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Metrosexuality And The Urban Male

A BLEU POINT OF VIEW:
METROSEXUALITY & THE URBAN MALE:
BLURRED LINES
by Aisha Diaby

When you think of an urban male the first thing that comes to mind isn't usually salt baths and strong fashion familiariy, but as ones income booms and ignorance wanes interest in trends and beauty can naturally become more dominant.

Metrosexual is a term that emerged around six years ago to represent a portion of men that had no problem pampering and indulging themselves in their physical appearence.The term is also a satirical attack on vanity and meant to mock the way our society is becoming very image conscious. With the likes of David Beckham and Kanye West it became acceptable for a man to explore his fashion foward side.

Urban America however has always generally been homophobic. The straight urban male is very self conscious of his masculinity and is in no way gonna tolerate it being questioned. When speaking to self proclaimed urban males I discovered interesting thoughts and contradictory statements. I asked a pair of urban males that were shopping at a trendy clothing store to define the term metrosexual and one said to me " metrosexual means like gay, a dude that does his eyebrows and ods on his shit." Mind you this guy might have possibly been the most well groomed male in the whole store. So I asked him about his grooming rituals and he said to me that he takes very good care of his face, he uses two soaps and a scrub daily! But is not a merotrosexual of any kind.

So is it so horrible for a straight male to self induldge, to shop, know his labels along with his fits and fabrics? Of course not look at Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klien, it is acceptable. But for a straight urban male unfathomable? Because of this there is a staggering portion of men that are simply " closeted metrosexauls". Too scared to come out because they fear that their sexuality may be questioned.The urban online dictionary defines metrosexual as "A straight man who embraces the homosexual lifestyle, i.e. refined tastes in clothing, excessive use of designer hygiene products, etc. Usually is on the brink of homosexuality". Dictionary dot com however defines metrosexual as a heterosexual male who has a strong aesthetic sense and inordinate interest in appearance and style, similar to that of homosexual males.

Being on the "brink of homosexuality" what does that mean exactly? Can one be on the brink of heterosexuality? Of course not! It is completely ignorant. Its time for Urban America to wake up and get with it! Fashion and grooming is rapidly turning into a way of life, Being aware of what you like and going an extra mile or two does not make you a homosexual, but I can give you a list of a few things that would!