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DALLAS, Apr 24, 2004/ FW/ --- Men inside the Washington beltway might be the most image conscious lot in the U.S.

It comes with the territory, i.e., working in Capitol Hill, the White House; even the Justice Department comes with a standard of looking good yet conservative enough in the eyes of the populace.

There is a dress code and it is strictly followed to the point that the U.S. Secret Service, during the mid 1990s, while guarding then President Bill Clinton who was enjoying Waikiki Beach with his wife Hilary and their daughter Chelsea, was wearing their suit, tie and dress shoes in the beaches of sunny Hawaii when everyone was wearing shorts and swimsuits.

But times have changed since the turn of the millennium. The now ubiquitous term “metrosexual” had come into the picture and the man in the White House, President George W. Bush had been voted in the top 10 ‘Best Groomed American’ since he assumed office, getting the top slot during his first year in office.

Hip-hop, which used to be part of the American youth subculture, has now crossed the mainstream. Rappers like P.Diddy and Damon Dash, including Eminem can look flamboyant in their clothes, yet retain a tough guy image.

The average American now expects a certain level of celebrity dressing to well-known personalities, including politicians.

But if fashion is very fickle, politics beats it when it comes to how fast voters can change their minds. Hence, a precarious balance is always needed to be attained; so when it comes to dressing, erring on the conservative side is usually the path taken.

With metrosexuality reaching Middle America, men in Capitol Hill are taking cue from the newly found fashion liberalism with men. They started shopping!

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