King Kong love

Filed in archive Matters of heart on December 30, 2005

It seems to me we girls had to fight for everything we now have, and the fight is long from over. Our recent battle line is the right to be the prettier sex.

I scented something fishy when Beckham started wearing nail polish, and soon after that, the word metrosexual came flashing away. In an instant my beauty and fashion world was crawling with girl-like boys wearing skirts, not even Scottish. It was downhill from there: more and more place was given to men cosmetics, clothes, and, yes, makeup. And men dared to call me vane!

And although many metrosexuals claim they are in tight touch with their masculinity, I for one sure don't feel it. Maybe the reality hit me hard when my soon-after-that-exboyfriend started going to the solarium, or was it just after he started using my super expensive eye cream?

'Men spent the 80s trying to live up to the SNAG-tag, and the 90s becoming metrosexuals. These movements focused on teaching men to become more aligned with women. Both promote qualities valued in women: sensitivity, intuition and dress-sense. This is a Clayton�s image-change: men are not doing the hard work. They are just adopting the modus operandi of the opposite sex.

This isn�t what feminism asked of men. Feminism asked for a more equal society - not someone to share mascara with.' Daniel Donahoo thinks.

So here's news for all you gals out there: don't be ok with them taking the only resort we ever had, our beauty and femininity. Fight for your right to makeup and expensive shoes, start dating Vin Diesel clones at the first glimpse of manicure on your now metrosexual boyfriend. Train them well, allow minimal usage of moisturizer, and you'll feel loved properly once again.

And for boys reading this: yes, we want King Kong love again, with men opening the doors, picking up dinner checks and giving us luscious jewelry without buying the same for themselves. We want to be held in strong arms and sometimes feel the unshaven skin next to our own, and most of all, to feel secure and beautiful. We want you to be "animals", but with manners - so please give us the spark back!