Metrosexuals: These pretty guys are not gays

It used to be that women were criticized for taking a long time in getting ready to go on a date or to a party. Men often complained that women's attention to self was extreme and extravagant. The word vanity had a mainly feminine connotation. Men didn't bother so much about their own garb and looks. They thought being rough and tough was appealingly masculine.

But we're seeing a different reality these days. The fellow with shiny long hair, smooth porcelain-fine skin, sparkling earrings, well-defined eyebrow, powdered face and silky hands with delicately carved fingernails may turn out to be a guy. And he may not be gay.

Especially in Asia, the popular concept of manliness seems to be undergoing a transformation. Many upper-class young men in Taiwan, Hongkong, Korea, Japan and other major urban centers in the region are increasingly becoming as vain as women. The new Asian male is no longer afraid to put on cosmetics or try fashion that only a few years ago would be considered sissy.

This rise in vanity among young Asian males may be a result of higher personal incomes from booming industries like information technology, arts, media and fashion. Also, there are now more moneyed young entrepreneurs than ever before. In other words, more young people today have money to spend. And they're wise enough to spend it on themselves.

This pampering keenness for personal care and stylish gear would strike the older conservatives as odd. Some may even think of it as a personality disorder. But the attitude is increasingly becoming quite commonplace to be viewed as abnormal. It is, to the liberal and better-informed, simply the characteristic trait of a metrosexual person.

Fastidious, like females, metrosexuals spend a lot of time-between 30 to 40 minutes-in each grooming ritual. The former manly quick shower-shave-and-hairstyle has now expanded to include applying moisturizing sunblock creams, lip gloss, and eyeliner, marking eyebrows and curling eyelashes. Then, the entire process culminates in a careful choice of outfit that often comes in flamboyant colors.

This fast emerging social subspecies is so-called because, according to British journalist Mark Simpson, "The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis... where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are." Their lifestyle has brought a new customer base for traditionally women's products and industries. Men spas and salons are popping up, as well as elaborate lines of men's cosmetics.

For those in highly visible professions or holding jobs that require facing people, a flawless appearance makes a lot of difference. It is common nowadays to see male artists, media personalities and fashion professionals grooming themselves to perfection and dressing in flashy attire. In this case, their vanity is also a strategy.

The monthly fare of a metrosexual lifestyle can easily run between 15 to 20 thousand pesos, even more. This includes regular acquisition of designer clothes, skin care and fitness club membership. Metrosexuals are not complaining. They claim it's all worth it, that it makes them more attractive, which is essential to success. It gives them the edge with women, too. A study revealed that many women prefer men with whom they can share the same interests.

The metrosexual trend is really gaining ground. A recent survey in South Korea reported that 66 percent of the males there adopt the lifestyle. The many male beauty pageants that are held in many Asian cities, including those in the Philippines, are partly the evidence to a growing metrosexual lifestyle.

Yes, it is quite difficult to tell a homosexual from a metrosexual. To a large extent, their dressing and grooming styles are similar. But that's as far as their similarity goes. Metrosexuals are as straight in terms of their sexual preference as any true-blooded heterosexual male. Yet being a metrosexual is not a sexual category, it's a lifestyle.

Metrosexuals may look as rather peculiar, as yet. But they are accepted trendsetters, as well. And simple-minded mockers better be careful. Many straight metrosexuals attend fight classes as a physical fitness regimen. Heckling at them can be really dangerous. Besides, picking on people who are just indulging themselves-because they can afford it! -is much more an odd act that deserves humiliation.