a cookie?

rocky horror.

Yep. A cookie to you, but you'll have to find me to collect.

I work with children, as you know. It has been a neverending source of scandal with them that I wear two earrings. Worse now, since I wear studs with amethyst stones on the end.

"Why do you wear purple earrings?"

"You're a girl!"

"Those are girl earrings!"

I've also been told I'm a girl because I have girl glasses. They couldn't be more benign frames, but because there are two tiny screwheads on the edge of the frames, which adds an element of shine and shimmer (a mm's worth)... I have girl glasses.

The latest "outing" came after I asked one of the fifth-grade girls' mother where she got her studded leather belt with PISCES across the back (Old Navy). One of the other girls was like, "Damon you're such a girl," mimickng my hand gesture and the fact that I asked a woman where she got her clothes.

Hmm. These same 10-year-olds were playing M.A.S.H yesterday. "Marriage.Apartment.Shack.House" The indea was to list the names of boys they liked, make a random list of car brands, different places to live, how many kids, and the place this happy little heterosexual family unit would habitate. I sat there bemused.

i always thought mash stood for MANSION apartment shack house.

A movement implies conscious effort on the part of the movement's contingency to "move" in a certain direction.

In my experience, men who are regularly mistaken for gay don't really *try* to create the illustion of gayness. They don't consciously pose as homosexuals. In fact, most of them don't even realize they are perceived that way until someone tells them so, which rarely happens.

In their defense, I think this population represents the few males in the world who have the balls to just *be themselves*, and what comes out happens to look a lot like the opposite sex. Who could begrudge them of that? At least they're being genuine.

However -- as a single woman who occasionally ventures into the dating pool -- what I find most disturbing about metrosexuals (or "mirls", as my friends and I call them) is how goddamn prevalent they are! We are witnessing the demasculinization of America, folks, and it's really depressing the hell out of me. What happened to the intelligent, sensitive, authentic men who are actually "men"? Where did they all go? I'm not looking for a knuckle-dragging brute, mind you. "Macho" is definitely not on my wish list. All I ask is that I not be the least feminine one in the relationship. You have no idea how difficult that is to find these days.

I agree with Anon. This metrosexual thing is ridiculous. Besides being blatantly insensitive--it plays on gay stereotypes, since most gay men aren't necessarily "feminine" or obsessed with their appearance--it's another silly trend.

Plus, it's a cheap trick. You can be manly and have style. But when "having style" for a man is defined as "anything kinda girly," how hard is it to just saunter into a store and buy the girliest thing you see? It's much more difficult to slog through the generally bland men's fashions and put together a good outfit. A man with masculine taste will always look better than some guy who just goes for what's girliest.

As far as I can tell, this "metrosexual" thing is just the latest trick by men with no personalities and no sense of style to trick women into thinking they're sensitive and non-threatening. Being mistaken for gay is one thing; but actively trying to come as close go gay as possible is charlatanism and disgusting.

If you ever go to a real gay bar, like a leather bar, you'll note the "bears," you'll see the guys with guts and flannel shirts. You'll see the short, balding men with glasses.

Just because the only gay men people notice are stereotypically gay men, that doesn't mean that's what all gay men are like. Metrosexuality is offensive, stupid, lazy, and annoying as hell. For me, I like looking at beautiful women, watching football, wearing cleanly pressed clothes, nice ties, and reading poetry and playing with babies.

Bumble and Bumble hair wax doesn't make you sensitive and cultured. It makes you narcissistic and silly.

And anyway, Andrew, I don't know how anybody could mistake you for gay: you looked so natural and comfortable swilling gin-and-tonics dressed as Hugh Hefner. That's about as straight as it gets.

Well yeah, I am straight, but that was a pretty straight party. At gayer parties I blend in just as well.

At any rate, I'm not too worried about it. This fad will come and go, and hopefully the term will, too.

I'm often mistaken for gay by association. My friend Liz has but one straight friend - me. So when people see us together, they automatically assume I'm gay. It can be amusing, unless we're hanging out with one of her hot, straight female friends.