Nowadays people are so hung up with the term, metrosexual. According to www.religioustolerance.com, a metrosexual is an urban male with a heterosexual orientation who rejects many macho attributes often linked to masculinity and adopts many traits often associated with heterosexual females and gay males.
In the last two years, many people have told me that I am a metrosexual, and I find this to be utterly ridiculous!
Although the word, metrosexual, acts as an identifier, it carries on a negative meaning. There is nothing wrong with men who take care of themselves and worry about their outward appearance.
Unfortunately, stereotypes push for men to be grungy, thugged-out and cold-hearted creatures, but that is not the real world. Ironically, some of the most respected men today-Kanye West, Usher and Diddy- fit the description of a metrosexual but the public considers them cool and good role models.
But if metrosexuality is so bad why would someone want his or her children looking up to one?
Personally, I feel women like men who are clean and neat. But there are ladies who think these men are soft and sensitive. Unfortunately, a man has to be the typical sports-loving, weightlifting and hip-hop listening creature who feels little emotion and doesn’t care about his physical appearance.
Guys should not fear being called a metrosexual because they care about the way they look when they walk out of the door. There is a huge difference between having good hygiene skills and taking it too far to where it becomes narcissism.
Metrosexuality needs to be axed from the English language because it has nothing to do with the sexuality of men. It only pertains to the way some men are perceived by their personal habits.
I care about how I look, but I do not reject any manly qualities although I do appreciate the feelings of others.
I wish we, as Americans, would just let things be without trying to pinpoint it with stereotypical connotations.
Nyerere Davidson is a third-year public relations student from Milwaukee. He can be reached at nyejournal@hotmail.com