Presently, there is a phenomenon of glorification of what we call the “pretty boy” in the Caribbean. In the not so distant past the term “saga boy” was bestowed on the man who was able to woo all the women he came into contact with. This man was known to be the ruggedly handsome with overly masculine traits. He was a product of the traditional hyper-masculine culture of being a man’s man in the Caribbean.
However, times have changed and now we see an overwhelming number of young men sporting earrings and fancy haircuts. Some may dye their hair bright colours or pierce some part of their faces. They may be quite fashion-conscious and can be seen at times at the spa getting a manicure. This is the contemporary man or, as it is officially dubbed, the “metrosexual” man.
We see men behave this way now and we tend to accept it, which was not the case about three decades ago.
Some, too, would say that Caribbean men are getting “soft” because of the growing tolerance of homosexuality in the region, a tolerance that was initiated by the north, more so North America and Europe. So what has introduced this image-changing phenomenon to the Caribbean? Also, why is it that young men who seek to adopt this lifestyle themselves are labelled “gays”?
Globalisation could certainly be the culprit here as what the Third World learns about fashion trends is gleaned from the media images dominated by the global north. Hollywood superstars of music and film decide what is deemed hot and trendy in clothing lines and body images.
Through globalisation these fads are transmitted straight through our television screens as well as tablets, laptops, etc, which themselves are also by-products of the same globalisation.
For a long time the Caribbean people have shunned any act deemed “gay”; any showing of feminine traits whether it be opening up emotionally or even walking with a swing instantly labels you a “batty boy”. Yet, today there seems to be less instances of this overt reaction and more tolerance. Why is that?
This issue in general is essentially a war between cultures. The old culture of what is known to be a Caribbean man vis-à-vis the new culture of the contemporary man. People may hear their fathers or grandfathers condemning young men who engage in these fads as “hens” without even knowing them personally. Yet, we see boys entering adolescence already yearning to have their ear pierced.
Usually, these boys want to be perceived as a “in style.” We live in a culture that now says “badman does rock earring,” and is partly a result of the initial understanding of what masculinity is in the region being redefined by the genesis of the “new” man deriving from the global north’s imposed standards.
Most young men are becoming bolder with these fads by maintaining long hair, piercing their nipples and even wearing make-up. For sure, it can cause funny faces of people at the mall but it would not likely incite a verbal berating.
There are men who are sometimes puzzled when they are called gay because as far as they know, they are “metro.”
This phenomenon is now a defining norm in our contemporary Caribbean and we should accordingly become more sensitised to it.
Aaron Koon Koon