Word of the Week -- METROSEXUAL
Golden Bay
"超女"在接下来很长的时间里，会继续成为媒体话题源源不断的来源。比如，关于"超女"的口水里，"中性化"是最大的一朵浪花，留在这个夏天尾巴上，让我们恍然大悟：原来原本只是时尚圈子里边捣腾的这个审美趋势，如今已然燎原---普通大众用大拇指选出心目中的超级女生，竟然超级"中性"。
METROSEXUAL，这个一度反复被引用的词语再度撞进视线。当2003年美国方言协会将这个英国作家Mark
Simpson于1994年创造出的新词评为年度词汇时，恐怕想不到他们给中文传媒的从业者们带来多大的麻烦---实在是很难找到一个合适的中文词语去翻译，"后雅痞"、"都市美型男"、"升级BOBO族"......都是，又都不是。
或许METRO（大都会）和HETROSEXUAL（异性恋）这两个词根，才真正能说明白METROSEXUAL的意味吧。首先，都市生活，尤其是植根都市的时尚成为覆盖众生的生活方式；然后，追求品位又尽情享受生活乐趣，又仍旧是异性恋。
原本，大家都以为METROSEXUAL只不过是传媒所热衷的"造词运动"里的普通一波，稍纵即逝。没想到，这股风潮非但不是昙花一现，反倒愈演愈烈，直至如今。现在的METROSEXUALITY，不仅是个人的事情，不只是某个男人花上很多的精力打理头发和胡须，用很大比例的薪水购置每季时装杂志推荐的必购单品，留足够的时间在美容院和瑜伽教室......更成为所有无论是不是METROSEXUAL的男人或者女人们，对于女人或者男人们的审美的标准。
The terms METROSEXUAL and METROSEXUALITY were first used in 1994 by
British journalist Mark Simpson. They are derived from a play on the
word heterosexual with the prefix metro-, from metropolis or 'city',
the idea being that the typical metrosexual is a young man with money
to spend who lives close to all the best shops, clubs, salons and gyms,
where he can pay careful attention to grooming.
metrosexual noun [C]
a heterosexual male with a strong interest in fashion, appearance and
other lifestyle characteristics traditionally associated with women
metrosexual adjective
metrosexuality noun [U]
Though initially mainly promoted by male style magazines such as
Esquire, the concept has been popularised by intense media interest in
celebrity icons like footballer David Beckham, who has epitomised the
notion of metrosexuality during the past couple of years and secured
the use of the term in the context of a booming health and beauty
industry. The term has been the subject of some controversy, sceptics
viewing it as yet another marketing ploy. However, sociologists have
associated it with the concept of an insecure 21st-century male who has
witnessed the rise of female power in the workplace; a man who needs to
assert his position in a society which focuses on gender-equality.
E.g.:
'A metrosexual, according to New York's finest marketing men, is "a guy
who is definitely straight, but has embraced the worlds of grooming
facials, shopping with women and ... their feminine side".'
(The Guardian, 16th July 2003)
'Wild-haired revolutionaries like Che Guevara have been replaced by
clean-cut metrosexual icons like soccer star David Beckham, musician
Ricky Martin and Texas Rangers outfielder Juan Gonzalez. ...
Metrosexuality ... refers to urban, heterosexual men who wax, exfoliate
and perform other grooming rituals some consider strictly feminine.'
(cbsnews.com, 25th November 2003)
Please compare:
ubersexual, technosexual, etc.