Silent killer strikes men in the prime of life

Mantropy: "Symptoms of the "illness" ... include a penchant for pedicures, fruit smoothies and small dogs." First spied in the magazine Maxim, mantropy can be counteracted by showing a preference for cars over clothes and eschewing manicures.

The magazine's website says: "If you are male, you're at risk. Mantropy knows no social or economic boundaries, attacking men of all races and tax brackets without warning."

Greg Gutfeld, the editor of the British edition of Maxim, said the campaign had been sparked by fashion images of hairless men.

"It's that sort of thing which is driving normal men crazy," he said. "I personally think television and pubs are the best inoculation against this sort of thing." The campaign is good news for macho heart-throbs, such as Colin Farrell, Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe, and is further proof that the appeal of metrosexual icons such as Jude Law and Orlando Bloom may be on the wane, even if it has yet to have an impact on some stars. For example, Mickey Rourke, a former boxer and the star of the -violent thriller Sin City, has a Chihuahua.