Masculinities: Before and After

Abstract

Since the British columnist Mark Simpson first published his influential article in The Independent (November 15, 1994) entitled ‘Here Come the Mirror Men’, the term ‘metrosexual’ has become ubiquitous, as evidenced by 3.4 million metrosexual discussion listed on Google (as of October 20, 2014). Simpson defined a typical metrosexual as:

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 and pleasure as his sexual preference. Particular professions, such as modeling, waiting tables, media, pop music and, nowadays, sport, seem to attract them but, truth be told, like male vanity products and herpes, they’re pretty much everywhere. (Simpson, 1994a)