Posted: 09.10.2007 at 23.26
Move over, metrosexual. Make room for the manly man - and all that implies in terms of looks, attitude and behavior.
The testosterone count is skyrocketing, everywhere from Madison Avenue and prime-time TV to the furry faces of Hollywood's biggest studs.
Last month, The New York Times' Horacio Silva used the term "menergy" to describe the "anti-metrosexual, hypermasculine vigor coursing through men's wear" during Milan Fashion Week. He went on to cheekily illustrate the point: "Seriously, the menergy at Dolce & Gabbana was palpable."
Same goes for George Clooney's face. Hirsuteness is, after all, a sign of masculinity - and not just on the sitcom "Cavemen," which debuts tonight. Oscar winner Clooney has traded his pretty-boy sleek cheeks for near-Neanderthal macho. Odds are his salt-and-pepper whiskers will spark more Hollywood hotties to retire the razor.
Benicio Del Toro has taken the hint, from the looks of Esquire's October issue. The babe-candy actor is fur-faced in a crisp white shirt, tie and a classic blue jacket.
"The pendulum is always swinging when it comes to masculinity," says style watcher Robert Verdi, who has observed menergy on the covers and pages of Men's Vogue and Details. "The visual language being communicated, whether it's clothes to poses, is a return to real men."
Menergy is trickling into advertising, where gender ambiguity is losing its appeal to bona fide fellas. Take Dolce & Gabbana model David Gandy. He's the hard-bodied hunk seen reclining in a Speedo the size of an eye patch to hawk the brand's new fragrance, Light Blue.
Gandy is more slender than the average Joe, but there's no question he's a he - and he even possesses a few sprouts of body hair.
But it's not enough to walk like a man: You've got to talk like one, too. Scientists have found that men who speak deeply are likely to father more children than guys with high-pitched squawk boxes. One theory: Women use a man's voice to judge masculinity. Deeper equals manlier. But you can't fake that basso profundo, according to Canadian researcher David Feinberg. Women see right through that.
On TV, men and male bonding are the focus on several new shows beyond "Cavemen." That makes sense to Verdi. "Most programming lately has had female appeal," he says. "Guys don't want to watch shows about finding the perfect husband, paint color or wardrobe. The obvious counter to that are shows that speak to men."
Enter newcomers "Carpoolers" and "Big Shots" and the returning "How I Met Your Mother," whose most lovable character is a chauvinist pig named Barney. (After Fred Flintstone's best bud, perhaps.)
The much buzzed-about drama "Mad Men" celebrates men who drink, smoke and run around on their wives. On tomorrow's episode, a married advertising exec played by John Slattery tells his mistress what a great [bleep] she is. It's meant to be sweet talk. A show set nearly 50 years ago couldn't be more up-to-the-minute.
Even Oprah Winfrey ditched time-honored girl talk for guy gab. On Monday, for the first time in 22 years, her show was an all-dudes telecast about real-men issues.
Oprah and the women who accompanied their husbands and boyfriends to the show stayed backstage while Dr. Oz, aka America's Doctor, fielded men's questions, like, "When I'm standing at a urinal, why do I keep going after I stop going?"
Would a metrosexual ask that? No way: He'd be too busy worrying that his hair looks perfect and his nails are buffed. To that, pop culture says goodbye and good riddance.
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Daniel
