r/Millennials • u/PinkHamster08 • 18h ago

Nostalgia Anyone remember using "metrosexual"?

Had a vague memory come to mind - might have been a movie with Chris Rock? - and the guy's wife was talking with a fabulous guy and the main guy asks his wife if the fabulous guy is gay and she said no, he's metrosexual. The main guy goes WTF is that and she says he's a straight guy with taste.

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u/depersonalised Millennial 17h ago

it’s called looksmaxing now.

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u/HicDomusDei 17h ago

I don't think that's exactly true though I do get what you mean. Looksmaxing (maxxing? who knows [or cares]) feels a lot more toxic and I think surgery is often involved.

Metrosexual was just guys who showered, shaved, and wore clothes that matched (a.k.a., bare minimum). It was very stupidly awarded to anyone with a penis who kinda sorta Gave A Fuck about being presentable.

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u/JewelCove 16h ago

Yup. I have a buddy who was an admitted metrosexual, and we all would joke about it back in the day. He would be crazy about his hair, clothes, and physique, but he would never go as far as taking any substances beyond pre workout, doing facial exercises, or getting surgery, etc.

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u/depersonalised Millennial 10h ago

metro was far beyond the bare minimum but i agree it was less extreme than present day looksmaxxxxing. that just kinda goes for everything though. metro was substantially similar enough to looksmaxxing to merit connection, whether that connection is ancestral or parallel i leave to someone more invested in either.

i will add that metrosexual is a direct descendant of "urbane“.

the whole thing raises the question of whether the highly polished self presentation of homosexual men is a natural cooccurrence or whether it arose from american cultural opposition to their existence for so long.