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Concept
Metrosexual
Summary
Metrosexual (a portmanteau of metropolitan and sexual) is term describing a man in an urban, post-industrial, capitalist culture, who is especially meticulous and scrupulous about his personal style, grooming and appearance. It is often used to refer to heterosexual men who are perceived to be feminine rather than masculine and having traits typical of homosexual men. Nevertheless, the term does not assert whether a metrosexual is heterosexual, gay or a bisexual man, and the gender or sexual orientation of a metrosexual is generally ambiguous and differs in every man. Some academics consider metrosexuals to be exhibiting narcissistic tendencies.
The term metrosexual originated in an article by Mark Simpson published on November 15, 1994, in The Independent. Although various sources attributed the term to Marian Salzman, she credited Simpson as the original source for her usage of the word.
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 the Nineties, he's everywhere and he's going shopping.
The term became popular in 2002 with an article describing David Beckham as "the biggest metrosexual in Britain," offering this definition:
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 and pleasure as his sexual preference.
The advertising agency Euro RSCG Worldwide adopted the term shortly thereafter for a marketing study. In 2003, The New York Times ran a story, "Metrosexuals Come Out". The term and its connotations continued to roll steadily into more news outlets around the world.
Official source
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