Gay or Straight?

[AGBF]

This article is really about fashion, so I didn''t have a clue where to put it. It wasn''t political enough for "Around the World" or useful enough to go with artcicles on how to groom a dog in, "Family, Home and Health"...so I guess it goes here where people like Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton are discussed!

The point of the article is that men''s style has changed so radically that people who used to be able to sense when a man was gay or straight now cannot do so. Not that everyone used to guess right!

I lived in the East Village in New York, a neighborhood chosen by many gay men, and I used to think I was fairly good at guessing a man''s sexual orienation. Maybe not anymore!

Fashion

Deborah

 

[pearcrazy]

We are living in the age of the "metrosexual", where men''s clothing lines designating between gay and straight are blurred. My DH looks great in his clothes but he still won''t wear certain styles or colors lest he be perceived as "gay".

 

[lost on 5th]

ahhh... the rise of the metro sexual.

**not a new term by any means... its actually a few years old...maybe more.**

as more status is put on fashion, style, design, and its associated culture... this will keep on increasing. a lot of it depends on location. here in NYC, its everywhere. and to be truely metro it can cost a fortune to keep up with the trends. (not to mention time). ...and personal shoppers are leading the way.

however....

when i go back to the midwest, the requirements change drastically. even the slightest style, or a few things from barnies pushes you in that direction.

here are some interesting definitions for "metro sexual"

 

[AGBF]

Date: 6/20/2005 9:00:39 AM
Author: pearcrazy
We are living in the age of the ''metrosexual'', where men''s clothing lines designating between gay and straight are blurred.

Well...I had never even heard the term, "metrosexual" before, but supposedly this is something beyond "metrosexuality". I am no judge of this, mind you. I just report the news; I don''t make it . Here is an excerpt from the article.


"The new convergence of gay-vague style is not to be confused with metrosexuality, which steered straight men to a handful of feminine perks like pedicures, scented candles and prettily striped dress shirts. Gay vagueness affects both straight and gay men. It involves more than grooming and clothes. It notably includes an attitude of indifference to having one''s sexual orientation misread; hence the breakdown of many people''s formerly reliable gaydar."

Deb

 

[pearcrazy]

I guess it depends on where you live. I don't see a lot of indifference in straight men being perceived as gay around here. Especially not in this house.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 6/20/2005 10:53:31 AM
Author: pearcrazy
I guess it depends on where you live. I don''t see a lot of indifference in straight men being perceived as gay around here. Especially not in this house.

Wow! We live in the same house!

Deb

 

[jaysonsmom]

I haven''t had a chance to read the article, but I just wanted to say that I like metrosexuality in straight men. I am proud of the fact that my man takes the time to remove unwanted body hair, mask his odiferous self with more pleasant fragrances, and care for his glossy hair (which has never seen a flake of dandruff, or a split end), and wear bright colors to compliment his olive skin.

My husband grew up with 3 sisters who taught him the importance of plucking his uni-brow, exfoliating his oily skin, and keeping his feet free from callouses or rough heels. I LOVE IT! My brother thinks my husband is totally gay (he has more ''beauty products'' than I do), but that''s okay....I think all men should get over their insecurities and stop wearing only black, grey, khaki and navy blue!

 

[Mara]

haha AGBF, Greg saved me that article from the NYT to read...haven't read it yet.

here in the SF Bay we have alot of metrosexual men around here, two of them are good friends of ours, in our 'group'. They are fab for shopping with, good looking, very personable and sociable, very fashionable, but also know things like cars and computers etc. However, alot of people who meet them always ask if they are gay.

Personally I think it's the best of all worlds to have such diveristy! Greg is not a metro, but he's 'flexible' so while he wouldn't want to go shopping with me, he doesn't mind wearing a pink shirt or something 'fruity' as he would call it.

My waxist was telling me she has alot of men clients for things like back of hands, backs, legs etc and the other day in my nail salon I saw a guy getting a pedicure while reading a book. Kinda fun!

 

[ammayernyc]

I can say that I happily live with a metrosexual. Manicures, pedicures, expensive hair products, pink shirts and all...

Although, he doesn''t like to get pedicures without me and completely freaks out if we go for a massage and his massuse is a man. It also takes him twice as long as I do to do his hair... but I love him anyway!

 

[blueroses]

Amanda, mine is metro too. Is your bf into Thomas Pink?


Loved this article yesterday....apparently "metro" is passe and the new phrase (at least marketing niche-wise) is "gay vague". Very interesting!

 

[ammayernyc]

Date: 6/20/2005 2:39:28 PM
Author: blueroses
Amanda, mine is metro too. Is your bf into Thomas Pink?


Loved this article yesterday....apparently ''metro'' is passe and the new phrase (at least marketing niche-wise) is ''gay vague''. Very interesting!

My bf has probably 10 shirts from Thomas Pink. He loves them! He also likes Ascot Chang a lot, but they are pretty pricey...

 

[Sparkster]

I love it when men look after themselves and actually care about what they look like.

I know so many men who refuse to wear a pink shirt - they are so worried that people would think they were gay. Talk about insecurity!

 

[curlygirl]

I read this article in the Times yesterday. My fiance is happy to be metrosexual--he takes longer to get ready than I do and has more facial and hair products than I do! He also wears pink, baby blue and lavender!

I can't say I'm in love with this new classification they came up with: gay vague! But I must say, walking down the streets of NYC lately, my normally super-accurate gaydar has been a little off!

 

[blueroses]

curlygirl, mine too....I used to really trust my gaydar and now oftentimes I''m stumped!!

Amanda, that''s too funny--my bf is OBSESSED w/ Thomas Pink (as is Erin''s bf, apparently!). I''m actually embarassed to even guess how many he has, but it''s a whole lot. His grandmother gave him his first Pink shirt about 4-5 years ago and created a monster!

 

[tawn]

....I think all men should get over their insecurities and stop wearing only black, grey, khaki and navy blue!

OMG...you''ve obviously met my husband!! Although, I do have him hooked on pedicures, but I don''t think that it will ever go much further than that! He''s pretty manly, but he''s always been that way...

I have to admit that I''m not very attracted to the metrosexual type. The construction guy with the big biceps and his shirt off...chest hair! That totally does it for me...Sometimes I wonder if it''s because I''m taller than most men, that big muscle bound macho guys make me feel more secure?

 

[icekid]

heh, gay vague... there''s always some new term.

my little brother and his gf came to visit me over the weekend. his gf told him that he could fit right into my neighborhood (the "gayborhood") b/c he dresses well and he is "pretty." hehehe, i don''t think he appreciated that comment too much. but he is very much a metro kind of guy. my bf is not though. i try to dress him nicely though anyway!

i still think that i have good gaydar though! that''s what two gay best friends will do for ya

 

[Nicrez]

Hysterical! I read this wondering what it was about, just to post that my DF is totally obsessed with Thomas Pink too!!! It''s so funny how he "collects" their shirts and ties. Bless his heart he''s so metro! No mani/pedis, but he does get his eyebrows cleaned up (not perfectly but evened. Wow, he would kill me for saying that... But I LOVE that he''s the kind of guy I can proudly walk around with, and look at without having to worry if he''s clean, or scratching some part of himself in public, or has dirty rough hands, and icky looking unkempt feet...Yuck. I had almost NO work to put in on him!

I think the lines are blurred because being gay isn''t such a stigma in larger cities anymore. It somewhat has become a way of saying you are considered sensitive, fashionable and it''s a lot more accepted, so even when men are NOT gay and are believed to be, it''s not such an insult. Many gay men grace the covers of magazines, are on TV, and movies, and basically dominate many creative fields of higher status.

My gay (confused) friend is the best to shop with. DF will whine after 4 seconds of shopping, and he''s quick to get ready, but he''s SO clean cut and well dressed sometimes people have wondered if he was gay or not. My roommate thought he was! I proved her wrong!

 

[jaysonsmom]

Dh''s new favorite color is a dim red. Everytime he wears this color, he gets compliments on it. Here''s an example of the color. For father''s day I bought him a polo shirt the same color, and a salmon pink T-shirt.

Anyhoo, anyone else have his and hers tweezers and mirrors? We do. After the kids are in bed, we sit, and tweeze our brows together. We also bleach our teeth with crest white strips together, dye each other''s hair etc etc.......I love it!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 6/21/2005 12:48:43 PM
Author: jaysonsmom
Dh's new favorite color is a dim red. Everytime he wears this color, he gets compliments on it. Here's an example of the color. For father's day I bought him a polo shirt the same color, and a salmon pink T-shirt.

I love that red! It also looks great on your husband!

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Date: 6/20/2005 2:51:21 PM
Author: AmandaPanda
My bf has probably 10 shirts from Thomas Pink. He loves them! He also likes Ascot Chang a lot, but they are pretty pricey...

I had never heard of Thomas Pink or Ascot Chang. My husband is not into fashion and I buy preppy, conservative things. When I went to see the Thomas Pink website and saw it was in England, however, it reminded me that I did buy my husband some coordinated shirts, ties, and cuff links by Charles Tyrwhitt before he started his current job (where, it turned out, dress is casual).

Aren't these formal shirts pretty?

Deb

 

[Nicrez]

LOVE Charles Tyrwhitt! I used to get all my dress shirts from them (ladies), but i LOVE thier new slimmer, fitted line... Finally. This is we both love french cuff shirts when we dress up, so it''s harder to find women''s french cuff (real ones that require cufflinks), so Places like Thomas Pink and Charles Tyrwhitt, basically European companies, will offer a man''s shirt but with a women''s cut. Plus they tend to have a slimmer cut (athletic cut) for men as well, since Europeans are slim and slender, and my DF is also. He''s tough to fit in most dress shirts, like Brook''s Brothers, who cut generously on the sides (for belly room?) I also have an issue with their quality.

Ok, that''s all I have to say about shirts.

Metro men are so adorable! DF and I have the same hair dresser (I adopted her when he LET me meet her), and we get our hair cut (she does his eyebrows as well) and such together, it''s cute. Sometimes he lets me tweeze his strays, because somehow it''s fun when you don''t feel the pain yourself. He''ll be reading in bed and wincing at me as I tweeze happily. I love that he uses the same facial astringent! I think I fell in love when I found out how much care he takes to look his best, but still does it so effortlessly!

(Lucky!)