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Scottish psychologists warned that kilt-wearing Scotsman projecting ‘hard man, tough guy images’ are secretly suffering from an identity crisis, this week, an expose in the Herald Scotland titled ‘Male disorder – what’s wrong with Scottish men?’

“The hard-man image is a very celebrated image in Scotland. Metrosexual men … are fairly few and far between,” leading psychologist Dr Ewan Gillon told the Herald.

“Rather than being able to engage with ourselves and our feelings, we tend to express ourselves in acting out ways. We tend to drink, take drugs, do risky things. Alcohol is a classic way of numbing our feelings,” he continued, “If you talk about feeling sad or worried, you are often labelled a sissy.”

The article appeared weeks after fashion commentators reporting in Milan’s latest menswear collections declared that the metrosexual phenomenon is officially over, to be replaced by an 'old new' phenomenon: retrosexual.’

“Last season already foreshadowed the return of the manly man,” the (UK) Independent newspaper noted, “With many designers opting for healthier, more muscular models.”

The trend was similarly sign-posted in New York’s Village Voice who identified more and more heterosexual men emulating the paunches and plaid shirts of the fast growing  ‘bear’ gay subculture in a feature titled ‘Move Over, Metrosexuals: Meet the Straight Bears’.

“Straight bears are less concerned with designer labels and limiting their carbs (carbohydrates) than with comfy clothes and beer,” said Village Voice writer .Joe Erbentraut

“And they love to hang with their gay-bear brothers,” he added, “burly, hairy, ungroomed gay men who disdain the plucked, gym-built Chelsea boy.”


Article by Jonty Skrufff (http://skrufff.com): Follow Jonty on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jontyskrufff