27 March 2006

bustle & glow

there's a tradition that men don't reveal what happens in the locker room. as both loner & commentator on the human situation I have no compunction abt following such rules.

let me set the scene. I go to the gym every mon   wed & fri morning. however my recent depression pushd me there with more frequency. because I've been going more often & at different times I've been seeing different men there. & I've been noticing the spread into the hinterlands of what the magazines some time ago calld "metrosexuality."

my gaydar is good enough to detect the members of my tribe at the gym. but I see many straight guys who spend f-o-r-e-v-e-r in the locker room. they all bring large bags full of not just the expectd change of clothing but vast amounts of product. some pull out kits which are full of lotions & toners & god-only-knows-whats. they carefully massage nearly all spots of their bodies with said unguents. they use brushes & implements that look medieval to coax what hair remains into something pleasant to their eyes. one brings his own swabs for his ears. too many still use perfumes.

I admit that in my day I pamperd myself. but I never recall straight boys paying so much attention to their looks. perhaps it's a good sign -- a softening of the macho image. however I'm glad I'm old & out of the relationship market. the shock of furrows & spots lessens with the years. vanity among seniors is sad. I feel I've earnd my wrinkles (or "lines of emotion" as my buddy Bob names them). & I get a giggle out of observing tough guys in front of the mirror.

2 comments:

richard lopez said...

i've not usually been one to pamper myself with lotions and perfumes, tho i've noticed all and sundry men of every persuasion too using such stuff. perhaps it has something to do with the wish to live forever. perhaps it has something to do with the past two generations of men experimenting with fashion and make-up. in high school we would all share eyeliner, and get pink eye. and punk rock was also about preening and poses.

been battling a bit of the blues too. here's to sunnier days.

Regality said...

I think it has to do with our superficially youth-oriented culture and the lack of respect for the older and wiser among us--speaking as one of the former, but not necessarily the latter. *L*