It’s no question that in this day and age that male beauty is on the rise and is here to stay.
Whereas before it was common and expected that men were kept ungroomed and scruffy, nowadays men dedicate time to their hair, and skin as well as the way they dress. To women, this can be seen as levelling the playing field as it is now both genders giving importance to TCL. So let’s further explore the phenomena that is male beauty… Until recently, cosmetics were only targeted at girls however at the start of January 2019, the world admired Chanel launched their first ever line of cosmetics for men “ Boy de Chanel”. The line includes foundation, brow pencil and lip balm. Channel, however, is far from being the only brand to cater “Beauty for Boys”- what males who invest in self-maintenance are called in the beauty industry. Other brands include MMUK and Edward Bess.
Makeup isn’t the only thing now being targeted to men! Hair removal such as waxing, laser, and threading have also opened their doors to males. In the past, the only hair removal men were invested in was shaving for their beards. Nowadays men do all the works to keep up with their celebrity idols such as David Beckham, Idris Elba, and Tom Hiddleston. Similarly, the hair care industry– specifically the beard care industry is booming as men are now seeing the benefits of shampooing and trimming them to the perfect shape.
Modern male fashion trends are often accompanied with trendy hair such as the man bun which is an ordinary bun but a hint messier and as the name suggests worn by males.
Fashion may be a little less stark than hair or skin care since if you go to a unisex clothing shop the majority of space will be taken up with just women’s clothes. This is slowly changing and can be seen in shops like Primark where they dedicate a whole floor to men. Nowadays, largely thanks to social media, men feel more inclined to dress in a stylish way and follow trends.
With all this being said it is important to note that this trend is predominantly millennial men as they are more willing to challenge gender roles than men from older generations. Could this change in male gender roles and stereotypes be ever-growing?
