Accidental/Occidental Metrosexuality

Matsume Kai on Eddy and Chinese metrosexuality from Top Ten Coolest Worldwide: 

‘This is Eddy, a 21 year old male from Henan Province. Eddy works as an apprentice in a Shanghai hairsalon. Keenly aware of current trends in looks, styles and fashions, he’ll spend just as much time styling himself as he will the clients. Everyday he uses Lancome’s Mens Line Face Wash (sourced cheaply from taobao.com), checks for eyebrow hairs ripe for plucking, selects from a plethora of earrings, and then sprays some cologne. On occasion a little eyeliner comes out to enhance his Asian eyes. Then he’ll blow dry and style his hair. Says Eddy: “All this is normal daily things a guy’s gotta do. But one thing I really want to do and saving up for is to have my eyes and nose operated on. I want a double eyelid and a taller nose! Most of my friends have had it done.”‘

‘The ratio of men to woman in China is 2 to 1. With twice as many men as woman, competition for the popular girls is fierce. Before they chase the girls, Chinese men have to chase the money. Securing a well paid job may just win you the girl, or at least the support of her parents. Chinese family values, though waning, still constitute the mindset. Parents are convicted to see their daughters with a rich man. But what is a ‘man’ in 21st Century Shanghai? Here the men are already known to be quite feminine. The men cook and clean but never do they manage the money. “Accidental Metrosexuality”, as my friend likes to call it. Metrosexuality, like paper and dynamite, may just have been invented in China a long time before it was exported to the West. Strange but true, the double eyelids which Eddy is saving for today will boost his confidence and chance to find a great job tomorrow. In Shanghai not only is beauty skin deep but, it seems, the future too.’