READING COMPREHENSION (30 marks)

Instruction: Read the text below.

I’m a Metrosexual Man

I Modern men, it seems, are fascinated with their appearance, investing time and money on
their personal appearance, through diet and lifestyle choices, fitness regimes, and the
purchase of consumer goods, including clothing, accessories, and cosmetics. Between
2002 and 2006, the UK market for men’s grooming products tripled to £781 million.
Britain’s second-largest beauty and health retailer, Superdrug, estimates the current male
grooming market to be worth an estimated £1.2 billion a year in the UK. Even in the
current economic climate, analysts are forecasting a healthy 5 percent growth rate in the
market. Moreover, Superdrug claims that men are now dedicating 83 minutes of every
day to their personal grooming, some four minutes longer than the average woman’s
daily beautification regime. It seems then that this trend is here to stay, at least for the
foreseeable future. The change in men’s self-presentation practices has seen the
emergence of the term “metrosexual” as a label for these men. In light of such trends,
these analysts also examine one of the more extreme examples of metrosexual activity,
which is cosmetics use, in particular, the reasons for their use of such products.

II The majority of studies on this phenomenon have been largely theoretical. For example,
studies on trends in men’s consumption practices in the U.S. suggest that these have been
brought about by a political-economic shift in the labour market, one in which employers
have commodified the male body by making consumers be obsessed with the image of
the ideal male body as they look to see near-naked male flesh on billboards, magazine
covers and television screens. Other studies, on the other hand, argued that the marketing
of high profile sports celebrities, such as international footballer David Beckham and
Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, is responsible for encouraging heterosexual men or men
who are sexually attracted to women to engage in practices stereotypically associated
with femininity and homosexuality, such as care for appearance and the latest fashion
trends. However, these same studies go one step further by arguing that metro sexuality
challenges traditional notions of gender and sexuality. Because beautification and self-
care have been conventionally associated with homosexual men and women,
heterosexual metro sexuality represents a move beyond the constrictive bipolar
categorisations masculine/feminine and heterosexual/homosexual. The impact of metro
sexuality on gender and sexualities was a theme taken up by another researcher, Johanna
Carniel, who studied metro sexuality and Australian soccer. She found that although men
were now more image-conscious, spurred on by the consumption practices of sporting
celebrities, masculinities on display were in effect hybridisations of existing
masculinities. In other words, while metro sexuality re-socialises men as consumers, it
does not necessarily alter other fundamental characteristics of traditional masculinity

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 because existing culture of masculinity which favours heterosexuality or sexual attraction
to people of the opposite sex, strength, violence, risk taking and so on are still readily
available and frequently drawn upon. A review of the few published studies focusing on
men’s behaviour and attitude when considering the purchase of grooming products
reveals that there is a range of variables that might have an impact on men’s consumption
of cosmetics. One such variable is the personal variables, which concern over men’s self-
image, ageing effects, state of health, and physical attractiveness.

III According to Kellner (1992), consumption is not exclusively and purely concerned with
the act of consuming itself, but more importantly, with the creation of identities through
the complex process of consumption activity. Consumption in the postmodern world
serves as a determinant in the construction of a fragmented identity and individuals
define their self-image through the consumption of products. Also, in the postmodern
approach to consumption, the self is conceptualised neither as an outcome of a social
system nor as a static and fixed entity which the individual can simply adopt, but as
something the person constantly creates, partially through consumption. Components of
the self-concept include physical, psychological, and social attributes, which can be
influenced by the individual’s attitudes, habits, beliefs and ideas. Due to their nature,
cosmetics may be considered as one of the tools that men may use to boost their self-
concept and image. For instance, according to Cash and Pruzinsky (2002), a stain on the
skin can lead to a discomfort situation, which in turn can diminish self-esteem. The use
of cosmetics in such situations might be the quick and proper remedy to manage the self-
image. In fact, cosmetics may improve not only the physical appearance of the man but
also his psychological image by increasing his confidence level about his appearance.

IV In many cultures and societies (such as Western societies), the body image is an
important component of the self-concept and has stimulated the demand of certain
products and services, such as dietary, slimming, exercise and cosmetic items.
Featherstone (1991) also noticed that the self-preservation of the body pushes individuals
to adopt instrumental strategies to combat its deterioration and combine them with the
notion that the body is a vehicle of pleasure and self-expression. Hence, the construction
of the man’s identity is now achieved as much through body care, image and the right
‘look’. The rising number of men beautifying themselves or customising their bodies
clearly shows men’s increasing awareness of their looks. As a matter of fact, appearance
and narcissism, the interest and admiration of one’s own physical appearance, have
become major attributes of the ‘new man’ who is actively in pursuit of his sense of self.
Consequently, cosmetics are increasingly being marketed to men by conjuring up the
notion that the use of such products will make them more presentable and attractive to
potential sexual partners, mostly defined as women. This opinion is supported and it is
reported that one of the main stimuli for the consumption of male grooming products is
the creation, development and maintenance of a self-image. The use of such particular
products is dependent on the image which a man wishes to present. Confirming this view,
some researchers stipulated that male consumption of grooming products contributes to

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 the production of a desired identity and self-image. Men’s increasing interest in their self-
image is further stimulated by the increase in the number of men’s magazines that portray
a quite attractive image of the ‘new man’.

V Very little research has focused on the effect of aging on men’s (body) image concerns.
The few studies report that, in contrast to women, men view age related changes in their
appearance as less threatening to their self-esteem. This might indicate that men have less
concern than women about the aging of their bodies, particularly with reference to
appearance. However, men’s perception of age is changing drastically. According to an
AC Nielsen report published in 2006, the attitude of men towards age has changed across
the globe. The research revealed that 51 per cent of North American, 49 per cent of
European and 56 per cent of men in Asia Pacific believe that their 30s are the new 20s.
Also, almost half of the men respondents (57 per cent in North America, 54 per cent in
Asia Pacific and 47 per cent in Europe) consider that their 60s are the new middle age.
Western countries where the population is ageing, consumers have started to perceive the
body as the crucial indicator of the self and hence apparent physical ageing is perceived
as problematic. To counter external signs of ageing, consumers in Western cultures
increasingly attribute high importance to the youthfulness of the body. Thus, they do
whatever they can to slow down the ageing process and project a youthful appearance.

VI According to Sturrock and Pioch (1998), men prefer to stay young in order to have
certain desired situations. Consequently, their concern about the effects of ageing and the
maintenance of a youthful appearance are prevalent motives for their consumption of
grooming products. The changing in men’s perception of age resulted in body
transformation, expressing the man’s desire to hold on to time. To further emphasise the
youthfulness aspect, men are constantly persuaded by advertisements which use fear
appeals and convey the message that it is undesirable for a person to be ageing and that
he must assume responsibility to stay young looking or to disguise his physical ageing.
This discussion leads us to propose the following hypothesis: Ageing has a positive
impact on men’s consumption of cosmetic products. Stated differently, males’
consumption of cosmetics is highly motivated by their desire to maintain a youthful
appearance.

Adapted from:
Hall, M. et. al. (2012). "I'm METRO, not Gay!" A discursive analysis of men's accounts of make-
up use on YouTube. The Journal of Men's Studies, 3, 209-226.
Souiden, N. & Diagne, M. (2009). Canadian and French men's consumption of cosmetics.
Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26, 97-109.

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Instruction: Based on your understanding of the text, answer the following questions.

1. State the main idea of each of the following paragraphs.

____________________________________________
(a) Paragraph I :
____________________________________________

____________________________________________
(b) Paragraph II :
____________________________________________

____________________________________________
(c) Paragraph III :
____________________________________________

____________________________________________
(d) Paragraph IV :
____________________________________________

____________________________________________
(e) Paragraph V :
____________________________________________

____________________________________________
(f) Paragraph VI :
____________________________________________

(6 x 1m = 6 marks)

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2. Find the synonym for the words in bold using the choices provided below. Write your
answer in the space provided.

reduce conscious factor wonder part

show regard image eliminate

Answers

(a) Modern men, it seems, are fascinated with their

appearance, investing time and money in their
personal appearance, through diet and lifestyle
choices, fitness regimes, and the purchase of
consumer goods, including clothing, accessories,
and cosmetics. _____________________________

(b) She found that although men were now more

image-conscious, spurred on by the consumption
practices of sporting celebrities, masculinities on
display were in effect hybridisations of existing
masculinities. _____________________________

(c) Consumption in the postmodern world serves as a

determinant in the construction of a fragmented
identity and individuals define their self-image
through the consumption of products. _____________________________

(d) According to Cash and Pruzinsky, a stain on the

skin can lead to a discomfort situation, which in
turn can diminish self-esteem. _____________________________

(e) In many cultures and societies, the body image is

an important component of the self-concept and
has stimulated the demand of certain products
and services, such as dietary, slimming, exercise
and cosmetic items. _____________________________

(f) Western countries where the population is

ageing, consumers have started to perceive the
body as the crucial indicator of the self and hence
apparent physical ageing is perceived as _____________________________
problematic.

(6 x 1m = 6 marks)

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3. State two (2) reasons that have led to the metrosexual trend.

(a) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(b) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(2 x 1m = 2 marks)

4. State two (2) effects of the emergence of the metrosexual men.

(a) __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

(b) __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

(2x 1m = 2 marks)

5. According to Featherstone (1991) the “self-preservation of the body pushes individuals

to adopt instrumental strategies to combat its deterioration”. Give your own examples
that illustrate the strategies.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

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6. According to the authors, men “believe that their 30s are the new 20s” and “that their
60s are the new middle age”. Explain.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

7. How do the cosmetic industry and advertisers manipulate men to consume grooming
products? Explain your answers by providing two (2) examples.

(a) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(b) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(2 x 1m = 2 marks)

8. In your opinion, what are the two (2) implications of men being overly concerned
with their youthful appearance?

(a) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(b) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(2 x 2m = 4 marks)

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9. According to Sturrock and Pioch “… men prefer to stay younger in order to have a
certain desired situations”. Describe two (2) of these “desired situations”.

(a) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(b) _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(2 x 2m = 4 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER