To compliment such wardrobes, grooming—once the exclusive domain of women donning powders and lipstick—is working its way into masculine routines. Gino Ruotolo has been primping Square residents in his small Holyoke street salon, Gino’s, for 28 years. “When I first started out, I’d say that about two percent of our customers were male, but we’ve seen a real transformation in the past seven or eight years. Now I’d say we have about 25- 28 percent,” he says.
Ruotolo attributes the rise in male patronage to the explosion of emphasis on clothing, music, and restaurants in the media. “There’s no question about it,” he says. “Men are just more fashion conscious now.”
Keeping a neat appearance starts at the scalp, Ruotolo says. “People really notice a haircut,” he says. “You can have a fabulous ass, but you still want your hair to look good.” According to Ruotolo, adopting a new cut can be very refreshing. “There’s no greater way to make a quick change than with a new hairstyle.” Not only are men interested in finding the right length, but they are also more willing to experiment with color. “Men are starting to accept hair coloring like brushing their teeth. It’s just an everyday thing.”
And finding the right color isn’t limited to hair. Men have made their way into the tanning salons to achieve the perfect bronze glow. “Fake and Bake can do wonders for looking healthy. That’s ironic,’ laughs Jim L. Stillwell ’04-06, who tans about every week and a half. According to Elvis, owner of Sun City Tans, his male customers are increasingly comfortable under the ultraviolet. “We still get a few male customers who seem uncomfortable with the process, but it’s mostly over being nude,” he says.
Other salons have attempted to accommodate the embarrassment some men may feel in seeking special treatments. “We keep our pedicures in the back corner,” Regina Bova, an experienced hairdresser and Shiatsu practitioner at Rikki’s Day Spa, says. “They like the pampering a lot, but I think they’re embarrassed with the women working on their feet.” The obsession goes from the toes up as well; men are signing up for other services, including facials and waxing. “I think there’s been the biggest change in waxing,” Bova says. Some girls agree with Katy A. Long ’05, who maintains that waxing is completely unacceptable, “the biggest turnoff ever.” However, Bova says she thinks that men are becoming particularly fussy over their eyebrows. “It’s just not popular to have messy eyebrows,’ she says.
As lines over eyes become more and more defined, some say the beauty habits of men and women are becoming increasingly blurry. “Friends say I take as long as a girl to get ready,” says Goonan. After pausing to think through his routine, he nods his head in agreement. “I guess I’m pretty similar.”
Stores from CVS to Aveda, which have traditionally catered to women’s primping patterns, are beginning to stock their shelves with fresh new men’s products to quench the thirst of appearance conscious males, whose numbers have been rising ever since the term metrosexual was coined.
What is a Metrosexual anyway?
It all began with a Salon article by Mark Simpson in July of 2002. “For some time now, old-fashioned (re)productive, repressed, unmoisturized heterosexuality has been given the pink slip by consumer capitalism,” writes Simpson. Extolling perfectly primped—but virulently heterosexual—British Soccer star David Beckham as the premier member of this new breed of urban chic, Simpson’s conception of the metrosexual has evolved with the times.
“A metrosexual is anyone who wears tight jeans.,” says Bosch, who wears tight jeans. Getting a little more specific, donning Diesels may not be the only prerequisite for metrosexuality, but it certainly ranks high on FM’s list.
“Metrosexual is a stereotype that you spend a lot of time on how you look,” says Goonan. “But you must also be heterosexual. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.” With increasing social acceptance of male fashion, grooming, and vanity, stereotypes related to sexuality are coming more and more into question. “[Metrosexuals] are all at the Design School… Gaydar is impossible there,” says Stillwell. David C. Foster ’06 adds, “Metrosexuality, not tied to sexuality, cares about appearances. Grooming at Harvard is different from other colleges like where I’m from in Illinois. But on most urban campuses, it’s not unique. It’s becoming harder and harder to tell who’s gay.”
Although Beckham, Affleck and others may have proved that manicured can be masculine, grooming still has a girly reputation—which irks some. “Metrosexual refers to a guy that takes care of his appearance as if he were a woman. He uses creams, masks, and other products, ” says Fernandez, who is quick to add “I’m not a metrosexual, but I do put wax in my hair”.
The stereotypes are only exacerbated by the stereotypes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Some females remain skeptical even when Carson and the gang serve up a demitasse of glam and style for the clueless, beer-gutted straight male; it’s all good on television, but when their boyfriends and male friends start hogging the mirror, reality TV hits home. “I have this one guy friend who looks in the mirror more than anyone I know,” says Long. “Sometimes I wonder if he is doing it to overcompensate. He might be gay. I don’t know.”
Caught amidst the buzz of the metrosexuals, gay men are also feeling the wrath of Queer Eye. Stillwell owns up to this fact. “I hate not being able to work out because I have a paper due... It is nice to be able to rip off your shirt at Manray with all eyes on you,” he says. Gay males are constantly bombarded with the image of the slim, toned, coiffed, fragrant and designer-clad boyish hunk. “Gay culture is very conscious of appearance,” says Foster. Mountain, the wardrobe consultant for Louis Boston, goes further to say, “a lot of the gay community are label whores.” Having the proper Redken hair paste and Adidas shoes may be one thing, but if you don’t have the body, you better get a Wellbridge membership or stand in line at the MAC. Flexing the night away
While reality television attracts men with the allures of non-foam shaving gel and pinstripe Gucci dress shirts, some men chose machismo and masculinity over makeovers. To some, the quest for rock hard abs has become ingrained into their needs for perfecting their appearance and self-image.
When he moved into his suite just a short jog from Hemenway Gymnasium this past September, Evan J. Sperber ’07 chose to plaster the walls of his Canaday bedroom with dozens of pictures of Speedo-wearing, oiled-up body builders instead of putting up the typical bikini-clad Sports Illustrated models. “I don’t look at them sexually,” explains Sperber. “I look at them because they remind me that I don’t want to become a Harvard intellectual.” Sperber’s goal? “I will win the Mr. Olympia contest some day,” he boasts. Every morning, Sperber wakes up with roommate Brendan J. Corcoran ’07 to lift weights and build up his body so he can emulate the athletic perfectionists that adorn his walls.
Sperber’s desire for the ideal body is not unique. “Guys are being objectified—especially in the gym setting—by both males and females,” says Sam G. Herbert ’04. Herbert says he works out six days a week. “It’s nice to look good and get compliments,” Herbert says. Goonan asserts that working out is a factor in maintaining his image. He explains that the pressure for men to work out to stay in shape is now more prevalent than ever. Foster agrees that the pressure for men to have good body images is overlooked because of women’s historic obsession with fitting societal expectations to be physically fit. Fernandez claims another reason he works out is because it affects other parts of his image. “I wear tight shirts that show off my form,” he says.
And then there are the ladies to impress. “Everyone is always cruising,” sums up Foster. Sperber readily admits why he started working out. “I started going to the gym after junior year because a girl wouldn’t date me.” While the need to stay in shape grows into a habit, Stillwell doesn’t hesitate to say that he still works out “to get dates.”
Maintaining biceps and pecs doesn’t just come from working out five days a week at the MAC. Men are increasingly emphasizing the importance of their diets in the pursuit of a perfect body. “I think a lot of guys watch what they eat more these days,” says Herbert. He also notes that dieting, a historically female fad, is now very mainstream for males.
These days, many males have tried everything from Atkins and South Beach to consuming Boca-Burgers and yogurt at house dining halls. “Honestly, I do look at nutrition facts when I go through dining halls,” says Trujillo. “Other than working out, I watch what I eat,” he adds. “I’m a borderline calorie-counter.” However, others brag about not having to stick to a rigid diet to maintain their bodies. “I don’t watch what I eat,” boasts Goonan. “I eat what I want.” Either way, for these muscle-flexing workout kings, the desire to fit the narrowing standards for the male image takes more time, money, and effort than most guys previously put in.
Vanity or Self-Esteem: The Mystery of Motivation
While the rigid 19th century dress codes have faded into the cracks of Harvard Hall, the pressure to value appearance pervades the attitudes and closets of today’s male. But not every Harvard man spends his time getting highlights or seeking the perfect pomade. Some cultivate a hipster chic, others just throw on their sweats. The trend of male vanity affects a noticeable crowd, and seems to have filtered down from the high-rise office buildings and underground nightclubs of New York and London.
In many cases, the Harvard students who see those locales as their ultimate destination are throwing their disposable income to the wind—or to the waxing spa. The desire for a photo that compliments the perfect resume is as old as Harvard ambition. “Kids here expect to be the best at everything. Appearance in their minds is not an exception,” McCormick says. But what’s new is men’s willingness to enter previously feminine realms to snag that picture-perfect look.
In ten more years, couples may go on dates to get matching manicures, or shop together for the perfect foot cream. Or maybe men will revert to the 70s and abandon their gel for long, unkempt locks.
The cult of male vanity is spreading, and the only clear conclusion is that retailers are reaping the benefits. But for the fashion-inclined, it’s nice to see otherwise nerdy Harvard males emerge from the stacks of Widener and get a little sun, or some UV rays from the tanning booth.
