Metrosexual mania?

Steven Stegall says he isn’t quite sure he knows what a “metrosexual” is, although he’s pretty sure he isn’t one. Mr. Stegall, a 29-year-old teacher from Weatherford, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, says he knows of some men who might fit into the category, but he and his friends “don’t associate with them.”

A metrosexual is a straight guy who possesses the heightened aesthetic sensibilities typically associated with homosexual men. Coined in 1994 by British writer Mark Simpson to describe narcissistic men obsessed with grooming, fashion and fitness, the term got a boost last year when the New York Times announced that America was “on the verge of a metrosexual moment.”

Advertising and marketing firms have focused on these image-conscious men who forsake drugstore deals and turn toward upscale boutiques for their grooming gear.

The recent launch of men’s shopping magazines Cargo and Vitals remove the veil of shame from a practice that previously was reserved for women. Modern men are purchasing myriad skin moisturizers, toning lotions, antiaging creams and makeup products.

Metrosexual mania took off after Bravo’s surprise hit TV show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” brought newly elegant straight men into living rooms across America.

But is this metro-movement already passe? It’s a joke for viewers of Comedy Central, which began airing a spoof, “Straight Plan for the Gay Man,” on Feb 23.

Trend-watcher Jon Hein, who runs the Web site www.jumptheshark.com, notes that term “metrosexual” is closely identified with “Queer Eye,” which he says has become overexposed.

And in an attempt to “save” American men from back waxings and pedicures, Consort Hair Care for Men and sportscaster Dan Patrick have launched www.savetheregularguy.com.

The Web site is filled with quizzes, comments and a chance to win prizes. It is, in part, a response to marketing research conducted by Chicago-based IPW Marketing, which says that only 3 percent of American men identify with the “more excessive” metrosexual movement.

The firm conducted telephone surveys of a national sample of 1,000 adults. Based on the survey, the firm estimates that 10 million men are uncomfortable with the metrosexual trend and that 7 million do not like the way the trend makes them feel.

“We’re the first to get actual numbers concerning the metrosexual movement,” says Judy Peyton, president of IPW Marketing. “Everyone else is running on opinion.”

The regular guy is uniquely American, says Ms. Peyton.America’s work ethic comes from the Puritans, and Americans prefer the function and comfortableness of staples such as Levi’s, she says.

Robert Meyers, research associate and professor at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, says the metrosexual movement influences men “to do and buy things that they really don’t want to do.”

Others say there is a decidedly commercial component to the fad.

“The bad news [of the metrosexual movement] is that one of the streams that is feeding it is kind of an unbridled, unapologetic consumerism,” says Michael Kimmel, professor of sociology at the State University of New York. “As if one can sort of accessorize things like character, class, integrity, et cetera.”

Mr. Kimmel also thinks the trend is a reflection of the “partial collapse of homophobia among straight men.”

Others define the metrosexual movement as a way for men to take care of themselves.

Getting massages, manicures and pedicures is just one more way to relax in a stressful society, says Stephen Haynes, a 30-year-old consultant for Hewlett-Packard in Los Angeles.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a guy or a girl, you like to get pampered,” Mr. Haynes says.

David Picotte, a 20-year-old student at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., agrees.

Mr. Picotte, a self-identified metrosexual, says he does not indulge in spa procedures but that he takes care of himself through regular workouts, designer shaving creams, skin moisturizers and a closet full of clothing by Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren. He also says he’s not alone on college campuses.

“I would say at least one-fifth of the guys spend more time in the bathroom than they would admit,” says Mr. Picotte, who is interning at the Republican National Committee.

The trend in part appears to be driven by the effort to attract women.

“The straight man is no longer wearing a flannel shirt with an open can of Bud watching NASCAR,” says Mr. Kimmel. “He has to actually know what Prada is. He has to be able to pronounce the names of various designers. He has to pay attention to his appearance. Otherwise, he is not going to attract a ’Sex and the City’ kind of woman.”

“The biological drive to attract women is so strong that men will use whatever tools they think they need,” Ms. Peyton says.

And Mr. Picotte thinks that his girlfriend likes introducing her parents to a boyfriend who is clean-shaven and nicely dressed.

But IPW’s research says only 6 percent of their female respondents say they prefer the metrosexual male. Ms. Peyton is quick to point out from an anthropological perspective that women seek other qualities when searching for a mate. And Glamour magazine listed “vain boyfriends” as one of the worst trends in the 2003 year.

Nicole Phelps, fashion news editor of Elle magazine, puts the metrosexual trend in perspective.

“As sort of sexy as some people think dirt under the fingernails is, to me it’s sort of a turn-off,” says Ms. Phelps. “On the other hand, a polished nail would be a turnoff, too.”

“I do think it’s kind of a funny thing for men to sort of step into women’s pointy-toed 4-inch-heel shoes, though,” she adds.

But women care more about a man’s conversational skills, his level of intelligence and how he treats them and others, Ms. Phelps says.

“As far as what they look like and how they dress, I really think for me and most of my friends, that takes second or third place,” she says.

Many think the term metrosexual will see a natural death. But most agree the ideas and behavior behind the metrosexual movement will be around for some time.

“It has a future in that men are interested in consumerism,” says Mr. Kimmel. “It has a future in that as long as they can do this and feel that they can attract straight women without damaging their masculinity, they will continue to do it.”