Metrosexual Isn’t Progress - It’s Just Sexism Rebranded

When would you label a guy straight?
When would you call him vain?
At what point do you say he’s straight - but metrosexual?
And when can you describe a man without sounding sexist?

    In today’s world, when a man takes good care of himself - through skincare, grooming, or fashion - he is often quickly labeled. He is either assumed to be gay, or straight but “metrosexual.” As if self-care requires clarification. As if masculinity needs an asterisk.

    Yet we live in a time when sexism is something we are actively trying to unlearn. A time when we are reminded that the world is not just made up of binaries - of 0s and 1s. If gender equality is something we claim to value, and if sexism is something we agree should no longer define how we see others, then the concept of “metrosexual” should no longer exist.

Before diving in much deeper, let's talk about the term "metrosexual".

    The term metrosexual emerged in the early 2000s to describe heterosexual men, who invested much time, money, and attention into their appearance, grooming, fashion, and lifestyle. It was framed as progressive at the time, a way to normalize men caring about how they look without questioning their sexual orientation.

    But the term was never neutral. “Metrosexual” exists because society assumed that:

• Caring about appearance is feminine
• Grooming and skincare are not masculine by default
• A man who does these things must be explained (or defended)

    Instead of challenging these assumptions, the label worked around them. And it doesn’t dismantle sexism at all - only repackages it in a more socially acceptable form simply because in their eyes, masculinity and self-care are incompatible.

Now, let's talk about "sexism".

    Sexism does not always show up as open hostility or overt discrimination. More often, it appears quietly - embedded in language, expectations, and the labels we casually use without questioning their implications. It lives in the assumptions we make about how men and women [should] behave, what they [should] value, and how far they are [allowed] to stray from those expectations before needing an explanation.

    At its core, sexism is the belief that certain traits belong naturally to one gender and not the other.

• Caring is feminine.
• Sensitivity is feminine.
• Vanity is feminine.
• Self-maintenance is feminine.

    And when a man embodies any of these traits, society scrambles to reclassify him - not by challenging the bias itself, but by inventing a new category that keeps the old hierarchy intact. Thus, “metrosexual” was born.

    The problem is not that men take care of themselves. The problem is that we still believe they need permission to do so. Because society wants things to be in its "proper order". 

    No one asks a woman to justify her skincare routine. No one invents a label to explain why she enjoys fashion or invests in her appearance. These behaviors are accepted as neutral, expected, and even encouraged. When men do the same, however, the behavior is treated as an exception—something that must be clarified, softened, or defended against suspicion. As if it's a crime for men to take care of themselves beyond what's "normal".  

That is sexism at work.

    Calling a man “metrosexual” may sound harmless, even progressive, but it reinforces the idea that masculinity has a narrow definition - and that stepping outside of it requires a qualifier. It tells us that a “real” man is still, by default, rough, indifferent to appearance, and emotionally detached. Anything else must come with a disclaimer.

    True gender equality is not about expanding labels. It is about removing the need for them altogether.

    If we genuinely want to dismantle sexism, then we must stop gendering behaviors that are simply human. Self-care is not feminine. Grooming is not political. Fashion is not a declaration. A man who takes care of himself is not “metrosexual". He is a man.

    And until we stop needing that word, we have not moved as far forward as we think we have.

    If you believe you are not sexist, yet still label straight men as “metrosexual” to defend their right to self-care and self-expression, then you are wrong. You are still a sexist. 

    Because the label does not protect men- it protects outdated ideas of masculinity. It reassures society that caring about one’s appearance is still an exception for men, not the norm. And as long as that reassurance is needed, sexism still exists.