Lina Ricciardelli, an Associate Professor of Psychology wrote on The Conversation some years ago. The metrosexual man – lean, muscular, and without any body hair – seems to be the ubiquitous image these days.
Lina Ricciardelli
https://theconversation.com/profiles/lina-ricciardelli-4823
Associate Professor of Psychology, Deakin University
Lina A Ricciardelli (PhD) completed her postgraduate training at the University of Adelaide, Australia in 1990. She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Deakin University, and the Chair of the College of Health Psychologists in the Australian Psychological Society. Lina has published over 90 papers in the fields of health psychology, developmental psychology, and substance use. A large focus of her research has been on the role that sociocultural factors play in the development of body image, and other health risk behaviors among children, adolescents, and adults. These have included gender-role stereotypes, sport, the media, peers, social comparisons, acculturation, and the family. In the last five years, she has also focused on the body image and related health related behaviors among males from a range of cultural backgrounds which include Indigenous Australians, Indigenous and Indian Fijian, Tongans, and Chinese men living in Australia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosexual
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosexual
The metrosexual man photos
https://www.google.com/search?q=The+metrosexual+man&client=opera&hs=yee&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjpla2e9ezcAhXNxKYKHWKmA1IQsAR6BAgEEAE&biw=1880&bih=939
What Makes a Man a Metrosexual?
https://www.lovepanky.com/men/attracting-and-dating-women/what-makes-a-man-a-metrosexual
For the first time in the history of fashion and manliness, the Marlboro Man was replaced with the softer, well groomed man of the 21st century. In came the Metrosexual Man. So what makes this man so fashionable and suave, and all other men passé?
Ryan Seacrest. David Beckham. Need I say more?
Handsome, good looking and impeccably well groomed men who aren’t ashamed to admit they get their facials and pedicures, love shopping and in David’s case, likes to wear his wife’s underwear.
These guys and other heterosexual equals who embraced their inner woman made headlines circa 2004, with magazine covers, in depth articles and even scholarly research papers written entirely on the new phenomenon taking over the world, metrosexuality.
So who is a Metrosexual? He is the one who spends hours in the gym and has gallons of gel on his hair. He can be seen at the hippest of clubs, wearing the trendiest of clothes. He has the money to spend and knows what to spend it on. He likes a Siberian cucumber facial as much as the next and will recommend his favorite deep sea body scrub to you. He started out in the cities but now, can be seen in the most obscure backwoods or suburb. He is usually straight but can be gay or bisexual but that doesn’t matter because the biggest love of his life is himself.
Before David Beckham and his sarong, men were of the macho kind. They liked football and guns, and meat and potatoes. They didn’t shop. Shopping was for girls. And wimps. If they did venture out, into a store, it was with a detailed shopping list with many overwritten scraps of paper with blot marks all over.
To this man, grooming meant nothing but a bath and a shave. If there was one person who could be assumed to be the embodiment of this trend, it’s the ‘Marlboro Man’, he of the rugged masculinity, he with the worn out denims and cowboy hat.
By the early nineties, this raw, ungroomed masculinity was being rejected by popular culture and capitalism. The macho man wasn’t a good enough target audience as he made his money for his wife to spend. The market needed a kind of man who spent more time on his looks and image and less on his identity. Witness the birth of the metrosexual.
Metrosexuality can be credited to either the psychological manipulation of the consumer by corporates and advertising, or it can be due to the simple inherent need for change, the need to be different from one’s predecessors.
But the current thought that metrosexuality is a recent trend is completely untrue. British and French nobility of the 15th and 16th century paid great attention to what they wore and how they accessorized it. Their station called for rigorous adherence to etiquette. Men were expected to spend as much time on their appearance as women. Only with the World Wars and the decline in monarchies did this change, leading to the counter culture of the 20th century.
The first appearance of the term ‘metrosexual’ was in the article ‘It’s a queer world’ by Mark Simpson in a UK national paper, “The Independent” on the 15th of November 1994. He cites the reason for the term being the proximity of these well groomed young men to the big cities or metros as that’s where it all began. Possibly due to the more tolerant culture of big cities, as well as the large amount of hair salons, spas and clubs.
Metrosexuality allowed men a new way to think. They didn’t have to be the sacrificing male of yesteryear and instead, could guiltlessly think about himself as well. They could spend as much as they want on skinny ties and cigarette jeans. They could obsess over the color of their highlights and whether their Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses weren’t dated as of yet. Tee shirts under jackets were replaced by fine silk shirts. They were allowed to appreciate art and literature without being panned as sissies.
The Rise of the Ubersexual Man
https://www.lovepanky.com/men/attracting-and-dating-women/the-rise-of-the-ubersexual-man
As fashionable as the metrosexual man may be, over the last few years, he’s been replaced by a new breed of fashionable men. So it’s probably time for the metrosexual man to step aside and make way for the new King. So who’s up on the front row of today’s fashion in the last couple of years? The super cool Ubersexual Man. What’s so great about this man? Find out here.
Click here to read the introduction: What makes a Man a Metrosexual?
Designers like Armani, Dior Homme, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and brands like Gap and Banana Republic embraced the metrosexual trend.
The runways were full of velvet waistcoats, skinny fit jeans and detailed shirts. Scarves, belts and jewelry were all the rage. Fabrics were decidedly opulent. Men’s clothes no longer meant only cotton, wool and corduroy. It included linen, silk, satin, velvet and whatever else.
Formerly ‘female’ colors like pink, mauve and lime green joined the dismally small male brigade of navy blue, black and brown. Suddenly men knew all about Louis Vuitton’s new man-friendly messenger bags as much as their girlfriends and could tell the difference between vermillion and crimson.
The autumn-winter collections 04/05 cemented the metrosexual trend. Armani’s collection was about “the man who dared to show tenderness”. Calvin Klein took to punk rock and went short leather jackets on long indie knits.
The ever elegant Hermes flit between dandy and casual chic with checkered jackets and cardigans in purple chocolate and forest green. Yves Saint Laurent modernized the notoriously decadent French aristocracy with flared three piece suits while Versace went contemporary with wide striped eighties-esque pin-striped suits and loud multicolored prints as did Ralph Lauren.
The color pink transcending gender was a landmark occasion for the metrosexual man and for fashion in general. Pink, a color traditionally associated with sugar and spice and everything girly is now worn by any fashion conscious young man.
The baby pink shirt has now in fact become a wardrobe staple of sorts. Mauve shirts, hot pink ties, and baby pink tee shirts can be seen anywhere you look. As of 2005, the tough guy look was over.
But as with everything else, this new man trend too bit the dust and Metrosexuality became passé.
Ubersexuality became the latest trend to hit runways and the streets. The word ‘ubersexual’ is derived from the German word ‘uber’ meaning the greatest or most superior. So ubersexuals are the most good looking, most interesting and most articulate of their generation. The ubersexual is attractive and stylish but undoubtedly masculine.
He is well read and cultured, he is passionate but not self obsessed. The focal point of this trend being the embracing of traditional masculinity without all the negative aspects associated with it. Therefore, the ubersexual man is willing to follow trends but he’s not a slave to fashion. He will work out but not obsess over the size of his pecs.
The ubersexual oozes confidence, leadership and sensuality, a heady combination. The ubersexual will not take his cues from the mass but will make his own rules. The ubersexual style is more personal, evolving from travels and personal experience but most importantly is not effeminate at all. He is a man’s man, dressing for himself and not to impress anyone else. The ubersexual trend is manifested by the likes of George Clooney and U2 front man, Bono.
The autumn-winter collection of 07/08 adopts a mature, masculine look with focus on traditional classics. The timeless blue blazer and fabrics such as grey flannel bring out the essential masculinity that is the chief characteristic of ubersexuality. Marc Jacobs subtly combined old world luxury with new world quality with checked breeches and alpine jackets paired with hiking boots. Valentino channelled Wall Street with a plain color scheme of charcoal, white and beige in the finest of fabrics.
Armani went old school glamour with blue velvet and buckled belted leather. The ubersexual is a man who requires comfortable clothes that look good and feel good, but still serve their purpose. The ubersexual is passionate about global issues like pollution and global warming and hence will wear only organic and natural fabric, a trend reflected by Jil Sanders.
Is ubersexuality going to be a weathering trend? A better question would be ‘what’s next?’ Just as we saw the fall of the metrosexual era, ubersexuality too will come to pass. How soon? That’s anyone’s guess.
But, ubersexuality, with its combination of extreme masculinity and metrosexuality, with a good measure of social awareness thrown in, is a good recipe for the ideal man.
The late Christopher Hitchens ….
The late Christopher Hitchens, who subjected himself to a host of ‘self-improvement’ programmes for Vanity Fair, had a harrowing account of adopting that image, where he likened getting a Brazilian Wax to “being tortured for information that you do not possess.” He later jokingly said in an interview that he would prefer water-boarding (which also he underwent for a totally different project) to Brazilian Wax.
Christopher Hitchens
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1fmWVECUI4
Christopher Hitchens: Brutal Four Minutes For Religion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQox1hQrABQ
Christopher Hitchens Schools The Catholic Church(Epic Closing Statement)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZiIU3u3e6I
Christopher Hitchens destroys Christian ethics and morality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS9cw2pb0ok
photos
https://www.google.com/search?q=Christopher+Hitchens&client=opera&hs=2AK&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiK9u3u9-zcAhVkP5oKHSVDDq0QsAR6BAgDEAE&biw=1880&bih=939