by Johneen Manning

Created on: June 01, 2008

We all know one. You may even be dating one. They have slithered egotistically into our lives, and it seems they may be here to stay.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine outed himself as a metrosexual.

Metrosexual? I flipped frantically through a mental stack of popular terms: hetero-, bi-, homo-, a-sexual, but alas no definition for metro.

Had I missed a critical lesson in Health 101 somewhere along the way?

Maybe this is more information than I need to know, I thought. But at the risk of sounding like a complete moron, I gently prodded and received a nibble of a definition...

Intrigue and curiosity pressed me to pursue the matter further. I embarked on a thirsty quest toward familiarizing myself with the marvel of metrosexuality.

The reality is, we all know one. You may even be one. They have slithered egotistically into our lives, and it seems they may be here to stay. I won't hazard a guess at how many there actually are out there, but for all you closet metros, slip on your polished Pradas and immaculately-pressed Armani trousers, and abandon the confines of your precious wardrobe. Run free, and let the wind slice through your carefully unkempt locks. Come out in the open with your fellow metros and strut your stuff, full on.

Get in the loop, people. The latest phenomenon to sweep the urban world is that of the metrosexual. The definitions are rich and complex, but generally consistent.

Word Spy, Paul McFedries succinctly defines the metrosexual (MET.roh.sek.shoo.ul) as: "A dandyish narcissist in love not only with himself, but also his urban lifestyle; a straight man who is in touch with his feminine side."

In his feature "I love me so much" in The Scotsman, Jonathan Trew delves a little deeper into the metro-experience: "The only problem facing the metrosexual in an otherwise carefree existence is the inescapable effects of aging. If 30 is 45 in gay years, then 26 is retirement age for the metrosexual and no amount of biotechnological rehydrating, whale sperm dermo-care can alter that."

Although you don't have to be naturally good-looking ot be a convincing metrosexual, it certainly helps. Theoretically, any man can be one. The key is: pay attention - to yourself.

Only the originator of the term, Mark Simpson, can truly do it justice as he does in Meet the Metrosexual on Salon.com, a pee-your-pants-funny discourse on this new species of man: "To determine a metrosexual, all you have to do is look at them. In fact, if you're looking at them, they're almost certainly

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