Metrosexual men are in

What can other men learn from them?

By Pierre Coda

I knew it had to happen some day because when members of any group reach critical mass they are no longer shy about their existence.  I am talking about metrosexuals - men who have existed for centuries but were not sure if they wanted an identity of their own or were just scared to project one.  Not that the macho man is dead, but the metrosexual is definitely 'in'.  There will always be admirers of macho men.  In fact some macho men are actually popular among women even if they treat women like some lowly creatures.  Many women just love looking up to them as some kind of Godly creatures who will protect them from danger - what if they abuse you the rest of the time?  The instinct comes from our time in the caves when only the strongest men could fight other crazy men, or even worse, those dangerous wild animals. The cute guys were just good enough to flirt with during the tribal festivals or dance around the fire.   

Now that women no longer need men for 'protection,' they can openly say what they really like.  In the same vein, now that the men no longer have to look strong and tough, they can be whatever they want to be.  Well, this is not a new phenomenon.  At least in the industrialized world, during last two decades, women have made tremendous strides in all walks of life.  Unfortunately it was also the time that gays made their appearance on the stage.  Since only a very small percentage of the inhabitants of the planet have any appreciation for gays, even gays were afraid to claim their due rights.  Now just imagine how tough it will be for metrosexuals to make a statement!  They were so terrorized by gay bashing that all these years they desperately tried to look and act macho whether they liked it or not, and even more importantly, whether women liked them or not that way.  

Has anything changed in this century that makes it easier for metrosexuals?  A few things.  Gays are increasingly being accepted in many parts of the world.  The movie stars do not have to kill half a dozen thugs to get the girl of their dreams.  As women need men less for financial and physical security, they expect men to give them what men have asked from women for centuries - eye candy.  Apart from expecting them to be romantic, they want them to take care of their bodies (not to fight wild animals but to make gentle love to them).  Asian (including Japanese) men that never truly turned into macho men are considered cool even in the west.  Some web sites dealing in relationships gets flooded with emails from women who no longer want a hulk - they want a cute guy who will be their 'friend'.  Who will go shopping with them and help them find clothes rather than sit like a moron on a bench in the store and dream of going home, grab a beer, and surf the channels.  Who will actually help them choose clothes and makeup when they get dressed.  A man who knows what to buy when she asks him to pick up an exfoliant from the local Aveda store.  Someone that will take weekend spa trips with them and enjoy sitting in a mud pit for hours.  A man who practices yoga rather than lifts weights.  A man who will be as much fun to be around as are her girlfriends.  Who will actually talk to a woman about topics that interest them rather than just cars and beer.  Someone who actually knows how to cook a gourmet dish and find the right wine to go with it.  There are so many things that women were afraid to ask men since they knew that if they did they were not sure if he would be able to pay the bills.  

Research is showing that women are more pleased than men now that metrosexuals are cool.  They no longer have to contend with supposedly macho men who are wimps in real life anyway.  Not only these men can be themselves more often, they can actually present a side of themselves that would scare some of the less adventurous women, and of course, all those macho men.

Some of you are probably already good enough to be a metrosexual and might teach me something, so please do write to me.  It will help me in my efforts to make metrosexuals ‘cool’.  For those who are closet metrosexuals, I plan to present a game plan that will make you the 'dream boy' of all those women who have secretly waited for a metrosexual to come along.  To the macho men, I say, "Ask yourself who you are again.  If you are comfortable in your body, do nothing.  If not, explore a new world."