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The Relationship of Metrosexuality to Media and Male Psychology

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The Relationship of Metrosexuality to Media and Male Psychology
Juan Lorenzo S. Cruz
English 12: Research Paper Draft
28 January 2013
The Relationship of Metrosexuality to Media and Male Psychology

CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
In today’s media-savvy world, male vanity is something that we now witness everyday. It has become very apparent and has led to actions and trends that society has learned to accept. We see it in the actors in movies, TV shows, and commercials, we see it in the models for billboards and various ads wherever we go. We are also able to see closer evidence of it in our day-to-day activities, in the numerous male beauty products in grocery stores ranging from hair gel to masculine wash, and in the men that we interact with everyday. These men wear fashionable clothes and always look like they just stepped out of the salon with their trendy haircuts. A guy who cares about how he looks has become the norm rather than the exception. Because of this, society has already coined a term for the kind of men who care a lot about how they look: Metrosexuality. The mere fact that this term exists shows how male vanity has become a part of our society’s culture and it is not something that is looked down upon. It also shows how men nowadays are more open in acknowledging their increasing attempts to adapt to the ideal appearance and image of a man. This recent trend of metrosexual males is challenging the existing concept of masculinity and the perception of society towards how men are supposed to present themselves. The spike of metrosexuality in recent times can be attributed to the fact that mass media media creates an image of what men should look like. Men are constantly shown images of an ideal type of man that society looks highly upon and this causes most men to be discontent with their current appearance. However, is it possible to say that mass media might not only be the reason why metrosexuality is on the rise? Can there be a deeper reason why men have decided to become more caring about their



Bibliography: Agliata, Daniel. The Impact of Media Exposure on Males’ Body Image. 1. Vol. 23. University of Central Florida, 2004. 7-22. Print Beynon, John. Masculinities and Culture. Philadelphia, Pa: Open University, 2002. Print. Brod, Harry, and Michael Kaufman. Theorizing Masculinities. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 1994. Print. Cohen, Theodore F. Men and Masculinity: A Text Reader. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2000. Print. Liu, Ling. "Mirror, Mirror..." Editorial. Time Magazine 22 June 2006: n. pag. Time Magazine. Time Inc. Web. 06 Feb. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1206865,00.html>. Mansfield, Harvey C. Manliness. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. Print.

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