Metrosexual is a term first coined by British journalist Mark Simpson in 1994. It is a portmanteau of the words “metropolitan” and “heterosexual,” and it describes straight men who care about their personal style in a similar manner to gay men. The term only entered mainstream discourse in 2002 after Simpson “outed” David Beckham as metrosexual in his Meet the Metrosexual article. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan compare and contrast the metrosexual with similar cultural figures like the flâneur and the Yuppie. Amongst other things they discuss how the 2003 series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy functioned as “metrosexuality: the reality TV show,” how there was a “retrosexual” backlash against metrosexuality towards the later half of the 2000s, and how we might be experiencing the fifth wave of the “men move to cities and become more stylish” phenomenon in the present day. 

Links:

Here Come the Mirror Men: Why the future is metrosexual by Mark Simpson

Meet the Metrosexual by Mark Simpson

Metrodaddy Speaks by Mark Simpson

Forget new man. Now you're hetero, retro or metro by Mark Simpson

Who are you calling a metrosexual? Is it time to return to when 'men were men'? by Dave Besley

Metrosexuals - A Documentary (2004)

What Is a Metrosexual? The 2003 Trend That Came With the Success of ‘Queer Eye

Are You a Heterosexual Male Diva? By David Crunk

The Rise of the Brosexual by Megan Collins

Discussing Menswear as a Woman by Ash Callaghan

Artwork:

AI generated 

Recorded on 3/30/2025