's too harsh on their skin; visit the gym instead of playing sports and even have difficulty deciding what to wear. They're occupying their time differently - not only spending more of it in front of the mirror, but also at boutiques, in bars rather than pubs, enjoying a dance at a nightclub and going to beauty salons. Cosmetic brands such as Ella Bache say men make up as much as 40 per cent of their salon customers in some areas. (Rise of the Metrosexual)
With all of these aspects to consider, what defines a metrosexual male and where did the term come from? The average Joe would assume it’s anywhere along the lines of a “gay-acting” man. However, it may not be the best thing to categorize metrosexuality with homosexuality. Those lines should be made clear otherwise this progressive and positively influential movement will head in the wrong direction for the worse. The term “homosexuality” was coined by a British satirist in 1994 to describe the effeminate type men in various ads such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Calvin Klein. According to his description,
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.
There are plenty of explanations for metro sexuality and what defines it and how it came to be. Part of what is being called metro sexuality today is really just old-fashioned decency and conduct, with changes made to emulate the modern fashion. Homosexuals didn’t create this new “look”, it’s simply that men have gotten away with certain ways of dress and grooming habits which in turn, has lowered standards of appearance. The result is gay men growing more comfortable disregarding their gay-classified fashion. In turn, straight men are more at ease adapting looks that may have been previously considered gay. The rise of metro sexuality can be explained by having been directly and indirectly influenced by the gradual shift of male self image, media, various sexualities, and emergent fashion and consumerism. Among these influential factors, emergence in fashion and consumerism has to be the biggest. The growing positive affect metro sexuality has on the consumer industry proves the difference it can make in society. It not only sets new trends but also boosts the economy and sends us in a new direction for the better as well. With time, the trends may switch towards a convergence across boundaries. This would be a direct effect of the convergence of trade, cultures and communication media.
“When we look at the future of the society under the impact of the gradual shift to Metrosexuality as a trend amongst males, we can picture a gradual shift from power driven by physical abilities to power driven by the ability to earn and the ability to reach to the closest spending channel.”
The term caught the attention of the media and consumer world over time. British journalist Mark Simpson explains it well.
Traditionally heterosexual men were the world’s worst consumers. All they bought was beer, cigarettes and the occasional contraceptives, the Wife or ‘Mum’ bought everything else. In a consumerist world, heterosexual men had no future. So they were replaced by the metrosexual…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.
(http://www.geocities.com/husociology/metro8.htm). Metrosexuality has branched out to affecting the media and consumer world over time. “As over the years the political boundaries separated from the media and consumer boundaries, the trend that Mark Simpson saw in 1994 had emerged and was gradually spreading across the developed world and seeping into the developing world. Today the idea of masculinity has undergone a drastic change from the traditional rugged, right-kept and emotionally restricted individual to the more immaculately cosmetic cured, handsomely accessories and emotionally forthcoming individual. “As there has been a gradual shift from manufacturing economies to service driven economies and with the gradual dissolution of political barriers to movement of ideas and consumer trends, the spread of the metrosexual entity has been more pronounced and more accepted into the main stream.”(http://www.geocities.com/husociology/metro8.htm)
“As American consumer culture reacts to the introduction of new products, marketers strive to profit by presenting new styles in the form of trends. In recent instances the marketing industry has homogenized traits associated with marginalized cultures, allowing for the consumption of stereotypes. Specifically, the visibility of the gay community has come to depend on the exploitation of stereotypes via mass media and the marketing industry. These stereotypes include “an obsession with fashion, cultural trends, and overt expressions of femininity.” While cultural visibility is essential to a positive portrayal of gay individuals, the commodification of gay culture may perpetuate negativity (Michael J. Yaksich).” Just because a man enjoys the finer things in life, does not mean he is gay. People in society are just so quick to up and put someone down by claiming they are homosexual. This is why metro sexuality is going to do some good for society and its close mindedness. Why must it be narcissistic for a man to implement good hygiene and habits? It should not be that just because a man decides to clean himself up and take care of himself that he must be categorized as either gay or metro sexual either. Media and over analytical critics are taking it to another level, which can be the reason why we’re so critically intolerant about homosexuality now. If this act continues, society is headed for a negative future lacking acceptance.
As metrosexuality becomes more widely understood and accepted it will make America safer, fit and more accepting for gay and “gay-acting” men. This new movement can be a good thing for society and especially for heterosexual men. As of now and for the past several years, Hollywood, or the media rather, has been making heterosexual men out to be helpless, incompetent slobs. They are portrayed as being incapable of decency along with “lack of personal taste, inability to perform simple functions, and a lesser penchant for the quality items in life” (Karen DeCoster). Heterosexual men have been doing this sort of thing for a while now but media is just blowing it out of proportion just as any other new idea brought about in society. It is just now for some reason being accredited to what is now being seen as the hip, feminized male.
For some reason, metrosexuality is associated with a negative, derogatory image. It is treated as something that is utterly unorthodox. This could all be changed through the acceptance of metrosexuality. Along with the acceptance of metro sexuality come plenty of positive results. Among these results are: ease of acceptance to ideas and lifestyles such as homosexuality; advancement in the fashion and cosmetic industry; and progression in the consumerism industry. “By defining the metrosexual as a high-end consumer, derived from gay stereotypes, Simpson has provided the ‘buzz word’ needed by marketers to target and expand a profitable market”(Michael J. Yaksich). So it’s like a domino effect: people start accepting metrosexuality and we will become a lot more accepting of issues just like it. As of now, homosexual men continue to face discrimination. Not only does the lifestyle choice alleviate some of the prejudices that go along with homosexuality, but it also supports everything extraordinary about a woman. “Therefore, opening up more opportunities for women, whether it is in the work field or politics. This is so, because as more people start to accept metrosexuality, they realize that these traits and characteristic women are made of are of a positive and desirable nature.” (The Rise of the Metrosexual) Metrosexuals are allowing men and women out there that are trapped by stereotypical and traditional gender roles, to step out and do their own thing. If a man wants to, he may participate in some of the lifestyle roles of a woman without being judged, and vice versa for a female. Metrosexuality has become the building blocks of gender equality. It will have the effect of a revolution years from now by ridding society of the thick lines between feminism and masculinity. “This revolution is about defining one's self by their positive characteristics, and skills. Metrosexuality promotes individuality as people, not sexes. The metrosexual is rising, and here to stay” (The Rise of the Metrosexual).
No comments:
Post a Comment