Are Men The New Women? (Debbie Schlussel On Real Women Being Turned Off By Girly Men Alert)

Debbie Schlussel.com ^ | August 24, 2005 | Debbie Schlussel

[goldstategop]

Are Men the New Women?

By Debbie Schlussel

Earlier I wrote about women wanting to call football games--trying to be like men. But today, there are also two news items about men trying to be more like women:

* USA Today has a piece on men and waxing. Eeeuw.

Key Quote of the article: "Waxing makes up 35% to 40% of the business at Joq Day Spa for Men in Atlanta. 'Men are just becoming a lot more conscious of what their body looks like,' spa director Christopher Keever says."

First of all, there shouldn't be a "day spa" for men. Second, anything called the "Joq Day Spa for Men" is only for men whose favorite song is by "The Weathergirls." FYI, "jock" is spelled J-O-C-K, not with a Q. Anyplace that uses a Q, well, again, "The Weathergirls."

* The Detroit Free Press Business Page features this front-pager: "Generation Y Spending Trends: Manicured Men."

The print version of this article has a giant photo of someone named Guido Amato getting a facial. No-one named Guido Amato should be getting a facial. Incidentally, the "men's salon" (isn't "men's salon" an oxymoron?) where he gets his facials is called "Wise Guys." Amato admits he's been called a metrosexual. "When I hear that word, I just think, 'a guy that likes to take care of himself.'" No, Guido, that's NOT what it means.

Highlights, waxed brows, manicure, pedicure. These are the many women's products guys like Guido are now using. Sad.

It's not like there's a fine line between brute and metrosexual. There isn't. These emasculating grooming habits are definitely a turn-off. Unless you live in South Beach.

[DugwayDuke]

"I can't figure out why Bo Flex can't find a man with a little hair on his chest to advertise their product."

It's simple. Most body builders shave their bodies in order to make it easier to see their muscles. For the same reason, these models shave their hair. Makes the product look more impressive.

[visualops]

The poor guy always looked Mimi Bobeck did his makeup....:))

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!

[Pharmboy]

I am almost positive that she is the "Deb" who posted here regularly in '98 and '99.

[OpusatFR]

" at least to my taste, I am not enticed by Chewbacca.."

I am. The feel of crisp hairs against my skin is a huge turnon. I can't stand a man's skin that's softer than mine!

[7thson]

I think the last president with facial hair was Taft. Why is this?

[Colonel Kangaroo]

She will always be a heroine in my book for taking on the boring and ugly WNBA. Living in Tennessee, where you get the U of Tennessee ladies' basketball thrown in your face, it's nice to hear someone deflate that PC farce.

Basketball is a sport best played by men. On the other hand, synchronized swimming is best when done by women and being very careful about one's appearance is the natural role of women and not men.

[wolfcreek]

I work outdoors in Texas and ware as little as possible. I laugh every time I see somebody in a 3 piece suit because I know their frying inside. One thing I don't get, are neckties. What a cruel, useless piece of apparel. As far as hair, I don't have enough to worry about.

[speed_addiction]

Had the Goatee, but it started turning white. Didn't really mind but the mustache was still brown. Shaved the goatee, now the 'stache is turning white. I blame my kids... I've considered shaving the 'stache, but I think it's just time to gracefully accept "the mark of experience".

I have worn a mustache and goatee since college. Had to shave them both off when I enlisted in the Army, but I grew my mustache back immedeately after basic. I have also worn my hair long for most of my life.

The Spartans had a saying, "Nothing makes a handsome man more comely or an ugly man more fierce than long hair." I always liked to think I fit in the former category but the truth is, I am more apt to be listed in the latter.



What We Are About To Do Here Is What The Good Lord Would Call A Cleansing of the Wicked. I Call It A Good Old Fashioned Texas Ass Kicking.

[johnny7]

She's 'gotta be a little wild too... I've heard her on Stern's show. She's pretty passionate about her politics.

[KateatRFM]

And of course the "high end" women are the only ones worth catching, aren't they? *Sigh* A lot of the men spending all this time and money in pursuit of a very small pool of women who will be looking at their bank balance more than their waxed legs, are missing some lovely, attractive, interested women who would like them the way God made them -- but are jeered at and mocked as Not Good Enough.

The joke at my gym is that a world without men would be full of happy women with curves going shopping.

[PigRigger]

This article is so true....just walk down the streets of Manhattan.....no wonder most of them voted for HIllary....she's more man than they are.....

[WhiteGuy]

Thanks for the Pic,

Debbie is totally hot!

[MortMan]

I'll second the idea that facial shaving is the only regular shaving men should do. I had to shave one ankle in HS to have tape put on for wrestling (bad sprain in football). The first time I did it, I bounced the dang razor all the way up my shin! Ouch!

[Issaquahking]

Hey Dan,

Only time I've shaved anything other than my face was when I used to scuba dive everyday. I shaved my arms so that my 3/8" rubber suit (Alaskan waters in the streams are far less than 50 degrees) would go on in less than 10 minutes.

To shave so they can qualify as a "girly man", they should shave something off between their legs to get the full effect! Metrosexual pukers, the whole damn bunch.

[iconoclast]

There are extreme on both sides of the territory and I find it that the answer is somewhere in the middle.

Always quite happy with my mustache .... but there was a time (actively "social") when I would have been glad to let this "beauty shop" have a go at my back. ;-)

[durasell]

The pursuit of high end women are what rich guys do instead of sports.

[HamiltonJay]

Because if you have hair on your chest/stomach, the definition isn't as noticeable which is what they want on their ads for health products.... which is why all the men models used to sell such things look like twinks.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Its a good guesss a metrosexual is a liberal who looks like he stepped out of a high-brown men's magazine. Like John Kerry!

Do you think it was a coincidence that the metrosexual look was introduced and then pushed during the 2004 campaign? When you think metrosexual who comes to mind? Bush? Kerry? I haven't heard much about it since then.

[durasell]

There is absolutely no purpose to the necktie except to inject a measure of fear into the act of eating a perfectly good plate of pasta or bowl of soup.

[Desdemona]

Unless he's on the swim team, the face is the only part a man should shave,

Having pretty much grown up on a pool deck, I'm somewhat partial to slickness, but I keep wondering with waxing in vogue if the time honored tradition of swimmers and water polo players getting together to shave down and stop up the sink is in danger.