The Metrosexual Man vs. The Cowboy
What Do Women Want?
by Toni Coleman, LCSW
He
always looks perfectly put together. He can be in
a t-shirt and jeans or heading out to a black-tie
event. His hair never has a bad day. His nails
are clean and buffed. His clothes are perfectly
pressed and exquisitely coordinated. He smells
like flowers and spice. Is he gay? No, he's the
new metrosexual man.
As
many of you know by now, the term
"metrosexual" was coined by a
journalist (and gay man) named Mark Simpson, to
describe a new kind of urban male who is
straight, but in touch with his feminine side and
not afraid to show it. Essentially, metrosexuals
are guys who take on behaviors and show an
interest in things that have traditionally
belonged in the female domain.
You
may have a metrosexual brother, male friend or
boyfriend (ex). These are the guys you can shop
till you drop with. They can discuss fashion,
will notice your great new shoes, buy their
grooming products from the same places you do and
have no qualms about having a manicure, pedicure
or facial. You can actually TALK to these guys
about something other than sports, cars and other
traditionally male interests. These are the guys
you can take to the opera, symphony and ballet.
The perfect man, right? Depends on whom you talk
to.
Let's
step back a minute and look at the where and how
of the existence of the metrosexual man. Simply
put, he is a by-product of feminism and the
changing roles and related expectations of women.
As women have moved into (previously) male
dominated environments and roles, it has caused a
shift in the male-female balance. Women are now
active participants in industry, politics and the
professions- to name a few. However, as they have
left their old jobs as homemakers and full-time
domestic caregivers, they left a lot of empty
space to be filled. Childcare providers and the
domestic cleaning industry could provide some of
this. The problem was all the "other"
stuff women had always done.
Read Page 2 of "The
Metrosexual Man vs. The Cowboy"--->
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