The successor to the metrosexual has arrived--The Mirl!

[Victorias OTHER Secret]

The successor to the metrosexual has finally arrived--The Mirl The successor to the metrosexual has finally arrived. He's a more advanced version in love with the colour pink and pedicures. -- the mirl Metrosexuality's passe, it's been replaced by -- no, not the return of machismo -- but by an advanced form of metrosexuality. Now, it's all about the ultra-feminine look or male girls, better known as 'hermaphrodudes' or 'mirls'. The mirl -- a hybrid man -- is not afraid of embracing his feminine side; he has a fetish for pedicures, shopping, bags, jewellery and even the colour pink. Looking good = Feeling great Most men aren't too happy being pigeon-holed with terms like 'mirl' or 'metrosexual' but adman Suhel Seth isn't. "I'm a huge shopper, I love going for facials, pedicures and manicures," he says. "I love going to the spa and pampering myself. If that makes me a mirl, I am and always have been that. I'm careful about the way I look and I'm very proud of that." Model Upen Patel likes to take care of himself. "I go in for the whole grooming routine: body-waxing, facials, pedicures. I'm only trying to look good." As straight as it gets Make no mistake, the mirl isn't necessarily drawn to other men sexually. According to Mark Simpson, who coined the term 'metrosexual', "He (the metrosexual/mirl) might be officially gay, straight or bisexual, but that is immaterial because he has taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference." Elaborates VJ Gaurav Kapoor: "Metro yet hetero is my mantra. I'm in sync with my feminine side, I grow my hair and have a cool collection of headbands. This doesn't alter the way I am." Designer Ashish Soni is a mirl and he loves it. "I love the colour pink and I love shopping as a stress-buster. But that doesn't make me fond of men. I'm a straight man who takes care to look good; why should that privilege only rest with women?" Gender bender With gender stereotypes breaking down, society is a lot more accepting of role reversals. 'Says actor Parvin Dabas. "If women can be in charge at the workplace, men can go to salons. You don't have to be overtly macho to prove you're a man." Woman's kinda man Do women find mirls hotter than macho men? Apparently, the answer is yes. "I like my men to be in touch with their feminine side. Here's to more power for more sensitive men," says Ramona, VJ. The 'mirl phenomenon' has doomsayers predicting the end of the male species, and there's tom-tomming about 'mantropy', a unique 21st century disease that will make 'real' men extinct. So, will the mirl inherit the earth? :drinking: