and shopping are no longer limited to just females. the commercial world is picking up on this trend, which is a factor to its popularity, says Mark Justad, professor at Vanderbilt University. He says that men's magazines are a driving force behind the metrosexual madness because the fashion/hair care/care industry now has new consumers and need men to pay attention to their products. By creating images of what's currently "in," marketing
drive his mom to get facials, and one day she suggested he get one too. He enjoyed it and has been getting them ever since. Rangineni now goes monthly to a salon in Lawrence for hair cuts and waxing services and facials. With all the new options for pampering and preening themselves, men are trying to maintain manliness while living a luxurious lifestyle.
techniques use men's newfound self-consciousness to make sure they pay special attention to the products. A barrage of personal care brands like Suave, Nivea and Aveda have created products just for men to cleanse, care and codle themselves with. ACNielson, a marketing research company, credits the metrosexhalphenomenon as the reason behind the boom in the sales of personal care products. According to ACNelson's study, women who prefer oriented products is the reason why shower gels, one of the fastest growing personal care items worldwide, increased 7 percent in sales value in 2003.
Image is an important part of the metrosexual mindset, says Jenny Coiner, stylist at LADA Salon and, Spa, 4931 W. Sixth Coin. Coiner says that although men can go to a
regular barbershop to get their hair cut, going to a salon creates a certain image that men want to portray. She says she has about 40 male clients who come through weekly to get services ranging from haircuts and waxing, to manicures and pedicures. She thinks that an increase in options for men is part of the pull. Typically women have had all of the care options, but now men have more choices and are going against the old stereotypes. Rangi-neni gets facials and has his eyebrows waxed. Getting facials was 'originally his idea'. In high school, he used to
can express their sensitivity, vanity and enjoy the 'finer' pamperings without being attached to homosexual stigma, "says Karl Geiger, Sterling, Va, senior.
Hey Dapper Dan
Masculinity means different things to different people these days. A metro man's sexuality is often questioned because of his fashion sense or lifestyle. In the past, well-dressed, sensitive men were assumed to be homosexual, but that isn't necessarily the case anymore. Staples says that metro guys aren't trying to be feminine but are defining masculinity in their own terms. What is normal now? Certain interests seem to be designated as hetero for a guy while others are not. "Metrosexuality is a way men
For Justin Montgomery, Wellsville junior, it comes down what characteristics one defines as being a man. To him, being a man means responsibility and discipline, not authority. He is not a man who sexually takes away from being a man though. Instead he
says it takes discipline to look good. "Who wants to wash their face before bed every night, and then on put a plethora of creams to have that perfect clear skin? Who wants to iron shirts and fold pants so they don't crease when you put them in the closet? if a guy cares that much, he will," Montgomery says.
The metro movement has some people realizing that men and women are not so different, making the male identity much more pliant than in the past. Alankar Patel, St. Louis senior, says that metrousexual blend male and female characteristics, making what it means to be a gay difference in every woman, is necessary for a girl to get ready, and he says that metrousexual guys might have more patience than he does when it comes to
fashion. It's the level of comfort that's important, Patel says, and for some it may be jeans, for others it's nice pants.
"Guys have been let off the hook about being a slob," says Randy Crowell, owner of The Haircut and Sakaroff's the Salon, 12 E. Eighth St. He likes the idea that men should be strong, sensitive and take care of their appearance, but he also says guys shouldn't go too far in getting in touch with their feminine side. Crowell wanted a place for guys to go hang out and be guys," so she created The
Experience The Tradition