> editorial F Look—Id vofe, but Lalready Know I won't be motivated to do so unt+/ thay: right iS taken Qway from me Wy x Lee Metrosexuality: Meet the New Face of Masculinity by Carolynne Burkholder >> Editor in Chiet > From www.urbandictionary.com Metrosexual /met-ruh-seks-u- ahl/ (noun): Of or pertaining to a straight, urban, male who is eager to embrace and even show off his feminine side, especially when it comes to expensive haircuts, designer suits, and $40 face cream. > From The Oxford English Dictionary Brainwash /brayn-wahsh/ (verb): Cause (someone) to change completely their attitudes and beliefs using repetition or mental pressure. Metrosexuality is the new catch phrase of the era. All over the developed world, men are throw- ing away their grubby jeans and old razor blades in favour of designer menswear and extensive grooming. A metrosexual, in case you did- n’t catch any of several newspaper articles about. this developing phe- nomenon, is a straight man who styles his hair using three different’ products (and actually calls them “products” ), loves clothes and the very act of shopping for them, arid describes himself as sensitive and romantic. In other words, he is a man who seems stereotypically gay except when it comes to sexu- al orientation. Examples of metrosexuals include actor Hugh Jackman, swimmer Jan Thorpe, and of course, soccer star David Beckham; men who have been deemed as very attractive, hip, and happening, and therefore have spawned many emulators. It seems like only yesterday that young males were looking up to Arnold and the Hulk as masculine ideals. The question then arises, why this sudden turn from the extreme masculinity as the ulti- mate male ideal, which once dom- inated our culture? I believe that the answer to these questions lies within our market driven society. As the children of the baby boomers, the teeny bop- pers, and the y-not generation, we have grown up in a world perme- ated by the mass media and corpo- rate culture. Men are throw- ing away their grubby jeans and old razor blades in favour of designer menswear and extensive groom- ing. | Mark Simpson, who coined the term, discusses how this trend took a hold of popular culture: The promotion of metrosexuality [began in] men’s style press, mag- azines such as The Face, GQ, Esquire, Arena and FHM, the new media which took off -in the Eighties and is still growing. They filled their magazines with images of narcissistic young men sporting fashionable clothes and acces- sories. -And they persuaded other young men to study them with a mixture of envy and desire. This comes as no surprise to me, as I grew up being brainwashed by Seventeen, YM: Young and Modern, and more recently by Cosmopolitan and her sisters, into how to make myself attractive and desirable. Men have not been sub- ject to this kind of treatment by corporate advertising in the same way as women, before now. This new development in soci- etal ideals begins to make sense when you look at the advertiser’s take on gender differences. For years, women have been the chief targets of clothing and “product” advertising - now young and mod- ern males are taking their turn. When David Beckham ties back his hair or wraps himself in a sarong, or his wife says he wears her thongs, he sends a powerful message to a new kind of male, according to Marian Salzman of Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading advertising agency. The new metrosexual men are an advertiser’s dream, as this trend encompasses a potentially huge market. I believe that I can see into the brains of the scheming brainwashers, the infamous “they”, also known as advertising agencies: (in evil voice) we have already demonstrated the buying power of teenage girls, with the popularity of Titanic and the Spice Girls, now let’s try out our devious schemes on their male counter- parts. It’s all so apparent to me that this whole nonsense is a complete scam, but try telling that to my fif- teen year old brother who now feels that it is appropriate to spend an hour in the bathroom each morning. It will be interesting to see whether these new modern men begin to develop issues that have typically affected young women, such as anorexia and low self esteem, related to the mass media advertising perfection. One thing is for certain, I definitely don’t envy them. Letters 6 OCTOBER 27, 2004 NOT What University is About... Dear Editor: I found the picture on the front page of the September 29th edition of OTE (the Backyard BBQ photo with a girl reaching down the pants of a band member on stage) to be distasteful and unnecessarily provocative. This is not what our university is about. >> Peter Bagnall >> Reply from Over The Edge to “NOT What University is About...” Don’t Shoot the Messenger Dear Peter, I first would like to thank you for taking the time to both read . Over the Edge, as well as to write in and express your opinion. As the Editor in Chief, I think the main purpose of having a University Newspaper should be as a forum for student debate. It is wonderful to see this medium utilized in this manner. In answer to your concern, I was one of the reporters who attended the Backyard Barbeque this September and reviewed the event for Over the Edge. In your letter you pointed out that the picture that we chose for our front cover, which featured a girl with her hand down the pants of one of the singers, was “not what uni- versity is about.” I definitely agree with you on this point, Peter. Groping is not what University is about. As I keep reminding people, volun- teering' at your ‘Student Newspaper is what University is about. This was, however, what the Backyard Barbeque was about. We were repeatedly told by mem- bers of the various bands that took the stage that ‘fucking’ and ‘drinking’ were the main reason for participating in an event such as this one. As a journalist, I find it. very important to report on what actu- ally occurs during events that we cover. This principle is why: the staff at Over the Edge chose to portray this event by using the specific picture you referred to. Although you believe that this should not have been the photo put on the front cover, those of us who attended the even agreed that this photo definitely summed up what the Backyard Barbeque was all about. If you have an issue about what goes on at this event, I would sug- gest you speak to those hosting the event. Thank you again for voicing your concern. Sincerely, Carolynne Burkholder © Editor in Chief Want to vent about an issue? To submit a letter to the Editor, please e-mail your letter to over- the-edge @unbc.ca “] may not agree with what you have to say, but ry OOP. Ag # YY 1 will defend to the death your right to say it,” - Voltaire The opinions expressed in editorials or letters to the Editor that are submitted to Over the Edge are not the opinions of Over the Edge or UNBC. The views expressed in a letter submit- ted to Over the Edge are the views of the orig- inal authors, and therefore, do not reflect the views of Over the Edge, or its staff.