A Commercial And Cultural Analysis Of "Metrosexuality" Phenomena

This thesis is a systematic popular cultural study of "metrosexuality" phenomena,a qualitative study aimed at exploring the commercial mechanism and power relations behind this certain phenomenon,based on the application of Western popular cultural theories."Metrosexuality",with celebrities like David Beckham as its exemplars,refers to the fashionable men in metropolitans,embracing bravely their feminine sides.Metrosexuals guided men's trend in advertising and fashion world,and got strikingly numerous reactions in the society.One task of culture researchers is to interpret cultural phenomena so as to help people grasp the essence of them."Metrosexuality" phenomenon takes place in the scope of popular culture of consumption age,determining popular cultural studies as the main theories of analysis in this thesis,including postmodernism,Culture Industry theory of Frankfurt school,and gender,image theories.This thesis probes into the issue from two aspects:the motivations and implications of "Metrosexuality" phenomena, following the structure of the circuit of culture:representation,identification, production,consumption and standardization.The motivations include men's anxiety towards gender identity under the influence of more and more cultural influences and the 'liberation' on the part of men,thus bravely demonstrating the feminine side. The motivations also include the enormous impact of mass media under the context of culture industry.According to consumer culture theory,people's needs for goods are influenced by the hypes of the mass media,and more often than not,these needs are created deliberately.In the industrial world,the sellers,in order to compete with others,need to find out the added-value for their products due to the extremely excessive goods.People's consumption is no longer the consumption of exchange value,but the consumption of signs,which are created by the sellers to represent a certain kind of taste,status or images to attract consumers.This whole process is realized with the help of the mass media."Metrosexuals",as the new image representatives in advertisements,have been given wide publicity in different ways, thus being accepted by the audience and enlarging the consumer market.The implications of the phenomena are explored from clinginess to the mass media and the operations behind it."Metrosexuality",as a popular cultural product, has the characteristics of the commercial products in the consumer society.Although "metrosexuals" have their potential demand,it is restricted with narrow limits.It is the cooperation between marketers and some celebrities that turn them into the mainstream and even causes the subversion to the traditional male images.The power of marketing and mass media cannot be underestimated.From the perspective of sex image,the manifestation of gender identity is like a pendulum,swaying from one side to another.At present,it implies a unisex trend.In one word, "metrosexuality" phenomena are a popular cultural spectacle reflecting essences of the world;understanding it by reexamination and critical interpretation is critical for us to grasp those essences.