Tag Archives: facial hair

Male Vanity

Vanity and grooming are traditionally female concerns but you don’t have to look very hard these days to see that men are taking a lot more care of their appearance. these modern men are now spending more money on grooming and procedures than ever before. Plastic surgeons are reporting a significant increase in the number of men opting for facial surgery and liposuction, and new figures have shown a 30% rise in the number of males paying for botox treatments.

Hair removal is another traditionally female concern that is now seeing its fair share of male interest. Hair has historically been seen as a sign of manhood but it is now socially acceptable for heterosexual men to appear silky smooth and to pay attention to areas that were previously left for nature to take care of. the majority of men depicted in magazines are unnaturally smooth with little or no sign of hair what-so-ever, and it seems that this has become the blueprint for the modern man. Facial hair is still accepted however, but only in the form of perfectly manicured designer stubble.

So are these immaculately groomed perfumed, smooth-skinned men with teeth whitened and big hair they’ve clearly spent a long time sculpting real men? is this really the sort of behaviour we should be encouraging, where your boyfriend borrows your hair straighteners and spends longer getting ready than you do? whatever happened to having a wash with soap and shampoo, chucking on a pair of jeans, some shoes and a shirt, slapping some gel in your hair, a quick spray of deodorant and Bob’s your uncle? these days it’s all soothing body wash, scruffing lotion, aftershave balm and sculpting body hair goo, not to mention the moisturising, blowdrying and whatever else goes on. It’s a wonder these fellas have got time to go out at all.

Perhaps men have always aspired to look like the model men they see in glossy publications and on the big screen, in the same way that women have. in recent years we’ve certainly seen less of the alpha male characters who previously represented male role models – Arny, Sly, Bruce, Mel, Jean Claude etc. these rough, tough characters have been replaced by smooth talking, no-action skinny pretty boys like Orlando Bloom, Ashton Kutcher, Leo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt. Sport has also gone the same way, the tough tackling football hardmen of the 70s, 80s and 90s like Graeme Souness and Vinny Jones have been replaced by effeminate young men like David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas who, it’s reported, recently paid around 3000 for an all-over body wax. even rugby, once the domain for only the manliest of men, has been infiltrated by some of these young, immaculately coiffured ‘metrosexuals’ such as Charlotte Church’s husband Gavin Henson, and the new darling of English Rugby Danny Cipriani.

You may have sensed from this article that I’m not exactly comfortable with this new wave of male vanity, and you’d be right. I just feel that a man should be a man and a woman should be a woman, and the point at which these two distinct roles cross over only leads to confusion. So come on guys, put down those hair straighteners, throw your waxing strips in the bin, give your sister her tweezers back, and get down the pub to watch the football.

Male Vanity

Boston Red Sox: Why First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez Will Be the 2011 AL MVP

I get a few butterflies in the ol’ boilmaker when the Boston Red Sox throw a big time prospect into a trade. the butterflies turn into rabid raccoons when the Sox dump their entire farm team into a deal.

I love prospects. they are like your children in a way. they grow up in front of you, and before you even know it, they are making All-Star teams, start growing Lemmy Kilmister inspired facial hair and getting into fights with Manny Ramirez.

There’s a sense of pride in seeing someone who rose through your own farm system, especially as Red Sox fans. when a Red Sox prospect goes through the minor league ranks and reaches the big show, they tend to exhibit the qualities Red Sox fans look for in their players. Hard working grinders that aren’t afraid to get their uniforms dirty and show off the five o’clock shadow. This is also definitely true of the farmhands of the Empire, which would be a sweet band name.

Players who are brought up under the “Yankee Way,” epitomize what the Boss looked for in his players, a mastery of the fundamentals, while maintaining a clean shaven face.   

One argument that us Sox fans typically make when debating a fan of the New York Yankees is that the Sawx don’t “buy championships,” meaning we utilize our minor league system better than the Bombers. I’ve made that argument out of frustration, yet I know it to mostly be untrue.

The Yankees obviously had some blue chip prospects in the ’90s and are producing some again today. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada were the first group, and the second group has Robinson Cano (still getting better), Brett Gardner (for his glove at least), Phil Hughes (has real upside but some question marks) and we can soon add Jesus Montero to the list.

However, they have also acquired big name players during their dynasty and outlier 2009 championship such as Wade Boggs, John Wetteland, Tino Martinez, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia to name a few.  

The Red Sox counter with Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury as their farm system stand outs, and we can add Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard to that list too.

However, the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox had their share of big name free agents and players acquired in trades such as Manny, Johnny Damon, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that though, regardless of what team is doing it. If you have the resources to go along with a competent enough front office, and the athletes have the desire to play for a new city, then why on Earth shouldn’t they be allowed to?

I made a similar argument in the column I wrote about LeBron James: if an athlete is unhappy with their situation, and if they can find ways to make it a better situation for themselves, then we shouldn’t crucify them for that. If you want to make the whole thing a television spectacle, however… 

I was a bit worried trading Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes for one player. all three of those guys (ranked as the first, third and sixth best prospects, respectively, by Baseball America) could be near-elite to elite major leaguers one day. the San Diego Padres most definitely got fair compensation. 

But, the Boston Red Sox acquired Adrian Gonzalez, the front runner for the 2011 MVP. As a result, the rabid raccoons got a day off. 

Boston Red Sox: Why First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez Will Be the 2011 AL MVP