They’re coming. An army of preened, perfect, hair-gelled soldiers. They are: the metrosexual.
Come on boys, admit it. You’re turning into one of them. It’s happening slowly. Slow enough that you’re not able to notice it, but quick enough for your girlfriends, sisters, even mums, to notice. A bottle of extra firm hold hairspray here. A tube of Dove’s moisturiser there. You are slowly adding to the ever-expanding male aimed beauty scene, as boys continue to take more time attending to their appearance.
Studies show that men are spending a marginal 19p less than women on beauty products every month. Before you know it you’ll be buying “guyliner” and “male UGG boots.” Face it lads, it’s not a good look. You’ll end up looking like Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy.
I’m not saying that you can’t take care of your appearance boys, but face it, you don’t need to be putting concealer and foundation on. A girl wants her man to look rough, ready and manly (courtesy of my flatmates opinions). They don’t want a fake-tanned, hair-removal-creamed, eyebrow-plucked little boy.
Your clothes also reflect this femininity guys! Unless you are Marc Jacobs, it is very unlikely that you can pull off ‘meggings’ (male leggings). He can wear a skirt at the Met Ball and look stylish ‘cos lets face it, he’s the Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton for gods sake! You go out wearing a skirt and you’re going to look like a Scottish wedding reject. An occasional statement piece is acceptable. Personally I have been known to wear meggings, but I’m of the homosexual tendency and can sort of make it acceptable (completely adhering to stereotypes here).
So boys, let’s look at levels of the metrosexual and what you can do to make sure you don’t go full blown Rylan Clark. Style your hair, that’s fine. But when you start using more products in it than your girlfriends, and let’s face it, they need more, it’s becoming an issue. Make-up: personally I’m not a fan of the make-up-wearing male, but if you are going to do it, keep it minimal. A little bit of concealer to cover up those blemishes should be all it takes. Clothes: keep statement pieces like male skirts or leggings to a minimum. Look at GQ Style if you want to take some inspiration as to what key pieces this season are offering for you fashion conscious men out there. Over and Out boys. Speak soon.