How to Go from Zero to Hero
Getting Done Up at a Male Salon
Story by Edward Nieto

In the words of 90's male pop diva Rupal, you have to look good to feel gorgeous. It's truer now more than ever. In 2004 a new word was made up --metro-sexual. A term referring to straight men who like to get done up hair gelled, nails pedicured, and clothes matching. Although it seems that nobody, including those labeled as metro-sexuals, like the term, it is true that men are becoming more comfortable with taking care of their appearance. And in an outdoor shopping area in Mountain View, in between a 24-hour Nautilus gym and a female nail salon. is a place catering to men who got not problem with looking good. Named the American Male it is part beauty salon, part sports lounge.

In the waiting area, they give you all the free beer you could drink and a big screen TV that's always tuned in to the sports game. When you get made up, it's away from all windows.

I went there because when you're a man trying to part your eyebrows and go to a ordinary barber and tell them you want a wax, every one looks at you funny. Now you have two choices at that point. Either you do it and have everyone in the shop stare at you for being unmanly or you don't do it, and have everyone you see on a daily basis stare at you because your
uni-brow is as thick as the top of your head. Really, look at all our men who are idolized, they all have hairless muscular physiques Michael Jordan, Usher, and the Rock, even super heroes like He-Man or the Hulk. None of them were apparently scared to get a waxing.

At American Male they do all the things that women do to keep themselves looking sharp, but they just give them more masculine sounding names. Highlights are called, quicktips, manicures are called hand-detailin and pedicures are called foot-detailing. For older men, covering up the grey hair is called camo, short for camouflaging. And taking care of yourself is not only for the ladies, its for being taken seriously in different spaces you may be in work, school, as well as the club. These days, men need a sixpack smelling like Obsession and their hair stiff as a rock with product to not be overlooked. I say its worth getting labeled as a metro-sexual rather then looking like a slob, because really who gets more respect, the man that looks like a GQ model, or the one that looks like Alf?