Makeup For Men On The Rise
Market research data reveals more and more men are taking up the practice of wearing makeup. No, not cross-dressers, drag queens, or KISS wannabes but everyday guys – investing in their appearance and using products conventionally advertised towards women. And retailers are taking notice, offering varieties of tinted moisturizers, oil-absorbing powders, concealers and balms specifically marketed as part of the male beauty regimen.
According to marketing data company Euromonitor International, a total of $5 billion was spent on men’s grooming products in the US in 2012, more than double the $2.4 billion spent in 1997. Increasingly, men are looking to put their best face forward – equating the confidence of youth and beauty to success – and are willing to buy products they believe will help them accomplish just that regardless of the assumed femininity associated with the practice.
Androgyny may just be in fashion. Eager to achieve the pretty-boy looks and smooth complexion of revered pop stars, South Korean men are becoming the highest makeup wearing demographic, spending $900 million a year on BB creams, foundations, and anti-aging products, according to an ABC News segment. In Seoul there are even makeover shows dedicated specifically towards men.
A study performed by Ask Men inquired as to whether or not men should wear makeup. Of those polled, 20 percent responded in the positive, but opinions on the topic were rather polarized as one respondent felt men should be more concerned about their appearance while another stated bluntly, “Men wearing makeup is proof positive that manhood is doomed. When more and more men take on the things that are associated with the opposite sex, they gradually cease to be men.”
Do you think men should wear makeup if they want to without being socially chided for doing so? Or do you feel men should take a more traditionally masculine approach to their appearance? Is a man who tries to enhance his appearance considered less of a man for doing so?
[Image via Shutterstock]
