Move out the way girls- there’s a new group in town… yes the boys are here to show us a thing or two about fashion. Fashion is not just a woman’s world any more as the Men want a piece of the action too.
In recent years there has been a rise in Men’s fashion and men now want to be in the latest trends and want to take care of their appearance more then ever before. Where as a quality like this was once considered effeminate it has now become a norm for men and a new term of ‘Metrosexual’ has been coined.
A Metrosexual is used to describe a heterosexual man who likes to take care of his appearance and indulge in shopping. This term was first coined in the Independent News Paper by Journalist Mark Simpson in 1994: “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 Levi's jeans or in gay bars. In the Nineties, he’s everywhere and he’s going shopping.” (See Wikipedia for more)
This term really kicked off in the early 2000’s when an article by the same journalist in Salon.com named David Beckham as the Metrosexual ‘poster boy’ of this generation.
Its safe to assume that this term set off a new generation of men who were still masculine but liked to indulge in fashion and their appearance- hence a rise of male beauty products, L’Oreal couldn’t have put it better: Your worth it - yes Guys you are especially as this is becoming one of the most lucrative markets too.
Metrosexuals can actually be traced back to the 1800’s where it was coined as “Dandyism”. Dandyism was used to describe the “phenomenon of men taking great pains with their clothes and appearances”. This first appeared in the literary works of ‘High Society: A Social History of the Regency Period, 1788- 1830” written by Venetia Murray.
A man who engaged in Dandyism was known as a ‘Dandy’. A dandy of the time explains how dandyism is “primarily a specialisation in the art of dressing one self with daring and elegance. It is that but much else as well. It is a state of mind made up of many shades, a state of mind produced in old and civilised societies where gaiety has become infrequent.”
It seems that our Forefathers did pass on fashion style through the generations and Metrosexuality was just under another name.
This begs the question: Where along the way did fashion become associated with being an area that women would be experts in? Why did it take so long for Metrosexuality to be coined again- or has it always been there (as per examples) but under another term?
Whatever the reason the Metrosexuals are here and proud. Whereas in the 1800’s the Dandies had high collared shirts and pantaloons, the Metrosexuals/Men have the crew neck sweaters and double breasted coats. The Metrosexuals also know important it is to take care of their skin and will indulge in facials and pedicures.
Some believe that men may have become concerned about their appearance because of ‘recent upheaval in modern society’ an example of this upheaval is the global financial crisis that has lead them to become aware of their appearance and how it may affect them in getting ahead in the tough job market and general dog-eat-dog environment.
With role models such as David Beckham and hip hop artist Kanye West it’s not hard for men to want to aspire to successful men such as these two, as they not only look immaculate all the time but have achieved great success in their fields.
This could be one of the factors that contribute to the rise of men’s fashion and an indication of men being keen to express an interest in the clothes they wear and how they look.
The fashion revolution has begun and it’s safe to say it’s a man’s world too.
