Has he gotten a little too “in touch with his feminine side?” Does he have every mousse-moisturizer-activator-leave in conditioner-oil sheen-styling gel product from the Luster’s line on his bathroom counter? And should you be angry that even though he’s neglecting you, it’s not because he’s cheating on you or with his boys, but rather, because he’s at the spa? If you can relate to any of these questions you may be dating a metro-sexual, or maybe you’re one yourself. The word “metro-sexual” has been thrown around, but for those among us who are still unfamiliar with it, a metro-sexual is a modern-day term for a man who is not a homosexual (at least not openly), but lives a lifestyle like that of a woman or a gay man. Before the term came about, the metro was always the guy that took too long getting dressed, or spent too much time in front of the mirror, but you didn’t know exactly what to call him. You didn’t want to call him gay, because you knew he didn’t prefer men, but he certainly wasn’t the typical butch Alpha-male.
So why, now, has society decided to label these “men with a passion-for-fashion?” Well, with the emergence of million-dollar-metros like Usher, P. Diddy, British “royalty” David Beckham, and the mother of all metro-sexuals, Ryan Seacrest, it’s no wonder “metro-sexuality” has become so insanely popular.
One question, though, that has risen from the popularity of these “primping men” is whether or not they’re still real men. Bluntly put, are they a manicure away from being gay? Kyle-Michael Bain, an Engineering-Technology sophomore states, “No, they’re still real men, they just dress well.” Megan Goodwin, a criminal justice sophomore agreed and said, “No, because him liking certain things doesn’t take away from his manhood. That’s like someone saying, I’m not a real woman because I like to dress a certain way.”
On the contrary, Sahid Massaquoi, a criminal justice senior explains, “Yes. I’m not saying real men aren’t supposed to be presentable, but not too much to the point of being feminine.” He jokes, “If you’re walking around carrying hair products you’re probably gay.”
“No, he’s still a man. He has the same attributes as a straight man,” says Jason Edgecombe a business grad student. “A man is a man,” exclaims mechanical engineering junior Benzino Martey. “You can’t be a man, and doing all that feminine stuff!”
Whether metro-sexuals love men, women or both, one thing is for sure they gracefully love themselves.