The Retrosexual: Manly Men Return

by Genevieve

Well, it was bound to happen. Neatly groomed faces, color-coordinated outfits and a sincere interest in yoga had their heydays as emblems of the metrosexual. Now, it seems, the scruffy, rough and tumble, “I-care-more-about-diesel-fuel-than-Diesel-Jeans” man is back, kicking his manicured incarnation to the curb.

We started seeing it on the faces of our male friends, husbands and boyfriends this past winter, when nary a clean-shaven chin was to be found. Well-fitted pants have started to sag—as straight men embrace the “just out of bed” look on a literal level. And good luck getting Madonna into a playlist now that her adopted child is bigger news than her latest album release.

Then there’s the remarkable “Sex and the City” movie backlash. Whereas metrosexuality was in part an urge to compete with the SATC-inspired woman who has it all, according to Mark Simpson’s 2002 Salon article that catapulted the term into everyday lingo, retrosexuals don’t really care; they’re too busy seeing the new “Indiana Jones” film, anyway.

Check out this amusing retrosexual guide from today’s Daily Mail.