by Zhuan Lee
Guys, what would be your first reaction upon hearing the word make-up? Twenty years ago, guys would have probably shrugged their shoulders and answered: “That’s women’s business. Real men don’t wear make-up!” Today, however, men are becoming more and more open about their masculine vanity. Some guys are even applying make-up just to look good. Surprised? You really shouldn’t be! Whoever thought that make-up and men never mixed? But if the terms make-up and cosmetics were replaced by “less feminine” vocabulary such as toiletries, facial enhancers, or personal grooming products, would this sound more familiar? Voila! There are thousands of such products on the market today. In fact, with the term “metrosexual” rapidly gaining popularity during the last couple of years, men no longer have to engage in closet vanity. Any appearance-conscious, urban, stylish, heterosexual male can proclaim himself a metrosexual without being sneered at by his macho, scruffy counterparts. After all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good! During our dads’ generation, I believe most men cleansed their faces only with the usual good old bar of soap. The only toiletries they owned were shaving cream, aftershave, and probably a bottle of pungent cologne. At least that was what I remember seeing in my father’s toiletry bag. During most of our recent history, men seem to have shunned make-up as though it were the plague. Of course, if you were a performer or Bozo the clown, it’d be a totally different story. In ancient times, however, men actually spent a lot of time dolling themselves up. Not only did they wear make-up, they wore lots of it! Ancient Egyptian men used perfumed oils to smooth their complexions, coal to darken their eyes and protect them from disease and the sun’s harmful rays. So did Viking men. Besides rimming their eyes black with coal, Roman men also used chalk powder to whiten their faces, colorants from nuts to enhance their eyes, and dyes from berries to stain their lips a healthy pink. In the Wei dynasty of ancient China, men also favored pasty, white complexions. For that, they’d apply a thin layer of arsenic(!) to their faces. Some even believed that occasionally consuming tiny amounts of arsenic could give them porcelain-white skin. So much for the sake of beauty. What may sound more intriguing was that during the Wei dynasty it was fashionable for men to have pale complexions with their lips painted a dark-brown color! So why has the trend for men in make-up died down over the years? Have our modern men have just grown too lazy to make themselves up? Can you accept men wearing make-up? Of the twenty guys and twenty girls I asked, about two-thirds still could not accept it. “It’s just not necessary” was the most common answer I got, as well as “It just isn’t right.” Strangely enough, though, it was the girls who said this. Those who did yes mostly had one condition, which was that men should wear only a minimal amount of make-up, to conceal blemishes or discreetly enhance their looks. What about the guys? The first reply I got was, “Do sunscreen and lip balm count?” 14 out of the 20 guys said that they would limit themselves to sunscreen and lip balm, but nothing more. 3 of the guys said that they do wear make-up to even out their skin tone and even shape their eyebrows. The remaining 3 insisted that they’d be glad to remain a good old scruffy kind of guy, however disheveled they might appear. Personally, I prefer my guy to be scruffy and au naturel. However, when the occasional angry, red pimple pops up or “raccoon eyes” appear after a few sleepless nights, I’d gladly offer him a concealer to cover up all things unsightly. Lip balms, to me, are lifesavers. They do not count as make-up unless they’re sparkly, glossy and tinted red. Sunscreen? Well, it does help to prevent skin cancer, but frankly speaking I prefer my guy to be sporty and toasted. Fashion genius Jean-Paul Gaultier recently became the first fashion designer to launch a special collection of make-up for men. And trust me, in no way does this collection look feminine. Neither in terms of smell nor packaging, just fuss-free products ranging from a complexion-brightening lotion, a bronzer, to a concealing crayon disguised as a pen, practical for even the clumsiest male around. Gaultier says, “Every man has the freedom and the right to acknowledge his own personality. To develop his sensitivity. To be different…to dare to be bold. To end taboos. Every man has the right to look his very best.” Sounds as though our poor men have long been suppressing their innate desire to beautify themselves! Maybe it’s time for all of us to stop judging them from how much paint they put on. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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