Are you a metrosexual?

[Hank]

Before I started dancing, I cut my own hair, washed my hair with bar soap, owned 1 pair of shoes and 2 pairs of pants, and didn't own a washcloth. Now, all at my dance teacher's insistence, I get my hair cut at a salon, use shampoo and conditioner, own 4 pairs of shoes, have color-coordinated wash cloths (which I actually use once in a while), and wear makeup and tanner during competitions. I also own a tailsuit and a latin catburgler suit that cost more than the rest of my wardrobe combined.

I think the guys down at the bait shop are starting to snicker behind my back.

[Laura]

I don't think four pairs of shoes or wearing competition makeup makes you a Metrosexual. Especially if two of those pairs of shoes are dance shoes. Now, if you're also getting manicures, having your eyebrows waxed, reading fashion magazines, and care if your underwear is 'designer' or not, then you might be a metrosexual. Just look at David Beckham, he's considered the Gold Standard for Metrosexuality.

[dancin_feet]

I don't see a problem with a man wanting to look after himself so that he looks at his best. Even toner and moisturiser is a good idea. Your skin is damaged by the sun just as much as a woman's is. 8)

If the guys at the bait shop are snickering, let 'em. A woman is far more likely to be interested in a man who looks after himself than one that smells like fish!! :wink:

[cocodrilo]

Umm...I've been living in a country somewhat more obscure than the rest of the world for the past 19 years, so please clue me in- just what constitutes "metrosexuality"?

[Sagitta]

Tis' a relative term!! :wink: :)

[Throwaway Overshare]

Umm...I've been living in a country somewhat more obscure than the rest of the world for the past 19 years, so please clue me in- just what constitutes "metrosexuality"?

Never fear, Cocodrilo, those cultural experts from South Park devoted an entire episode to explaing the movement:

"We're here
We're not Queer
but close!"

In general, it refers to the new "in" trend of certain urban males to adopt a number "effiminite" traits stereotypically considerd characteristc of gay males. For example:

getting facials
talking about their feelings
wearing (and being able to name!) pastel colors
getting along well with women
bathing regularly
knowing how to use an iron
dancing ballroom

[cocodrilo]

Thanks for filling me in, T.O.!
EGADS, methinks I would not like to be in the same room with one of THOSE types! The last time I was living stateside, guys were just starting to "get in touch with their feelings" and were known as "sensitive". (I found this to mean that being a wimp was becoming socially acceptable!) :lol: :lol: :lol:

P.S. What has dancing ballroom got to do with it?

[Flat Shoes]

http://www.wordspy.com/words/metrosexual.asp

[cocodrilo]

http://www.wordspy.com/words/metrosexual.asp

GAWD :shock: I used to DATE those types in college! Lots of models! Incredibly good-looking, impeccably groomed but had the intelligence of a small appliance bulb! I'm so glad they've coined a word for it! :D

[KevinL]

P.S. What has dancing ballroom got to do with it?

Didn't anyone ever tell you? All men who dance are gay. Especially those guys who swish their hips like girls! They're definitely gay!

(Of course that's usually said by guys who've never tried it, and/or never been able to maintain the strong, masculine dance frame that makes women melt in your arms.)

Note added in edit: This was meant to be a joke, but given that parts of this thread moved down a somewhat homophobic pathway, I feel the need to clarify this point. Yes, one common misconception among non-dancers is that guys who dance are gay, but so what? I know that I'm not gay, but I've got several friends who are, and they are great people. I would rather have gay/lesbian friends who are sure of themselves than to have insecure "friends" who feel the need to ridicule others for any reason (and in my opinion most gays and lesbians are sure of themselves, or they wouldn't be out in public).

[UltraMagnus]

<<<<<<<--------Is a metrosexual because he likes the foot rubs after practice.

[Sabor]

metrosexual = a person who finds a metro sexy.. something about being underground i guess.. go figure :lol:

[Phil Owl]

Hoooo boy!

Well, this Owl:

Digs ballroom dancing (especially Swing, Hustle and Latin)
Does NOT fuss over his appearance toa point of vanity and narcissism
Does NOT speak with a lisp
Does NOT wear makeup or do facials
Does NOT read women's magazines
Does NOT eat at trendy/hooty-snooty restaurants
DETESTS Broadway musicals with a passion
Cannot stand "chick flicks" (Crossing Delancey excepted)
Does know how to iron, wash clothes, cook, clean (rather essential life skills regardless of gender)
Does talk about his feelings but I'm careful who I talk to about them
Does get along well with women
Does shower and shave regularly
Does rejoice in his maleness



Hopefully this puts me at a safe distance from metrosexuality :wink:

[Laura]

"Metrosexual" does not mean or imply "homosexual." I get the feeling you're confusing the two from your remarks about lisping and Broadway musicals. British football (soccer) star David Beckham is considered the canonical example of a metrosexual -- he's married to an ex-Spice-Girl, has a couple of kids, plays a real man's sport, yet pays a lot of attention to his looks, grooming, and clothing.

[tj]

"Metrosexual" does not mean or imply "homosexual." I get the feeling you're confusing the two from your remarks about lisping and Broadway musicals. British football (soccer) star David Beckham is considered the canonical example of a metrosexual -- he's married to an ex-Spice-Girl, has a couple of kids, plays a real man's sport, yet pays a lot of attention to his looks, grooming, and clothing.

You sure? That's not what the article says that Flatshoes pointed us to. In it, it talks about a metrosexual having all the traits of gay men, except for sexual orientation...

[Laura]

I live in San Francisco, possibly the world capital of gay men, and I can attest that there are PLENTY of gay men who don't lisp and who don't like Broadway. In my post I was really just objecting to those characterizations as being included in a list of "all the traits of gay men, except sexual orientation."

As for Beckham, the first time I ever heard the term "metrosexual" was back when he got his hair put in cornrows. Was that over a year ago? I can't quite recall. It was around the time he was transferring to Real Madrid. The title of the article was "Are You a Metrosexual?" and went on about what a "metrosexual" is and used Beckham for all the examples. I think it was in some British tabloid or perhaps one of those silly celebrity magazines like "Hello!"

[Genesius Redux]

I live in San Francisco, possibly the world capital of gay men, and I can attest that there are PLENTY of gay men who don't lisp and who don't like Broadway. In my post I was really just objecting to those characterizations as being included in a list of "all the traits of gay men, except sexual orientation."

Thank you. As a working actor, I've been around gay men all my life and these kinds of asinine stereotypes drive me up the wall. And while I'm as heterosexual as anyone you'll ever meet, I love Broadway. Or rather, I loved Broadway as it used to be before it got to be all about spectacle.

[Warren J. Dew]

British football (soccer) star David Beckham is considered the canonical example of a metrosexual -- he's married to an ex-Spice-Girl, has a couple of kids, plays a real man's sport, yet pays a lot of attention to his looks, grooming, and clothing.
Based on a brief web search (apparently I was also living in a backwater country), there seems to be an emphasis on narcissism or at least vanity that seems to go beyond caring about how one looks. I don't get that implication from the people on this thread who were already familiar with the word, though ... perhaps I'm reading outdated sources.

Here's a test ... would James Bond be considered metrosexual?

[Genesius Redux]

Here's a test ... would James Bond be considered metrosexual?

No, definitely not. Bond's style is classic, not trendy. And he hates women, at a very deep level. He would never dance, although he does a little Samba in "Thunderball" and gets out of a death trap because he knows how to do a turning basic.

[Hank]

I used "metrosexual" because I thought only people who read Lawrence Sanders novels would know what "dandy" and "fop" mean.

[DanceAm]

The link said that is where the "sexual" in metrosexual comes from is homosexual. And that soccer guy you are referring to paints his nails. But you must excuse Laura, I think she is from California and has been dancing for years. For her Metrosexuals and Homosexuals are the typical man she sees and "Bubba the Redneck" types are actually banned from California. They recently past laws in that state prohibiting T-Shirts that don't cover a big gut, and plumber uniforms that show your crack. Most Californians were confused about the Anti-Crack legislation so they had a big BillBoard campaign to explain that the drug was already against the law and public decency demanded that the other should be too. But all the Bubba's were very upset because they preferred overalls, but those were outlawed in California in the 1980's along with being ugly. Next on the legislative agenda in California is requring women with small breasts to either leave the state or have them surgically enhanced. This is a push by the Plastic Surgeons Concil of California. Without the support of all women in California, many of the Plastic Surgeons have to suppliment their income by moonlighting as General Practicianers. This caused their malpractice insurance to go up and made it less lucritive to help sick people.

So metrosexual, homosexual and a man in California are asthetically the same. The term is really redundant there.

So is it strictly a man term?

Are ladies with manly traits still just called lesbians?

(I am just having some fun, none of it is real and I apoligize if I offended anyone, except the "Bubba"s.)

[Porfirio Landeros]

No, definitely not. Bond's style is classic, not trendy. And he hates women, at a very deep level. He would never dance, although he does a little Samba in "Thunderball" and gets out of a death trap because he knows how to do a turning basic.

Didn't (Sean Connery) Bond do a tango with Kim Bassinger? I seem to remember because it was more of an American Style tango instead of an old-school Scottish tango ;-)

[Genesius Redux]

No, definitely not. Bond's style is classic, not trendy. And he hates women, at a very deep level. He would never dance, although he does a little Samba in "Thunderball" and gets out of a death trap because he knows how to do a turning basic.

Didn't (Sean Connery) Bond do a tango with Kim Bassinger? I seem to remember because it was more of an American Style tango instead of an old-school Scottish tango ;-)

Oh no no no no no no. The last thing that Sean Connery did as James Bond was "Diamonds are Forever." The film to which you are referring, which was an attempted remake of Thunderball (and why?) doesn't count! :roll:

[Laura]

I may be wrong, but here is the story I heard about "Thunderball" and its remake, "Never Say Never Again."

Cubby Broccoli owns the movie rights to all the original Ian Flemming books except for "Thunderball" (not sure about "Casino Royale"). The group that got the rights to "Thunderball" made it, with Sean Connery as Bond. Later on, Connery was replaced in the Broccoli movies with Roger Moore. I'm not sure if Connery left because he was tired of it, or was forced out, but supposedly he said "never again" when it came to playing Bond. The group that owned "Thunderball" decided they wanted to make another Bond film, but they only had rights to "Thunderball" so they rewrote it and got Connery once again to play Bond. Or maybe it was "never again" to working with the producers of "Thunderball." Anyway, they chose the title "Never Say Never Again" because Connery had said "never again," yet he agreed to be in the new film.

It's a nice story. I can't vouch for its truth -- this might be one of those great movie urban legends. If anyone knows the real story, I'd be interested in hearing it!

[cocodrilo]

I'm from the San Francisco area, too, and I had a LOT of gay male friends who didn't fit the nail-painting, lisping, primping & preening "perfect hair" types. Au contraire, a lot of them were a bit on the unkempt side!

I still don't see how ballroom dancing has anything to do with it. Maybe because the men who dance ballroom want to be "pretty"? (There's nothing wrong with wanting to look good, BTW!) Geez, I guess I'd better make friends with some guys who dance ballroom & quiz them on their lifestyles! :?

[Flat Shoes]

Ballroom dancing men as they appear in high level competitions appear very metrosexual to me, lots of styling, grooming, makeup, peacock-manners, waxed chests etc. How they appear outside competitions, I don't know. I guess then they're all sorts of guys, except for the artificial tanning and chest-waxing stuff. :roll:

[Chris Stratton]

Over on the rec.art.dance newsgroup, it would appear that REAL men give themselves a belt-sander pedicure after enjoying a side of barbecued pit-bull.

[Genesius Redux]

I guess I find myself wondering what so many people (mostly other men) find so threatening in men who are interested in looking fashionable or cultivating their awareness and appreciation of the arts. It would seem to me that men who don't worry overmuch about traditional distinctions between "masculine" and "feminine" pursuits and preoccupations are really more secure in their sexuality and identity than those who feel the need to obsessively police the gender divide with the zeal of the newly converted.

Oh, I know that about a half dozen voices are going to pop up protesting now, "I don't find it threatening--I'm just entertained/amused/baffled or whatever and simply find it funny." But, and I hate to borrow a line from Hamlet here--wondering if anything even approaching casual cultural literacy might be construed as metrosexual--but it's so apropos. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Anyone who takes the time to ridicule something finds it threatening.

Which I guess brings me to my point--why take time to ridicule those who are obsessed with "metrosexuality"? Do I find that threatening? Yes indeed. Because that casually derisive attitude, in which differences are objectified and mocked, uncertainty is solidified into cocksure arrogance, and ignorance swept aside in favor of an appeal to a wholly spurious common sense, is precisely what leads to the sort of behavior in which an administration, let us say, constructs a fictional justification for, let us say, a war where, let us say, a dangerously unstable international situation is created, let us say, where there was none before, and young men and women are sent, let us say, to die, trying to bring stability to a region, let us say, that did not require their sacrifice before said administration called for their presence.

I would not, however, have my hypothetical situation misconstrued for any comment on an actual set of events. For surely, if this were actually to occur, the entire population of laughing Democritan wits and critics would rise unanimously against the same sort of posturing and self-importance they were ridiculing in the phenomenon of metrosexuality. Surely such an insightful nation would never allow this to happen.

Unless the supposed insight were nothing but a reflection of a deeper insecurity. If, let us say, the myth of the primping, posturing, self-obsessed metrosexual were nothing more than the objectification of an equally self-obsessed posturing masculinity that had lost its belief in its own reality, and whose only form of self-expression could thus be found in the ridicule of a twisted reflection of itself.

Such a situation, if it were to occur, would be grim indeed. And I find that a whole lot more threatening than the idea of men who get facials. At least they're contributing to the GNP.

[cocodrilo]

This keeps getting more and more interesting as I hear more examples!
Comapare & contrast these two-
2 latino guys I know- (both instructors) both are well-groomed, always smell GREAT, nice clothes. One is a macho guy, has a mouth like a truck driver, and is a self-professed "homophobic". The other is, how shall we say wihout being rude- um. Quite the OPPOSITE, in every sense! Could these guys be defined as metrosexuals? (P.S. These are salsa instructors I am referring to, not ballroom) :?

[tj]

This keeps getting more and more interesting as I hear more examples!
Comapare & contrast these two-
2 latino guys I know- (both instructors) both are well-groomed, always smell GREAT, nice clothes. One is a macho guy, has a mouth like a truck driver, and is a self-professed "homophobic". The other is, how shall we say wihout being rude- um. Quite the OPPOSITE, in every sense! Could these guys be defined as metrosexuals? (P.S. These are salsa instructors I am referring to, not ballroom) :?

Why not ask them? Especially the homophobic one!

:twisted:

[pygmalion]

Before I started dancing, I cut my own hair, washed my hair with bar soap, owned 1 pair of shoes and 2 pairs of pants, and didn't own a washcloth. Now, all at my dance teacher's insistence, I get my hair cut at a salon, use shampoo and conditioner, own 4 pairs of shoes, have color-coordinated wash cloths (which I actually use once in a while), and wear makeup and tanner during competitions. I also own a tailsuit and a latin catburgler suit that cost more than the rest of my wardrobe combined.

I think the guys down at the bait shop are starting to snicker behind my back.

Not that I don't appreciate the whole "definition of metrosexual" sidebar. But I was actually more intrigued by Hank's first post. So here's a question. Does ballroom dance inspire otherwise sterotypically unkempt men to clean up their acts?

Having known more than a few such unkempt fellas, I'd say yes -- a little bit. A bunch of guys I know are definitely C&W bar, cowboy boot wearing, deep sea fishing kind of guys. But a couple weeks of ballroom lessons saw them carrying shoe bags and changing into capezios before class. :shock: :) (Bear with them, people. I'm sure their next pairs of ballroom shoes will be Dance Naturals or something nicer. :roll: But Capezio is a place to start. :wink: )

[cocodrilo]

This keeps getting more and more interesting as I hear more examples!
Comapare & contrast these two-
2 latino guys I know- (both instructors) both are well-groomed, always smell GREAT, nice clothes. One is a macho guy, has a mouth like a truck driver, and is a self-professed "homophobic". The other is, how shall we say wihout being rude- um. Quite the OPPOSITE, in every sense! Could these guys be defined as metrosexuals? (P.S. These are salsa instructors I am referring to, not ballroom) :?

Why not ask them? Especially the homophobic one!

:twisted:

I'll ask them BOTH on the 29th! The macho one's DJ-ing and the other guy I am co-sponsoring a salsa dance party with that evening!

[squirrel]

Metrosexual...
I had this black boyfriend once... dressing up and preparing for going out actually took him more than it took me!!! He was veeeeery careful to wear matching clothing and choosing the perfume was an adventure... He was as heterosexual as possible...
I have nothing against guys taking care of themselves... pedicure and manicure and have their hair cut at a salon... but... I also like men who don't!
So, if they're clean and intelligent (that's a MUST)... that's all I care about!

[hobrien]

Kevin L,

No No No Kevin you got it all wrong, you are gay, you should listen to those guys who tell you so.

Personally I really appreciated there kind words and there setting me straight. Yes I have just faced up to it now.

:bandit: :wink:

[pygmalion]

Sorry to go this path, folks, but I have to speak up here.

It's certainly okay to joke around and have fun, but we have gay and lesbian members and guests who can be very hurt by sexual orientation jokes. And even if we didn't have gay and lesbian representation, those kind of jokes make me, the person, uncomfortable.

From me, the moderator, have fun, discuss and enjoy the topic, but please remember to consider our friends of every background who are reading this. Their feelings matter.

[hobrien]

Ok I am sorry !

Yes it was a little insensitive.

I apologise for my comments, and attempt at a joke.

:bandit:

[KevinL]

P.S. What has dancing ballroom got to do with it?

Didn't anyone ever tell you? All men who dance are gay. Especially those guys who swish their hips like girls! They're definitely gay!

(Of course that's usually said by guys who've never tried it, and/or never been able to maintain the strong, masculine dance frame that makes women melt in your arms.)

Note added in edit: This was meant to be a joke, but given that parts of this thread moved down a somewhat homophobic pathway, I feel the need to clarify this point. Yes, one common misconception among non-dancers is that guys who dance are gay, but so what? I know that I'm not gay, but I've got several friends who are, and they are great people. I would rather have gay/lesbian friends who are sure of themselves than to have insecure "friends" who feel the need to ridicule others for any reason (and in my opinion most gays and lesbians are sure of themselves, or they wouldn't be out in public).

PS. I know this is the same post as above, but I wanted to make sure everyone still reading this thread saw it.

[cocodrilo]

Hey KevinL! I've got a lot of gay friends, and NONE of them can dance! I bet the guys that do ballroom must think they're (meaning my gay friends)all STRAIGHT!!!

[DanceAm]

I will admit, for some comps, I have been to the tanning bed, removed body hair, and colored the hair on my head. I have lost a lot of weight and my biggest motovation was to look better competing. My body suits for competing have shear sections, or big v necks and are very form fitting.

My workplace is very conservitive and the jokes fly about me being gay. I don't give a rat's a$$ what they say, and I don't care if the official name is "Metrosexual". All I know is after 5 years of hard work, women want to dance with me, go to the clubs I go to in my hometown and I am mistaken for a teacher more often than I can count. And no one believes my age or that I have an 18 year old son. When I wasn't so "Metrosexual", I never got a second look. So for a comp I am over the top, but normally, I am just clean and well groomed.

Urban society is changing, men and women have the same jobs, most are inside. The rugged look just doesn't fit in an office environment and we work to closely to not shower everyday. We are not Europeans you know. If men gather together in the workplace like they used to, they better be careful of what they say, what men used to talk about if overheard, could mean their job. It is just not Politically correct for men to start sexual conversations with women around, but once the women start, it seems to be OK. Men putting on lotions and hair products is not new. My father in the 60's used a hair cream and switched to Hai Karate after shave which had the most overpowering scent. The Hippie movement was against that but men wore hip hugging bell bottom jeans and long hair and even pony tails were becoming common. Men grabbing habits from women is not new, in fact, it dates back to the ancient Egiptions. In the 80's with Magnum PI, men grew a big thick mustache, something women never want, even if they have one. But the clothes in the 80's were as "gay", for lack of a better word, than ever. But you have to remember, they were cheap and we were coming out of big recession.

You still see the aging hippies with pony tails, in fact it is just a way to help cover bald spots. Looking younger than you are is just as important for a man in the job market as it is for women. But for us men, we can't be repulsive in an office, we can't bark obsenities, we can't be physically punching each other's arms or putting each other in headlocks. Even handshakes seem to be weaker for most, it is not appropriate to squeeze each other's hands until the other gives in.

I will never paint my nails or wax my bikini area. I will never git a pedicure and I will file my nails with a file from my tool bench if it is handy. Actually, I will never understand how a women could pour hot wax and pull the hair out by the follicles on such a sensitive area and yet still be scared of spiders and mice.

So if I still don't understand women, I guess I am still a man, and I can relax and let people say what they want.

[hobrien]

If anyone is still interested in what I have to say....:?

I think even if people are sure of themselves they can still be bothered by how other people refer to them. No matter how hard it is to admit, we are all just human.

For example the best of relationships can have jealousy in them even if it is non founded.

If we were all so sure of ourselves why would we even be talking about this topic.

Personally I sometimes do get annoyed by what people say.

And sometimes I have been known to put my own foot in it. :oops:

Also there are gay people who are sure and stand proud and tall and some who are not so sure, and to use your example Kevin L, some have not come out of the closet, or maybe this could be because their local environment is so unaccepting and they know this.

I am for one reluctant to talk about my dancing in work, so many people just dont appreciate it at all. So isnt it best just to not go there in work, in my case at least ?

Yes this is a sensitive issue.

Again if I upset anyone I apologise.

:bandit: ...actually not quite so happy ...

[hobrien]

"were not europeans"

some of us are, and all the ones I know shower every mourning.

If I am training (which hapens 4 to 5 times a week) I shower just before I go. Thats 11 or 12 showers a week in all.

When I dance with european women, 99 % are spick and span in fact they are edable.

Of course you get people who dont keep themselves clean. That happens everywhere, and it ain't just here in Europe now is it ..... think now ....

:bandit:

[pygmalion]

This thread is giving me nightmares! :shock: :lol:

Okay. So how do I approach this one? The US, based on my experience, is a country where people are very concerned with the absence of natural body ... scents. No smell is a good smell, no matter how natural or universal. In the US, if you smell human, however clean, you must buy products and CUT IT OUT! :lol: :lol: Not necessarily right, just one way to approach things.

The obsession (and I use the word advisedly) with absence of smell is not as prevalent many other places in the world that I've been. People are very clean, but don't necessarily focus on eradicating every natural human body smell. The Europeans I've interacted with have all worked at US based companies and were sensitized to American "niceties." I've yet to smell any of them. I guess they purchased lots of deodorizing products on their visits to the US. :lol: :lol:

OK. Enough said.

Now could we please stick to the topic and stop trying to offend everyone in sight? Sheesh. Politically correct is not required here. Actually, PC can be kind of boring. But please. Let's all play nice.

[DanceAm]

Hobrian,

I am sorry, but I wondered if anyone would catch it. It is not fair to lump all Europeans together.

[pygmalion]

To be honest, I came within an inch of locking this thread. I think it has a lot of potential for good, productive discussion. The original topic is a great one. If we could just stick with it, that would be great.

Instead, we've had a bunch of digressions into much less positive waters. Not good. We don't do flame wars in Dance Forums. It's very important to us, both as moderators, and, I suspect, as members and guests, to keep a positive atmosphere here. That's what makes DF special and different.

We don't have to agree on everything, or follow some excessive set of communication rules to be politically correct, whatever that means. But we do have to treat each other with respect. That's what makes DF a safe place for all of us to express ourselves.

[Sagitta]

Before I started dancing, I cut my own hair, washed my hair with bar soap, owned 1 pair of shoes and 2 pairs of pants, and didn't own a washcloth. Now, all at my dance teacher's insistence, I get my hair cut at a salon, use shampoo and conditioner, own 4 pairs of shoes, have color-coordinated wash cloths (which I actually use once in a while), and wear makeup and tanner during competitions. I also own a tailsuit and a latin catburgler suit that cost more than the rest of my wardrobe combined.

I think the guys down at the bait shop are starting to snicker behind my back.

Does ballroom dance inspire otherwise sterotypically unkempt men to clean up their acts?

Having known more than a few such unkempt fellas, I'd say yes -- a little bit. A bunch of guys I know are definitely C&W bar, cowboy boot wearing, deep sea fishing kind of guys. But a couple weeks of ballroom lessons saw them carrying shoe bags and changing into capezios before class. :shock: :) (Bear with them, people. I'm sure their next pairs of ballroom shoes will be Dance Naturals or something nicer. :roll: But Capezio is a place to start. :wink: )

I too have seen this too. It is kind of hard not to improve. If you hang out at a bar with rough-looking types looking like a "dandy" makes you stick out like a sore thumb. If you hang out at social ballroom dances where people tend to be a little more dressed and you are dressed like a rough-neck you stick out as well. People adapt to fit within the cultural expectations of their socializing environments.

[cocodrilo]

I will admit, for some comps, I have been to the tanning bed, removed body hair, and colored the hair on my head. I have lost a lot of weight and my biggest motovation was to look better competing. My body suits for competing have shear sections, or big v necks and are very form fitting.

My workplace is very conservitive and the jokes fly about me being gay. I don't give a rat's a$$ what they say, and I don't care if the official name is "Metrosexual". All I know is after 5 years of hard work, women want to dance with me, go to the clubs I go to in my hometown and I am mistaken for a teacher more often than I can count. And no one believes my age or that I have an 18 year old son. When I wasn't so "Metrosexual", I never got a second look. So for a comp I am over the top, but normally, I am just clean and well groomed.

Urban society is changing, men and women have the same jobs, most are inside. The rugged look just doesn't fit in an office environment and we work to closely to not shower everyday. We are not Europeans you know. If men gather together in the workplace like they used to, they better be careful of what they say, what men used to talk about if overheard, could mean their job. It is just not Politically correct for men to start sexual conversations with women around, but once the women start, it seems to be OK. Men putting on lotions and hair products is not new. My father in the 60's used a hair cream and switched to Hai Karate after shave which had the most overpowering scent. The Hippie movement was against that but men wore hip hugging bell bottom jeans and long hair and even pony tails were becoming common. Men grabbing habits from women is not new, in fact, it dates back to the ancient Egiptions. In the 80's with Magnum PI, men grew a big thick mustache, something women never want, even if they have one. But the clothes in the 80's were as "gay", for lack of a better word, than ever. But you have to remember, they were cheap and we were coming out of big recession.

You still see the aging hippies with pony tails, in fact it is just a way to help cover bald spots. Looking younger than you are is just as important for a man in the job market as it is for women. But for us men, we can't be repulsive in an office, we can't bark obsenities, we can't be physically punching each other's arms or putting each other in headlocks. Even handshakes seem to be weaker for most, it is not appropriate to squeeze each other's hands until the other gives in.

I will never paint my nails or wax my bikini area. I will never git a pedicure and I will file my nails with a file from my tool bench if it is handy. Actually, I will never understand how a women could pour hot wax and pull the hair out by the follicles on such a sensitive area and yet still be scared of spiders and mice.

So if I still don't understand women, I guess I am still a man, and I can relax and let people say what they want.

I like your attitude, Dance AM! :wink:

Pygmalion, some of us women LIKE the way a guy smells, naturally, as long as he rinses off once in a while. I think society has us programmed to equate the smell of soap with cleanliness. For those of you who can't stand guys with B.O., I'll have to let you :shock: know about my experiences in the Czech Republic sometime!

As for the self-professed shower maniac, I've got you beaten! In the hot, humid summers of Japan(where there is over 80% humidity and it's steaming-hot at 6:00am) I shower up to 5 times a day! I work out every day, so there's one automatically, the other 4 are to quickies just to "rinse off".
:lol:

[hobrien]

Its cool DanceAm,

Everything else you wrote I totally agree with. And from what you said I am quite like you.

Keep Dancin

:bandit: