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Vanity + Sophistication = The Metrosexual Man Why, Oh Why? The Metrosexual man has hogged some newsprint recently, bringing to our consciousness the idea of straight men fascinated with the previously female preoccupation with facials, beauty treatment, manicures, pedicures, masks, and more. Why, Oh Why? The winds of change have been more of a light, breeze whose effect we are only seeing now. “I guess you can say that it’s the result of a stiffening job market,” he offers, “a lack of jobs, recession, lack of sales and commissions.” Dr. Toke laughs off any impact on society beyond the retailers who stand to benefit. Since then, more have responded with programmes, products and services aimed at the meterosexual, as well as the pink dollar. More clothes and shoes shops catering to men, like Hounds Tooth, Hooked Clothings, and Beetle Bug have emerged, and are occupying prime spaces at places like Far East's Level One. Brands like Zara have brought in clothes for men, and with slightly more than half of its second level catering to them, the shift of emphasis on their male customers is very telling. The notion of having a beauty parlour and a slimming centre devoted to men once seemed far-fetched, and doomed to fail. However, this idea has now come to pass with Urban Homme, a slimming and beauty centre devoted entirely to men. Urban Homme, which is run by slimming chain Mary Chia, is located at The Amara. With popular local actor/comedian Adrian Pang of SPH MediaWorks fronting its advertisements all over the island, it is difficult to ignore the growing trend of male-catered salons. Urban Homme isn't the only place targeted at men. There's also Sothys Homme, a beauty institute with its origins in France, located at Wheelock Place's second level. Men can go for the detoxifying treatment, which sees them shelling out $120 for under 50 minutes of relaxation, hydration, cleansing and more. A beauty consultant at Sothys who wanted to be known as Cindy, revealed that Sothys Homme was not only attracting the male executives from around the area. "We also get some pre-University students coming in as well," she let on cheerfully, "and that's because their mothers bring them here." Nailing the issue 02 Love, which does manicures, pedicures as well as provide makeup and hair services, has seen regular male clientele frequenting the store. “They’ve become more open about coming to do a manicure,” said manicurist Candy Lim, 19, “and so we cater to men too.” But as with all new changes, adjustments are unavoidable. "The problem with male clients," said Apple Lim, 28, a manicurist, "is that they are fleshier, and so it requires more energy to help to massage their hands or feet! You really need more strength!" It is this extra strength that the manicurists put in, as well as the extra services (which differ from place to place) that sees the prices for men being $10 more than that for women. At 02 Love, however, prices are raised by only $5. Manicures for men are at $23 while pedicures are $33. Le Homme
at home… To keep the peace and make the world a better place, are people like Origins with their gender-neutral products. Origins, available at Isetan Scotts, Isetan Tampines, Robinsons Raffles, and more, have a wide variety of goods to suit both male and female needs. "We don't have any specific products for men," says Sulaimah Latip, 20, an Origins beauty consultant, "but we base them on the different skin types, like oily skin, dry skin, and so on." Masks are one of those products that can be shared too, and Sulaimah recommends Origins' Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. "It can be used on any skin type," she explains, "and is better for younger skin as well because it clears pores." With Origins and other global giants like L'Oreal and Clarins targeting men with their facial, and with L'Oreal having an extensive range of hair products, it’s no wonder that men are beginning to stake out the bathroom as well. This invasion signals that times are a-changing. The future looks to be a very different one from one we're all too familiar with. The scenarios used to portray the boyfriend sitting in the living room channel surfing while the girlfriend paints her nails, giving the occasional “Just a few more minutes” reassurance, or the boyfriend 'tagging' faithfully behind holding all the shopping bags for his lady, or the boyfriend sitting in the reception area staring into space while she gets her facials done. It isn't going to be that way anymore. Times have changed. Girls, don't bemoan the change, but let us (attempt to) live with them as we strive to better ourselves to face the world that we live in. 02 Love Origins Sothys Homme Urban Homme Zara
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According
to Dr. Frederick Toke, a professional psychologist and counsellor, the
reasons for the change may be attributed to the premium now being placed
on one’s image. “Men are more aware of themselves,”
he explains, “and as such, they now spend more time searching
for things that are good for their image.”
"Mothers
are generally more concerned about these things," she notes, "but
that doesn't stop the fathers from bringing their sons in here,"
she added. This is probably another sign of how the times are changing.