Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

“Metrosexual” is a term that generally refers to a male whose lifestyle, spending habits, and concern for personal appearance are likened to stereotypes associated with homosexual men. Developed by British writer Mark Simpson in a 1994 article “Meet the Metrosexual,” 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” (2002). While Simpson originally defined metrosexuality as neither heterosexual nor homosexual, its popular application has remained predominantly associated with heterosexual males. Simpson later complicates the reconfiguration of the term, noting that the appeal of metrosexuality stems from its association with stereotypical aspects of homosexuality considered desirable in consumer culture. Cultural and social changes associated with western masculinity are also central to metrosexuality. Metrosexuality is problematic because it speaks openly about the possibility of male desirability and, by implication, passivity. As a product of consumer capitalism, the metrosexual denotes a progressive breakdown of boundaries between homosexual/heterosexual and masculine/feminine cultural signifiers and forms ... log in or subscribe to read full text