ARE KENYAN MEN LOSING THEIR MASCULINITY?

First it was tight jeans, then came t-shirts with plunging neck-lines, and now, its the bright coloured shoes that men wear. Yes, you guessed it right, men are competing with women when it comes to femininity. Need I talk about the facials, manicures and pedicures that men are going for nowadays?

source:www.medindia.net

Before you jump on me and call me a feminist, look at this scenario. A man was (a few years back) expected to be the breadwinner of the family. You know, the masculine one? The one who protected the woman and his family from predators, devils(yes, he was expected to have this supernatural power that could conquer anything). Fast forward a few years later, namely 2009 and beyond. The man of the house is too engrossed in his looks. Salon appointments, shopping (a past-time associated with the female folk) and to make matters worse, the clothes they come home with after shopping would confuse you. As a woman, am I not the one expected to be in figure-hugging clothes?

So, there is your 21st century man. What defines his calendar? Shopping, salon-visits, and his looks. In as much as we want a well-groomed man, we still need men who can stand out in society and be counted. A man who is "masculine", not necessarily in the physical sense but in the sense that he steps up when he is called up to be a "man".

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When I was a kid, girls played with dolls and makeup while the boys engaged in more "macho" toys like cars, toy-guns etc. Even when it came to dressing up, the boys dressed up like Spiderman, Superman, Zorro and many other masculine icons. It is a pity when we grow up and the toys that they play with seem to be changing. Make-up and the mirror seem to be what the men are engrossed in.

I am not saying that grooming for males is bad, but it is a problem when looks take centre stage for a man. When a man spends more time in front of a mirror than a woman does, when he puts on pants that are figure-hugging and defining his form, when he puts on t-shirts with a plunging neckline, then one is left to wonder, does a man have a cleavage to show off?

Where are the "men" in society? The men who would get down to work without worrying about his manicured nails? The men who would stand up and defend himself when he is under attack? How do we entrust the men to defend us in times of crisis when they cannot defend themselves?

source:www.nation.co.ke