Meet market or meat market, is an originally pejorative term referring to two related phenomena:

• a location or activity in which people are viewed as commodities and
• a business like a nightclub where people typically look for a casual sex partner.^[1]

The term has, in general, evolved to mean a place or activity at which single persons congregate,^[2] and has become value neutral or positive.^[3][4]

Original connotations[link]

The sexual revolution of the 1960s and the internal migration of Americans to big cities meant that singles events in mid and large-size cities quickly replaced local town activities where participants previously knew each other. By the 1970s, singles events had developed a reputation as a "ritual of lies and mistrust", replete with men in search of casual sex, cold and unfriendly women, and frequent misunderstandings.^[5]

Events and bars, lounges, and nightclubs frequented by singles became known as meet/meat markets, or places where attendees rapidly sized up members of the opposite sex with objectifying criteria, such as attractiveness, wealth, and fashion sense, before taking the time to get to know attendees on a deeper level.^[6][7]

Reclamation of term[link]

In recent years, the term meet market has become neutral or even been reclaimed largely by commentators on the single scene and event promoters.^[7]

For example, a number of singles event promoters have chosen to name their events after some variation of the term. These uses include "Meet Market" for a singles mixer,^[8] "Meet Market Adventures" for a company catering adventure experiences to singles,^[9][10] and "'meet market' for Moses" for a Jewish singles event designed by religious organizations trying to ensure Jewish marriage and continuity.^[3]

Dating commentators and city guides now discuss meet markets in benign or positive terms, counseling readers to make use of meet markets to find a refined established gentlemen who desires marriage,^[11] an enjoyable short-term young professional dating partner,^[12] new friends of the same sex,^[13] or a long-term committed relationship, if desired,^[14]

The term is also used metaphorically, for example, to refer to the process of deciding which man to "buy" for a husband,^[15] or for finding a man to date at the grocery market.^[16]

References[link]

Julian McMahon
Born	Julian Dana William McMahon (1968-07-27) 27 July 1968 (age 43) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1989 -
Spouse	Brooke Burns (1999–2001; 1 child) Dannii Minogue (1994–1995)

Julian Dana William McMahon (/ˈdʒuːliən məkˈmɑːn/; born 27 July 1968) is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Early life[link]

McMahon was born in Sydney, Australia, the second of the three children of William "Billy" McMahon, MP and future Australian Prime Minister, and his wife Sonia McMahon, a former occupational therapist and fashion icon.^[1][2] He has an older sister, Melinda, and a younger sister, Deborah. McMahon has Irish ancestry.^[3]

McMahon was educated at Sydney Grammar School, a private boys school.^{[citation needed]} He briefly studied Law at the University of Sydney and Economics at the University of Wollongong,^{[citation needed]} but this bored him and he started a successful modeling career. Because of this, he became known in the fashion capitals Milan, London, New York, Rome, and Paris.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

In addition to a career as a fashion model, including a jeans commercial for Levi Strauss, McMahon began an acting career on Australian soap Home and Away, playing the soldier Ben Lucini (1989–1991). McMahon was one of several Home and Away cast-members to star in a stage musical about the soap, which toured the UK in 1991. Adam Willits, Sharyn Hodgson (who played his on-screen wife, Carly), Mouche Phillips and Justine Clarke also starred.^[4] Shortly afterward, he moved to the United States, and took voice classes to lose his Australian accent.^[5]

He then appeared in the film Wet and Wild Summer! (aka Exchange Lifeguards) in 1992, and following this he appeared in his then soon-to-be wife Dannii Minogue's music videos for her 1993 hits "This Is It" and "This Is The Way". His first role on American television was on the daytime soap opera Another World, playing Ian Rain from 1993 to 1995. He also went on to play Dr. Michael Walsh in the movie Magenta in 1996, Sheriff Hayes in In Quiet Night (aka You Belong to Me Forever) in 1998, George Simian in the psychological thriller Chasing Sleep in 2000, and David Cameron in the made for TV movie Another Day in 2001.

From 1996 to 2000, he starred in all four seasons of the NBC drama Profiler as Agent John Grant. Following this, McMahon joined the cast of the WB's supernatural hit show Charmed, playing the conflicted half-demon/half-human Cole Turner from 2000 to 2003, and returned for one episode in 2005. Following Charmed, McMahon's next role was playboy plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the FX series Nip/Tuck. He was nominated for the Golden Globe award for "Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama" in 2005 for his performance.

During this time, McMahon also portrayed supervillain Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four, the 2005 film adaptation of the comic book series of the same name. The film was a box office success, and McMahon reprised his role as Doom in the sequel in 2007.

He also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in the 2007 supernatural thriller Premonition. McMahon co-starred in 2011 with Milla Jovovich in Julien Magnat's thriller Faces in the Crowd.^[6]

Personal life[link]

In 1994 McMahon married Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue. The pair divorced after a year.^[7]

He has a daughter, Madison, with Brooke Burns.^[8][9]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Julian McMahon

• Julian McMahon at the Internet Movie Database
• Julian McMahon on Yahoo movies
• Julian McMahon on Twitter