Beards: another sign of the metrosexual apocalypse

The New York Times, ever eager to take the pulse of our popular culture, is sensing an end to the Marian Salzman-christened era of metrosexuality. The evidence: more beards at fashion shows and among the staff of Vice. The Times sees these disturbing facts as a harbinger of things to come, quoting one fashion guy who wonders "what mainland America is going to do with it." (Should that be mainstream? An astute reader in the heartland wondered if this is an assumption the Alaskans need as much hair as they can get while the Hawaiians will forever remain hairless.) An increased focus on facial hair is a long-term project at the Times, which already unearthed American sports stars favoring beards. The Gray Lady avers: "On city streets, too, trends in scruff have reached new levels of unruliness, a backlash, some beard enthusiasts say, against the heightened grooming expectations that were unleashed with the rise of metrosexuality as a cultural trend. Men both straight and gay, it appears, want to feel rough and manly." Assuming the Times is spot-on in its notion that body hair is the new black, the hirsute can rejoice, and Burt Reynolds can prepare for another comeback.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

March 24, 2006 in Morrissey | Permalink