The ubersexual men are going shopping

Can’t men just be men anymore? In the mid-1990s the “metrosexual” phenomenon hit us following a 1994 article in The Independent by Mark Simpson: men who take on stereotypically feminine traits when looking after and grooming their bodies.

Then along came Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe with 2000’s Gladiator and it was ok again for the macho man to come trundling back into polite society, shaving with a knife, once a month, and waiting outside Boots while (one of) his “bird(s)” shopped inside.

Now ubersexual man is here. The term has been bandied around for a couple of years but business intelligence and strategic market analysis company Euromonitor International has now defined it as “a potential goldmine for global manufacturers and marketers”.

Apparently, ubersexuals are “more complex, more thoughtful, more culinary and better groomed than macho man, but more traditionally masculine than the metrosexual. They are, therefore, more likely to prepare and research meals, buy cosmetics and toiletries, and join health clubs.”

The company has highlighted which sectors would benefit from marketing to ubersexuals, such as shaving, bronzing and hair care products, fashion clothing and home furnishings, and food and wine tourism. According to Euromonitor International, sales of cosmetics and toiletries alone are predicted to grow 18% globally by 2011 to £12.5bn.

Although, from the sound of the word, the “ubersexual” title is quite appealing to the Diary, the characteristics bring to mind one name: Patrick Bateman (read American Psycho).