Follow Friday: Mark Simpson

This week's special Follow Friday mention goes to Mark Simpson.  He can be found tweeting at @marksimpsonist  For a certain generation, he'll be a brilliant Attitude columnist, and you may have seen him popping up in various TV shows but he's also an author of some wonderful thoughtful texts, and also coined a word you may have heard of - 'metrosexual'.  Simpson also popped up over on the Huffington Post this week in which he takes a fascinating look at the 'manly strap-on'.  Read it in full here.

The Metrosexual Arse

Remember Philip Oliver? He's an actor who made his name in the British soap Brookside, and went on to appear in many calendars that men, women and those who find young sexy men half naked attractive devoured (he's depressingly just 2 months younger than me but you wouldn't think it). Well, he's straight. He's repeatedly said he's straight in all the gay magazine interviews (of which there are many) that he's done. In 2005, he was a national judge on Mr Gay UK and he's appeared at various gay pride events and in 2010 appeared in a BBC soap, Doctors, playing a gay yoga teacher so he's a straight guy who likes playing with the gay boys.

This is a metrosexual who has apparently made some money from the gay community and so it perhaps helps if men keep thinking there's a possibility of some sexual liaison. In that sense, he is the professional cock tease. He is very very good at it.

It's wasn't therefore a total surprise to learn of his latest 'escapade' (pictured below). He's on Twitter as @officialoliver and had been interacting with out gay Coronation Street (huge Brit soap tv show) actor Charlie Condou via twitter. A curious thing to do you might think, but happily the Charlie Condou fan site 'Charlie Condou Confidential' caught the relevant tweets.

Oliver later tweeted: 'Noooooooo! Note to self. Stay

away from twitter when intoxicated. Noooooooooooooooo! xx'.

Condou replied: Charliecondou: @officialolivier 'Mate, can't wait to see that photo in Heat xx'.

Heat is a big UK celeb gossip magazine. It's all a bit odd. Metrosexual banter perhaps? Heaven help us. it can only be a matter of time before such confident heterosexuals start posting pictures of them being mounted by a very well endowed porn star whilst fellating his best mate. "Just for the craic like'

Guest Post: The Intersection of Men, Metrosexuality and Disability

I'm pleased to present this abstract from Quiet Riot Girl, promoting her post on The Good Men Project, which you can view here.

'There has been much written by feminists on pressures on women caused by ideals of feminine ‘beauty’, as promoted by the media. Ever since Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth (1991) it has been accepted that we should be critical of how women’s Body Image is affected by representation. But less thought or attention has been given to men in this regard.

According to Mark Simpson, originator of the term and key theorist of ‘metrosexuality’, it’s not about flip-flops and facials, ‘man-bags’ or ‘manscara’. Or about men becoming ‘girlie’ or ‘gay’. Metrosexuality is about men becoming everything. To themselves. In much the way that women have been for some time’.

So if men are starting to enjoy being ‘objects of desire’ just like women, it is likely that they are also becoming subject to the pressures of the ‘body beautiful’, just like women. How do these pressures manifest themselves, particularly for disabled men?'

By Quiet Riot Girl www.quietgirlriot.wordpress.com

QRG's interview with Mark Simpson: http://lawandsexuality.blogspot.com/2011/06/metrosexuals-of-world-unite-and-bend.html

The Metrosexual and the New Decade

Mark Simpson, father of the metrosexual, and all round good egg has talked about the metrosexual going forward into the new decade in his latest blog post. He takes issue with those who suggest that the metrosexual has 'peaked'. It's certainly true that the metrosexual doesn't seem to be as 'of the moment' as it did. A few backs, my then hometown of Sheffield had a night at The Forum called Metrosexual but I'm not sure it would be the sort of name places would go for now (am I wrong?). Simpson argues that 'Metrosexuality, men’s passionate, epoch-making desire to be desired, is a long, long way from peaking.' His blog (as ever) is worth a read. The observation of orange Geordie's is a good one and will sound familiar for anyone who's been on the scene in the NE. Check out his blog here.

Sealed with a kiss

Mark Simpson blogged abut this over a month ago, but as I get back my blogging mojo, it's still worth re-mentioning here. After the metrosexual, cometh the metrotextual. This is the heterosexual male who can not be seen without the latest stylish phone. The Sydney Morning Herald and other papers were following up on research by the mobile operator, T-mobile which revealed 22% of makes regularly ended their texts with a kiss, even to male friends. I can't beat Simpson, so read his analysis here.