Some of the Top Ten Ubersexual men are, from top: Pierce Brosnan, No. 8; Bono, No. 1; George Clooney, No. 2; Biill Clinton, No. 3; Donald Trump, No. 4; and Arnold Schwarzenegger, No. 5. Click photo for larger image. Related article Top 10 ubersexuals

Proponents of evolutionary theory used to spend time ruminating about the existence of "the missing link" -- the stage of man's biological development between the ape and the guy who's glad he's not an ape.

But that's ancient history. Nowadays, such research is pretty much left to anthropologists and archaeologists. There's no money in it and it has no future.

The money, in fact, is in the future. Marketers, wondering how best to sell their products, finance all sorts of studies on the evolution of modern man. By identifying developments and trends on the horizon, they -- and their products -- can be seen as the cutting edge of fashion, essential to a man's survival and fitness.

"In marketing terms, we continue to re-examine and re-assign terms and attitudes to every changing consumer," said Tom Julian, a trend analyst for Fallon Worldwide in New York City. "It's only natural that we see one form of male replaced by another. It's part of our society, part of the dynamic."

Few people have a handle on this like authors Marian Salzman, Ira Matathia and Ann O'Reilly, the trend-spotting triad responsible for taking the word "metrosexual" and beating us to death with it a couple of years ago.

The term, originally coined by cultural critic Mark Simpson in 1994 to derisively describe "modern young men with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are," was bandied about by the authors, marketers and the media until it became quite the phenomenon. It eventually was selected Word of the Year in 2003 by the American Dialect Society.

And now it's so passe. The new man is an "ubersexual."

"'Metrosexual' was very true as we saw how women influenced men and their lifestyles a few years back," said Mr. Julian, a native of Clairton and a graduate of Robert Morris College. "Young men embracing skin care and grooming."

Ms. Salzman and company, however, differed slightly from Mr. Simpson on the definition of a "metrosexual." As they saw it, "metrosexual behaviors and attitudes [were] less about vanity and pretense and more about having the strength to be true to oneself."

If oneself happened to be David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, Leonardo DiCaprio or Sting. Mr. Julian suggested that Ricky Martin and Ryan Seacrest also were good examples.

The authors said that, "Rather than seeing it as overly feminine, narcissistic behavior, we view metrosexuality as a welcome evolution in man's adaptation to the modern world."

And that's what these "futurists" are doing -- watching the evolution of man. "We're always on the lookout for new insights and trends that may be of value to our advertising clients," they write in their newest book, "The Future of Men."

Apparently, the future of men is the "ubersexual."

"This is a man whose defining qualities are passion and style," writes Ms. Salzman, an executive vice president for advertising giant J. Walter Thompson (JWT Worldwide). She's on the record as predicting the rise of '70s nostalgia and urban street style among suburban white kids long before the trends took off.

"We chose uber as our descriptor because of its connotations of being the greatest, the best. In our view, these men are the most attractive (not just physically), most dynamic, and most compelling men of their generations. They are supremely confident (without being obnoxious), masculine, stylish and committed to uncompromising quality in all areas of life."

While the metrosexual man was cultured and aesthetic, splitting time between his feminine side and his inner child, the ubersexual man exudes confidence and leadership. He's a "man's man," without bumping into negative stereotypes such as disrespecting women or living just for sports, beer and red meat.

The metrosexual man stopped in front of the mirror and saw a lot of positive feminine qualities. The ubersexual man glances in the mirror as he moves past it and runs a hand through his hair.

It's the difference between cosmetics and causes, grooming and growing.

The ubersexual men range from Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger to George Clooney and Bono, the lead singer for U2. Mr. Julian said actor Matthew McConaughey, with "his intellect, style and independence," comes to mind. Maybe Lance Armstrong and NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

Not making the list, but confident enough in his place to say he belongs on it, is conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, who used his national radio show to make the point that the ubersexual traits sound kind of familiar.

"This is what men were before feminism came along and neutered them!" Mr. Limbaugh said on his program last week. "Men weren't supposed to be any of that. They were supposed to be sensitive or be in touch with the feminine side, and these liberal women married these guys and turned them into actual wimps, and, you know, the feminist movement's imploding, and women in the feminist movement want what is now being called the new man, the 'ubersexual,' which is simply what a man was before they came along and started changing basic human nature."

The differences, according to the authors, may be subtle. The ubersexual man, for example, isn't buying the products pushed in the titillating commercials that appeal to younger men. He's responding more to appeals to his mind. He's not the metrosexual, but he's not the Marlboro man, either.

The ubersexual label "is still on the discovery aspect of marketing circles," Mr. Julian said. "It was introduced this past summer, [and] it normally takes about six months for these terms and ideals to bloom and grow."

But the hype for this "new male market" is building. Within hours of the authors' recent appearance on "The Today Show," cosmetic and toiletry companies were tripping over each other in an effort to be the ones first associated with the ubersexual.

The makers of Crest products sent out a news release touting their new brand of cooling dental floss, their new whitening toothpaste, and their new "Pro-Health Rinse" -- it's like mouthwash, but it has a newer, nicer name -- as "top oral care products that may be found in an ubersexual's medicine cabinet."

If it makes your skin creep, you probably aren't using the right exfoliant.