Being in the eyes of others: the role of otherness in building metrosexual identity

Abstract

Increasingly, the issue of identity is debated. With the advent of the postmodern individual, identities formerly considered solid and fixed are becoming fragmented. This includes gender. Previously subject to the individual's biological status, gender is now regarded as a cultural construction. On the other hand, there are approaches that relate identity construction with the role of consumption in this process. In this context, we have witnessed the recent arrival on the scene of the metrosexual, a description that evokes gender identity while also being based on certain consumption patterns. In this study, the authors investigate, through consumption, the construction of a new identity: the metrosexual one. To this end, individuals with a metrosexual behavior were identified and in-depth interviews were conducted with them. One of the conclusions was that a core aspect of this identity is otherness. In this article, such findings are presented and discussed.