Sydney's fairer S E X despair as yobbos go the way of the dodo Mark Chipperfield Updated on Nov 20, 2008 When Gerri Halliwell belted out the lyrics to It's Raining Men a few years ago, she wasn't referring to Australia's male inhabitants - a mythical tribe of hard-drinking, sports-mad and frequently sexist carnivores. Sydney's long-running male drought - the topic of countless dinner parties and agony columns - is well documented, but things look even bleaker with the release of a survey showing that the city's small pool of eligible men is turning into, well, a bunch of "pretty boys". The survey, commissioned by boutique Sydney brewer Barons Beer, has found among other things that the average Aussie male is now likely to be a "champagne-drinking metrosexual" who is more interested in hair products than hanging out with his male friends. Scott Garnett, chief executive of Barons Brewing, says the findings confirm that today's Australian male - especially if he lives in Sydney, the country's gay capital - is radically different from the post-war generation of tough, silent and hard-drinking blokes. "Many single women are crying out that it's almost impossible to find a `real' man," Mr Garnett says. "We're not advocating that men become yobbos - far from it - but we're losing the ability to laugh at ourselves." The new survey has worrying implications for marketing firms. Apart from their obsession with personal appearance, today's metrosexual has also changed his lifestyle, preferring to take a yoga or Pilates class than play soccer or cricket. Sociologists say that the rise of double-income families has also eroded the traditional male stereotype of the absent father. "Blokes want to spend more time with their kids than their fathers spent with them," says Sam Holt, the creator of a TV series about fatherhood. The survey might also help to explain why so many young Australians are apparently nostalgic for the raw-boned young men who went off to fight in successive foreign wars. The recent Remembrance Day gathering in Sydney, marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the first world war, attracted a record crowd. Speeches eulogised the bravery, loyalty and mateship that has characterised Australian troops from Gallipoli onwards. Still, it may be a little premature to write an obituary for the unreconstructed Aussie male bigot, judging by the recent spate of unpleasant incidents involving professional footballers. In September, three players from the Brisbane Broncos rugby team were charged but not convicted of sexual assault. And fears that Australia might slip further down the list of beer-drinking nations (it ranks fourth behind the Czech Republic, Ireland and Germany) also seem to be misplaced. Brewers are wooing back men with more wholesome, varied and innovative brews - even matching beer with food. Ironically, many beer companies are now targeting young women, with techniques such as light beer in "feminine bottles" and citrus sweeteners. Beer consultant Kirrily Waldhorn says people are starting to appreciate the health benefits of drinking beer. "Beer has less calories than white wine, no fat and the same beneficial antioxidants as red wine." All of which must be music to the ears of Sydney's Pilates-loving, latte-drinking metrosexuals.
