Miss Bogacka
Jason Croft
November 8, 2010
The Metrosexual Handbook of 2009
Did you know that once upon a time in America, the popular men’s magazine GQ was known as “Gay Quarterly” due to the negative association of metrosexuality and homosexuality by American society? Metrosexuality being the concept of straight men taking strong interest in personal appearance through grooming and fashion, behavior normally associated with women has been the driving force behind GQ magazine since Art Cooper took over editorship and has thus remained the same in 2009, evidence of this can not only be found in the 2009 issues but also in an article by Mark Simpson called “Here Come The Mirror Men” and a book written by David Coad called The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality and Sport. During 2009, GQ had articles that focused its mainly male reader’s attention, on how men and women were becoming more recognizably similar supporting concepts of metrosexuality. GQ also showcased to its readers during that year that men are taking more interest in learning about how to better their appearance and are even writing to the magazine asking questions. Based upon articles from the magazine and information from the article by Simpson and book by Coad, GQ could be described as the world’s handbook for metrosexuality. Diving right into it, GQ’s ability to blur lines between what is masculine versus what is feminine have seems to be the drive behind all its negative attention from societies who are not so freely excepting of metrosexuality, but also the strength of its connection to metrosexuality.
GQ and other magazines like it are usually faced with negativity by societies where metrosexuality is not so accepted because of the magazines ability to blur the lines of what’s feminine and masculine. An article written by Chandler Burr called “Cologne.(men’s fragrance usage)” talks about the term “cologne” and it’s relevance to American society performing metrosexual behaviors while trying to deny they are with the use of terms like “cologne”. As described by Burr, in American society the use of fragrances is normally associated with actions done by women to further their appearance, but marketing companies developed a strategy of separating men and women fragrance by using the term cologne, which in origination is just a term for a specific type of fragrance and was not intended for the purpose of making American men feel comfortable with using fragrances. European and gay men have had no problem using unisex fragrances and because of that and other actions are normally associated with the concept of metrosexuality. Fragrances originally were created to be unisex and were intended for either male or female selection based on personal preference, and today most top fragrances makers still same fragrances in the traditionally way.. So American men will either have to fall behind or find they are reaching for the same bottle as their girlfriend.
Another interesting article that applied to the same concept was “That’s What I Was Gonna Wear!” written by Katherine Wheelock. In her article Wheelock discussed how over a period of time men and women who are dating tend to dress the same, so much that if they went in each other’s closets they could find something they have worn. This is a trend that seems to be growing amongst celebrity couples and regular couples walking down the street. Once again the lines of what’s feminine and masculine are being blurred because men and women are taking the similar interest in the same type of clothing where fashion meant for their partner and making into their own. Also going back to talking about American society and how metrosexuality is kind of eased in there so is the process of men and women starting to dress alike as Wheelock describes when she says “Instead, you’ll notice one day that your jeans are a little girlie or that you can’t tell whose stripped V-neck is whose.”, thus taking a serious dive into the realization that yea, once you and your girl start dressing alike and you can’t tell whose clothing is whose you have definitely crossed over that line into the realm of metrosexuality. GQ is quietly dishing out more and more different articles persuading guys to the metrosexual lifestyle without ever having to use the term. The article touches on how in America we need a sort of “mental permission” to partake in metrosexuality because it’s still something being approved by society which, is why it mentions top celebrities already partaking in this trend, trying to justify to men that “hey if Tom and Katie are doing it, it must be ok”. Men are proving it’s ok cause if it wasn’t they wouldn’t be reading or furthermore writing to the magazine to find out more.
During 2009 readers of the magazine wrote in questions to the monthly advice column called “Glenn O’ Brien Solves Your Sartorial Conundrums” to receive answers from the GQ “styleguy”, who answered a few questions from the men about a variety of things concerning fashion and appearance. How can society deny metrosexuality and GQ not be seen as promoting it with an article like this? Men are finding they need help to fit in and look their best in 2009, one gentleman wrote into the magazine asking if his dreads would be a problem for his new corporate job (117). Another man wrote the “stylguy” because he was having trouble finding a pair of stylish golf shoes, saying that the variety that were available were all ugly and he wanted something better (117). This is proof that men have learned that appearance and fashion matter in 2009 and they are going to GQ for help, because it seems that not only men are becoming metrosexual, the world around them is as well despite how much society might want to deny it. But just in case there are men too shy to write their questions anonymously into GQ, they supply other kinds of articles to help men out.
Since all men can’t be brave, GQ is willing to assist those too shy to ask with articles like "Trimming, Tweezing, And (Sometimes) Waxing" by Jason Chen. Chen is telling men that they should groom, how to groom, and that it is not as complicated as they may think it is. It gives detailed instructions on how to do a variety of hair trimming and the different tools required. If there is an article devoted to letting men know it’s ok to groom there facial hair and how to do it, times have changed and metrosexuality is indeed manifesting itself in a variety of environments within our world. Chen also tells men it’s ok to perform this task and if you don’t know how to do it here are instructions and if you don’t know the tools here are the tools and what they could cost you. GQ maybe hated by women very soon, for being every man’s handbook for metrosexuality, giving their men a reason to take more time in the bathroom then they do.
GQ magazine is without a doubt the handbook for metrosexuality above all other men’s magazine, because the term itself metrosexuality created by Mark Simpson was used to describe his opinion of a style exhibition created by GQ in London called “It’s A Man’s World” back in 1994. Simpson wrote an article called “Here Come The Mirror Men” which connects the concept that GQ is a metrosexual designed and themed magazine from then and continuing through 2009, and with the four articles I mentioned. Simspons article directly connects with the GQ article "Trimming, Tweezing, And (Sometimes) Waxing" and “Glenn O’ Brien Solves Your Sartorial Conundrums” because he discusses reactions from young men he interviewed at the exhibition and their thoughts and interest matched that of the men discussed in those two GQ articles. They were being convinced by the exhibition that the use of the same of these things could be cool, and they were learning about things they hadn’t known before. Simpson goes on to say “Metrosexual man wears Davidoff ‘Cool Water’ aftershave (the one with the naked bodybuilder on the beach), Paul Smith jackets (Ryan Giggs wears them), corduroy shirts (Elvis wore them), chinos (Steve McQueen wore them), motorcycle boots (Marlon Brando wore them), Calvin Klein underwear (Marky Mark wears nothing else)” which refers back to the article by Wheelock were celebrities are also mentioned partaking in actions described as metrosexual to let straight men know that even your iconic straight celebrities are in on it to. If the creator of the word “metrosexual” and GQ magazines articles have so much in common it can’t be denied that GQ has been and can still be considered a handbook for metrosexuality.
From The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality and Sport written by Coad we see the work that went into making GQ the metrosexual handbook it is in 2009. Coad discusswss, that when Art Cooper took over editorship of GQ he wanted to revamp the magazine and pull it away from its “homosexual” appearance and thus creates a balance that is today’s “metrosexuality”. So the idea of taking the world’s best sportsmen and making them models for ads came to light, bringing the blend of homosexual and heterosexual behaviors together. Male athletes are considered to possess a “hypermasculinity” as described by Coad so to display their interest in fashion and have them model clothes and appear in GQ once again as described in the articles by Wheelock and Burr gave men the “mental ok” to dive into men’s fashion and learn and become interested. Thus creating a reason for GQ to have articles like the “Glenn O’ Brien Solves Your Sartorial Conundrums” and "Trimming, Tweezing, And (Sometimes) Waxing" because some men now felt secure and needed assistance in learning and pulling off metrosexuality. GQ has pioneered its way through the years to 2009, from its connection with the creator of metrosexuality, its innovations as a magazine to help ok metrosexuality and its continued success as a men’s magazine has earn the recognition to be called the metrosexual handbook. There are no men’s magazines that have the type of credentials GQ has when it comes to metrosexuality.
So, after finding out a little of the history between GQ and metrosexuality, and analyzing some of the articles GQ put out in 2009, does it matter that GQ was at one point dubbed “Gay Quarterly”? Let me answer for you by again reminding you that in 2009 GQ put out articles by Wheelock and Burr that showed that men were becoming more like women by performing activities associated with metrosexuality despite negative associations with homosexuality because it still prevailed through the use of comparisons to celebrities and athletes that men would look up to and gain a “mental permission” to go for it. That GQ put out another two articles one by Chen and another answered by GQ magazines “styleguy” exposing men’s interest in learning about fashion and how to better their appearance from men writing to the magazine asking questions, or GQ providing those too shy to write a guide on grooming. Lastly an article by Mark Simpson and a book by David Coad that where sources not created by GQ but still remained connect directly with GQ magazines growth into a metrosexual handbook because of GQ’s style exhibition in London that inspired Mark Simpson to create the term “metrosexual” and therefore inspiring David Coad to dig even deeper into the concept Mark Simpson created. In 2009 GQ still promoted metrosexuality through the pages of the twelve issues put out that year and will continue to do so because metrosexuality is the biggest growing form of masculinity looking to dominate the world since 1994. Best put by the creator of the term “metrosexual”, Mark Simpson himself said “Metrosexual man might prefer women, he might prefer men, but when all’s said and done nothing comes between him and his reflection”.
Works Cited Page
Coad, David. “New York” The Metrosexual: Gender, Sexuality and Sport. NewYork: SUNY, 2008.Print.
Chen, Jason. "Trimming, Tweezing, And (Sometimes) Waxing." GQ 79.10 (Oct 2009): 84. Print.
Simpson, Mark. “Here Come The Mirror Men.” Independent, 15 November 1994, Metro Page: ………22. Print.
Wheelock, Katherine. "That's What I Was Gonna Wear!" GQ 79.4 (April 2009): 54. Print.
"Glenn O'Brien Solves Your Sartorial Conundrums." GQ 79.3 (March 2009): 117. Print.
