"Manscaping." The first time I heard this term I was kicking back on my comfy sofa at home watching "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". I love this show, and my Tivo will vouch that I cannot miss a new episode. The Fab 5 are fashionable, give tons of handy tips on everything from interior decoration to social etiquette, and who doesn't like to see an open-minded hetero go from average Joe to hubba-hubba? It's fun, most definitely. The finale of each show is a guy going from 5 o'clock shadow and plaid work shirts to cucumber-melon facial scrubs and perfect hair.

This is the mark of the Metrosexual, a term coined by Mark Simpson in his article in Salon, "Meet the Metrosexual." The Metrosexual is an urban male who embodies vanity; he keeps up on the latest fashions, waxes and trims, manicures, has his hair just so, goes to the gym everyday and freely spends money on his aesthetics and lifestyle. No longer does he use gel, he uses "products" for his hair, sometimes 3 or 4 simultaneously. So is this just a passing fad or is the Metrosexual the new man of the millennium?

My initial reaction to this question was pretty much "It's just a fad, baby. It's a catch phrase being exploited by the media." After all, it took us an entire decade to pull away from the Nirvana-inspired Seattle grunge scene in which lanky-looking lumberjacks peeped out from under unkempt longish hairstyles and rugged faces. In that decade, when I detected the faint whiff of "Chaps" on my date it was extravagant indeed.

But upon giving the matter a good think, I do have to admit that, here and there, I've noticed men's facial accessories creeping quietly onto the scene at my favorite make-up counters. And yes, while the older male generations in my family still head to the $8 buzz n' cut up the street, I'm proud to say that my fiancée does plunk down the extra dinero to visit the hairstylist in the city and buy said "hair products." Seriously, would you rather bed the guy with the soft well-managed trendy cool hair or that guy with that "I just Flowbee and go" look?

Men's fashions are definitely on the rise too, as evidenced by the increasing coverage of fashion in lad mags like FHM and Maxim. Their fashion and grooming advertisements have increased 35% over the past three years. It seems that guys are getting the drift that you can catch more flies with honey, or if you prefer, get more hot dates with good grooming, etiquette and style.

In the areas of fitness, companies like Weight Watchers are beginning to see the volume of male participants in their weight loss programs going from nill to pretty darned common. Our male role models in Hollywood have changed as well. We've gone from rugged manly-men like Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis to stylish and primped Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Tom Cruise.

All in all, I'd have to say that the Metrosexual is indeed becoming a reality. Obviously you're not going to witness your man go from the Gap to John Varvatos overnight, but our culture is changing and sexuality is not questioned as closely as it once was.

The time has come for men to bump up the aesthetic bar a notch. Women have always been expected to be the height of primped - shaved legs, manicured and painted nails, white teeth, styled hair, make-up, trendy clothes, alluring fragrance...do you have any idea how long it takes for us to get ready to go out and how much money it all costs? I say, join the club. Send your lover the message that you want to be as attractive for them as they are for you. And when we hit middle-age, we'll all get there with less wrinkles. Speaking of which, I'm due for my nightly moisturizing…

(For the record, "manscaping" is the process by which a man utilizes an electric clipper to trim and attractively shape his body hair. Even if you don't do the facial treatments and the manicures, any dude with significant body fuzz should definitely give this a try. Thanks Fab 5!)