http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/style/12776269.htm
Meticulous males out, rough guys in
KRISTI L. GUSTAFSON
Albany Times Union
Note to metrosexuals: Women have left you behind while you've been primping in the bathroom.
For a while the metrosexual -- the guy who shops with his lady, hates camping, the outdoors and getting dirty -- dominated the dating scene.
Men who shared an appreciation for expensive hair-care products and side-by-side manicures and pedicures were deemed the desired -- a la Ricky Martin or just about any character Jude Law or Hugh Grant plays. Books and shows (hello, "Queer Eye") were dedicated to converting your man into a fashion- and design-lover.
Throw those books out. Today, women look for a man like Jim Belushi or Vince Vaughn, who isn't afraid to take only one shower a day, who doesn't mind the occasional hangnail and who scoffs at the idea of matching attire for a Sunday afternoon of television.
At least according to Playgirl magazine. A survey of 2,000 playgirl.com visitors showed when it comes to the ultimate hookup, women are all about the anti-Hollywood hunk.
In fact, 42 percent of respondents found love handles "kind of sexy" and 47 percent say chest hair is completely fine.
Which leads us to the perfectly coiffed metrosexual. Rough-around-the-edges men rule, with 73 percent of respondents choosing them over the manicured, massaged man in the Armani suit and freshly polished shoes.
"We want guys to love us for who we are. We know we're not supermodels, and think we're sexy for who we are, and guys should get the same courtesy," says Jill Sieracki, editor of Playgirl.
She's seen a rash of letters lately from readers who want to see the hairy-chested man in the magazine.
"It's these blue-collared guys women have fantasies about -- the construction worker or the fireman," Sieracki says. "It's not Wall Street. It's not a guy pulling up in his BMW and saying `Let me show you my 401(k).' "
"You don't want a guy who spends as much time as you do getting ready," says Jennifer Brown, 20, a senior at the State University of New York campus in Albany. "It was kind of fun for a while, but girls want that Prince Charming coming to get you -- not waiting for him to get ready."
This is a bit of bad news for Marc Vachon of Guilderland, N.Y. The 24-year-old says although we are a "nation of phases," he doesn't buy it.
"I find it hard to believe that the majority of women -- not to say that there are none -- are attracted to the college hippie grunge look," says Vachon, who sported long hair, facial scruff and pajamas to class while in college, but today spends time on his appearance.
"The messy look, with a clean feel, goes a long way and I can understand why girls find that attractive. It portrays a man of confidence, masculinity and good style."
So true, says Seth Kelly, sections editor with Stuff Magazine, adding the metro vibe will always be around.
But you need a balance. "Does any woman really want a guy who will get more manicures than she does? No," says Kelly.
"But nobody wants to date Booger (Curtis Armstrong's character from "Revenge of the Nerds"), either. He never got a lot of women. You've got to take care of yourself."
Meticulous males out, rough guys in
KRISTI L. GUSTAFSON
Albany Times Union
Note to metrosexuals: Women have left you behind while you've been primping in the bathroom.
For a while the metrosexual -- the guy who shops with his lady, hates camping, the outdoors and getting dirty -- dominated the dating scene.
Men who shared an appreciation for expensive hair-care products and side-by-side manicures and pedicures were deemed the desired -- a la Ricky Martin or just about any character Jude Law or Hugh Grant plays. Books and shows (hello, "Queer Eye") were dedicated to converting your man into a fashion- and design-lover.
Throw those books out. Today, women look for a man like Jim Belushi or Vince Vaughn, who isn't afraid to take only one shower a day, who doesn't mind the occasional hangnail and who scoffs at the idea of matching attire for a Sunday afternoon of television.
At least according to Playgirl magazine. A survey of 2,000 playgirl.com visitors showed when it comes to the ultimate hookup, women are all about the anti-Hollywood hunk.
In fact, 42 percent of respondents found love handles "kind of sexy" and 47 percent say chest hair is completely fine.
Which leads us to the perfectly coiffed metrosexual. Rough-around-the-edges men rule, with 73 percent of respondents choosing them over the manicured, massaged man in the Armani suit and freshly polished shoes.
"We want guys to love us for who we are. We know we're not supermodels, and think we're sexy for who we are, and guys should get the same courtesy," says Jill Sieracki, editor of Playgirl.
She's seen a rash of letters lately from readers who want to see the hairy-chested man in the magazine.
"It's these blue-collared guys women have fantasies about -- the construction worker or the fireman," Sieracki says. "It's not Wall Street. It's not a guy pulling up in his BMW and saying `Let me show you my 401(k).' "
"You don't want a guy who spends as much time as you do getting ready," says Jennifer Brown, 20, a senior at the State University of New York campus in Albany. "It was kind of fun for a while, but girls want that Prince Charming coming to get you -- not waiting for him to get ready."
This is a bit of bad news for Marc Vachon of Guilderland, N.Y. The 24-year-old says although we are a "nation of phases," he doesn't buy it.
"I find it hard to believe that the majority of women -- not to say that there are none -- are attracted to the college hippie grunge look," says Vachon, who sported long hair, facial scruff and pajamas to class while in college, but today spends time on his appearance.
"The messy look, with a clean feel, goes a long way and I can understand why girls find that attractive. It portrays a man of confidence, masculinity and good style."
So true, says Seth Kelly, sections editor with Stuff Magazine, adding the metro vibe will always be around.
But you need a balance. "Does any woman really want a guy who will get more manicures than she does? No," says Kelly.
"But nobody wants to date Booger (Curtis Armstrong's character from "Revenge of the Nerds"), either. He never got a lot of women. You've got to take care of yourself."
