The rise of the Metrosexual

The rough and ready man of old seems to be a far away dream as men everywhere are now adopting a metrosexual take on their grooming. The term Metrosexual first arose when Mark Simpson wrote that the, ‘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 television advertisements for Levis jeans or in gay bars. In the Nineties, he’s everywhere and he’s going shopping.’ Whilst men were once victims to male stereotyping and denied a varied choice in their grooming products it seems the tides have swiftly turned as the rise of the metrosexual is getting ever more rapid as more and more male grooming products are being brought out each year.
 

In a recent Superdrug survey of 3000 men the results showed that on average men spend longer getting ready than women, taking 83 minutes compared to the 79 minutes women take. Time spent in the shower being a luxurious 23 minutes for men and only 22 minutes for women with men shockingly spending longer than women cleansing, toning and moisturising. The survey highlights that men spend £25.33 on grooming products a month whilst women spend 19p more. It was also unveiled that the three most popular male grooming items are hair wax, shavers and moisturiser.

Simon Comins, director of toiletries for Superdrug says: “Once upon a time it was cool for men to appear rough and ready, looking like they hadn’t spent more than a couple of minutes getting ready in a morning. But these days, everyone appreciates a man who takes care of his appearance, smells nice and looks like he has made an effort.”
 

This rather enlightening survey shows just how metrosexual the modern man has become. With much more emphasis placed on their grooming than in previous generations, it seems that both men and women are trying to achieve that sort after high fashion look. But it isn’t just male grooming products that are on the rise it seems that more men than ever are undergoing plastic surgery to defy the ageing process and get the body they’ve always dreamed of.
 

Cosmetic surgery to create a six pack that would make Hrithik Roshan envious is steadily on the rise as well as surgery to create those bulging pecs, biceps and buns that are everywhere on the Bollywood scene. British plastic surgeons are reporting a record number of male plastic surgery with the top five procedures being Rhinoplasty, hair transplants, eyelid surgery, liposuction and breast reductions. Figures published by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons showed that so called “man boob” reductions had grown by 80% with 581 procedures being performed in 2009 compared to the 22 operations in 2005 and an overall male cosmetic growth rate at 21%.
 

It seems that cosmetic surgery appeals to the quick fix and lazy approach to life that has become increasingly common as people are working longer hours. It is quickly becoming a starry eyes fix all solution to our soft bums and tums as more and more people are willing to pay thousands for a look that would take endless hours in the gym.