Men’s makeup market is rapidly increasing. Specific products ranging from beard massage oils to oil removing scrubs are hitting the shelves rapidly.
I have always been an extremely personality conscious person from my childhood. Even growing up, I would often spend hours in front of mirror to ensure that I looked presentable. Extremely conscious about my skin care, it was a regular ritual to wash my face many times in a day. And often I would end up being scolded by parents. They would stress on personal hygiene, but always told me makeup is not for men. Fast Forward many years, Men’s care is now one big industry. Imagine a man wearing an eyeliner in those times. He would have surely become a CenterPoint of mockery. However, the line between what is apt for men and women has ceased to exist. With Beauty treatments are no longer a women’s core. In a recent post, which went viral, content creator and actor Ankush Bahuguna speaks about makeup and masculinity. Salon’s dedicated to Men’s care have come up offering treatments from a basic eyebrow tint to a full-faced makeup, Pedicures, Manicures and Facials.
Beauty is no longer female centric, Makeup and Masculinity no longer trend
There has been massive transformation in men’s make up. Let’s face it, Bollywood has always been a benchmark for Indian fashion. From Sadhana cut to Dev Anand’s Bell Bottoms, individuals have copied Bollywood to a great extent. Indian male models are already ruling the International stage.
On one hand Rohit Khandelwal became Mr World in 2016 and became the first Asian to do that. On the other hand models like Punit Beniwal, Gaurav Rana, Meer Ali, Angad Bedi and Karan Bedi continued to make statements. With the perspective changing no one looks at make up as gender centric. According to Ankush, who is known for his makeup guidelines, doesn’t see as a mere trend. Back in the days he recalled becoming amused at how orange colour corrector can mask dark circles.
“I never looked at makeup from a gender perspective. I never thought I shouldn’t indulge in it only because I’m a man. So, I started making videos to normalise it.”
Makeup Tutorial Guide on Make up and Masculinity
Makeup and Masculinity is acceptable. It is no longer feminine
Gone are the days when makeup was considered a domain of the females. Not any more. Makeup is no longer related to sexuality. There is hardly any actor who doesn’t wear make up. Contrary to what people might think, men match their make up with skin tone. More and More men have started to pay attention to the finer details such as skin and hair. While makeup in the western countries is not a novel concept, Indian men are still averse to makeup since the very start. According to make up artist Suresh Menon, the times have changed.
“People are more open about it today than they were say, five years go, but men still do shy away from makeup. I see many hesitant men, slowly warming up to make up for their weddings now. It definitely builds up the confidence.”
Suresh Menon opens up on Perception of Indian Men with respect to Makeup
Indian Men’s make no longer a Taboo, the gap between makeup and Masculinity is bridging
It is a normal behaviour of every human being to follow trends. Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising if one person leads and others follow suit. In Indian market there are people that still go after brands. On the other hand Men’s make up and beauty has a way to go. Most still cringe at the thought of make up, but we are making strides in the direction. And more and more people join the movement, it is sure to spread further.
With more men indulging in personal care, Makeup and Masculinity are becoming a norm
As far as makeup is concerned, it should not be gender based. Just as a woman can indulge in pampering, so can a man. It should be as simple as that. It is high time we take notice. Social media is also responsible for the shifting trend. More and more men are becoming increasingly conscious about body care. According to a study in US carried out over 1000 men by Mintel, more than 33% actively cared about aging. Furthermore, the number increased with adult men having children. And the same studies show the men’s products at a value of US $57.7 billion as of 2017. Analysts are expecting it to double in the next year to a valuation of US $78.6 billion and a 5.3% CAGR.
