I am a Man's Man
As promised/threatened, I am going to begin posting my discussions with Mike about men in our society today. Because I can.
This all started when I emailed Mike about the Metrosexual. I read a column on salon and I was like, this is... a phenomenon. In the making. Mike and I will often talk quasi-seriously about quasi-serious things, so you know, let's work with it. I explain that the metrosexual - at least the male version - is something of a recent development. The idea is that a metrosexual is a narcissistic male to the nth degree. It is about looking good, and even then, looking good in the right way. There is also a degree of sexual ambiguity, or at least, homosexual exploration or open-ness (as in, sure, I would experiment). In short, the metrosexual is a queer, straight male.
Another way to think of it, I say, is that what the Queer Eye show does is metrosexualize their straight men. What they do, and what they try and cultivate in guys is their latent metrosexuality.
This is what I told Mike, and what he said in response was that clothing isn't quite the issue that I may think it is. Look at Guns N' Roses, he says, they were wearing women's clothing, more or less, at their start, but would anyone question their manliness? Hell, Axel even sounds like a girl at times. But he's a man. A real man nonetheless.
Mike then takes me back to the dawn on mankind, when men were out hunting and women were cooking. The male has traditionally been the provider, and in particular, the killer. Men would have to kill the deer/elk/whale in order to provide the food. Mike's point, then, is that manliness isn't linked to providing as much as outright killing. Therefore, to protect one's manliness, one ought to eat meat. Bloody, rare, still-making-a-noise meat.
The assault on a metrosexual's manliness isn't brought on by his decision to wear "good" clothes, or look good, or generally be narcissistic (I know I've mis-spelled that, probably twice now in different ways). Instead, as a side-effect of the metrosexual's desire to be close to the good shopping districts, the salons and the gym, etc, he must eschew the more rural and suburban environments for the urban. Which is why you're going to find so many damned metrosexual's in cities rather than in the 'burbs. And since he is away from those areas that can at least pretend to threaten danger, by way of wild animals, or... I don't know, something, the metrosexual cannot demonstrate his willingness to kill. Meaning, while in a city, a truly urban environment, the metrosexual cannot go out and shoot a deer. Also, the metrosexual would only be found in the more gentrified areas of a city, where they have lots of police officers to keep the brown people away (because they would make the metrosexual look bad, naturally). The metrosexual cannot defend himself in a fist fight because again, there is a general lack of opportunity. Therefore, the assault on a metrosexual's manliness stems from his inability to project himself as a threatening force. There's nothing to react to in a city that would make a woman exclaim, "oh! how manly!". Ultimately, Mike's only route for a metrosexual to take should be really be intent on protecting his manliess is to eat meat, bloody and rare. Even if he doesn't kill it, or cook it, himself, the least he can do is eat meat. And thusly, he shall be a Man again.
Again, this is all what Mike ended up saying, though I added in my own... je ne sais qua. I think I misspelled that, too - oh well. At any rate, I am inclined to agree. The metrosexual, in order to be manly, must act manly, and in the urban environment in which he lives, the only avenue open to stroll down (in a manly way, of course) is the Eat Meat Boulevard.
So what's next for our continuing discussions? Well, I have my own ideas as to why the metrosexual developed in the first place, and of course, what does it mean to be a metrosexual female? Stay tuned for more!
email me
As promised/threatened, I am going to begin posting my discussions with Mike about men in our society today. Because I can.
This all started when I emailed Mike about the Metrosexual. I read a column on salon and I was like, this is... a phenomenon. In the making. Mike and I will often talk quasi-seriously about quasi-serious things, so you know, let's work with it. I explain that the metrosexual - at least the male version - is something of a recent development. The idea is that a metrosexual is a narcissistic male to the nth degree. It is about looking good, and even then, looking good in the right way. There is also a degree of sexual ambiguity, or at least, homosexual exploration or open-ness (as in, sure, I would experiment). In short, the metrosexual is a queer, straight male.
Another way to think of it, I say, is that what the Queer Eye show does is metrosexualize their straight men. What they do, and what they try and cultivate in guys is their latent metrosexuality.
This is what I told Mike, and what he said in response was that clothing isn't quite the issue that I may think it is. Look at Guns N' Roses, he says, they were wearing women's clothing, more or less, at their start, but would anyone question their manliness? Hell, Axel even sounds like a girl at times. But he's a man. A real man nonetheless.
Mike then takes me back to the dawn on mankind, when men were out hunting and women were cooking. The male has traditionally been the provider, and in particular, the killer. Men would have to kill the deer/elk/whale in order to provide the food. Mike's point, then, is that manliness isn't linked to providing as much as outright killing. Therefore, to protect one's manliness, one ought to eat meat. Bloody, rare, still-making-a-noise meat.
The assault on a metrosexual's manliness isn't brought on by his decision to wear "good" clothes, or look good, or generally be narcissistic (I know I've mis-spelled that, probably twice now in different ways). Instead, as a side-effect of the metrosexual's desire to be close to the good shopping districts, the salons and the gym, etc, he must eschew the more rural and suburban environments for the urban. Which is why you're going to find so many damned metrosexual's in cities rather than in the 'burbs. And since he is away from those areas that can at least pretend to threaten danger, by way of wild animals, or... I don't know, something, the metrosexual cannot demonstrate his willingness to kill. Meaning, while in a city, a truly urban environment, the metrosexual cannot go out and shoot a deer. Also, the metrosexual would only be found in the more gentrified areas of a city, where they have lots of police officers to keep the brown people away (because they would make the metrosexual look bad, naturally). The metrosexual cannot defend himself in a fist fight because again, there is a general lack of opportunity. Therefore, the assault on a metrosexual's manliness stems from his inability to project himself as a threatening force. There's nothing to react to in a city that would make a woman exclaim, "oh! how manly!". Ultimately, Mike's only route for a metrosexual to take should be really be intent on protecting his manliess is to eat meat, bloody and rare. Even if he doesn't kill it, or cook it, himself, the least he can do is eat meat. And thusly, he shall be a Man again.
Again, this is all what Mike ended up saying, though I added in my own... je ne sais qua. I think I misspelled that, too - oh well. At any rate, I am inclined to agree. The metrosexual, in order to be manly, must act manly, and in the urban environment in which he lives, the only avenue open to stroll down (in a manly way, of course) is the Eat Meat Boulevard.
So what's next for our continuing discussions? Well, I have my own ideas as to why the metrosexual developed in the first place, and of course, what does it mean to be a metrosexual female? Stay tuned for more!
email me
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