Non-binary- the new metrosexual?

We used to call some men “metrosexual”. These were straight, sensitive, well-educated, urban dwellers, who were in touch with their feminine side. Women liked metrosexual men. They were smart dressers, fun to talk to, and fun to be with. Great relationship material. Some women felt like they had more in common with them than with other men.

Now we have this new thing known as non-binary which is supposedly what you are when you don’t fit squarely into a stereotype box for today’s ideal of a man or a woman. So, if you are a guy that likes to dress more feminine, who has a sensitive side, and who likes to hang out with girls, apparently non-binary is now what you are.

What if metrosexual and non-binary are really the same thing? Maybe it’s the 2022 version of a (perceived as) safe and a fun way for a boy to play around with stereotypes and be invited into the female world. This version though is much more sinister than the 90s metrosexual cliche because, to be a good non-binary, you need to change key characteristics of yourself through drugs and surgeries. Clothes and self-care treatments no longer cut it.

Companies found a way to profit off metrosexuals by pushing manicures, clothes, and grooming to these men, who took great pride in their fastidiousness and good hygiene; their perfectly coiffed hair and color coded closets.

Non-binary guys, today are, somehow, “trans”. Classified as this, these sensitive guys are a profit center for doctors and surgeons. I should know—when my son decided he was “trans” two years ago, I quickly learned that the “prescription” for this personality type was hormones, not hot stone massages and a trip to J. Crew. Instead of mani-pedis, there’s “nullification surgery”, to remove the genitals entirely, destroying perfectly healthy human bodies to achieve a nonbinary aesthetic.

It must be easy to convince kids and young people that their distress can be fixed by using cross-sex hormones and surgeries, since so many young people are convinced to make these drastic changes. There needs to be a place for our sensitive boys to show off their well-rounded, non-conformist personalities, without forcing them in a new box, and condemning them to a lifetime of victimhood and medicalization.

What is causing kids today to want to change themselves? Do they feel invisible and worry about their future? Nonbinary needs a re-branding, and fast. As it stands, this is no harmless fad. This is a fad that is confusing our children, fostering body image issues, and glorifying self-harm. Clothes and grooming rituals are one thing, surgeries and drugs in the name of a self-image and identity fad are another thing altogether, and not something that anyone in their right mind should be supporting for today’s youth.