Metrosexuality

The term metrosexuality , which is composed of “ metropolitan ” and “ heterosexual ”, describes a sexual orientation and not a sexual preference , but an extravagant lifestyle of heterosexual men who do not value categorization in a masculine role model. The term metrosexual was first published in 1994 by British journalist Mark Simpson .

definition

Model and footballer: David Beckham is seen by many as a metrosexual protagonist.

According to the definition, metrosexual men also allow characteristics that are traditionally assessed as female, and show outward behaviors that to date have been assigned to the lifestyle of women or the cliché of the homosexual man. The term is therefore often defined (and not only colloquially) as if the (heterosexual) man dresses “like a gay ”, which quotes common clichés about male homosexuality.

Metrosexuality is described as a modern lifestyle that (merely) differs less between women and men in terms of fashion, but is reduced to accessories and external attitudes. The American sociologist Robert Heasley describes metrosexuality as one of six forms of straight queer masculinities . But he prefers the expression stylistic straight-queerness .

So-called metrosexuals are said to be an important target group for the fashion and cosmetics industry. Its function as a lucrative niche in the market and the considerable advertising efforts in this area raise the question to what extent metrosexuality is a media hype that is artificially hyped up by advertising . Mark Simpson critically stated in an interview in 2006 that the expression he coined metrosexual (ity) , which was supposed to shed light on today's consumer culture in a socially critical way, was picked up by an "American marketing woman" and thus - ironically - just become an instrument of "Marketing propaganda" had become.

Others

When coining the term, it was not clear to Mark Simpson that “Metro” in “Metropolis” stands for mother (μήτηρ, μητρός, the mother city of a colony). Literally, the Greek-Latin term Metrosexual So mother sexually . Simpson later stated in an interview that the term was still applicable because of its postoedipal nature.

literature

• Michael Flocker: Metrosexual. The manual for the new man (= Heyne 1, Heyne general series. Bd. 14048). Heyne, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-453-88106-0 .
• Robert Heasley: Crossing the Borders of Gendered Sexuality: Queer Masculinities of Straight Men. In: Chrys Ingraham (Ed.): Thinking Straight. The Power, the Promise and Paradox of Heterosexuality. Routledge, New York NY et al. 2005, ISBN 0-415-93272-6 , pp. 109-129.
• Annemieke Tetzlaff: The “metrosexual” body image and anorexia nervosa in men. The health consequences of a new body ideal . VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken 2008, ISBN 978-3-8364-7544-0 .

Footnotes and individual references

1. ^ Mark Simpson / Jan Euringer: Here come the mirror men. (No longer available online.) In: The Independent . November 15, 1994, archived from the original on January 19, 2007 ; Retrieved December 31, 2010 (English, article also published in the book by Mark Simpson: It's a Queer World . Vintage, London 1996, ISBN 0-09-959751-9 .): “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. “ Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
2. ↑ A bit gay , stern.de October 12, 2005: "Embodies the ideal typical" metrosexual man ": David Beckham", accessed November 23, 2013
3. ↑ BUTT -Magazine, No. 16, pp. 36-42; online ( Memento of the original dated November 13, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Access: October 5, 2006 
4. ^ [1] Interview with Mark Simpson