© Ashish Shah
Beauty
The new legion of beauty bloggers are well-informed, well-groomed... and male
For the longest time, the world of beauty has been tethered to femininity, while the conversation around skincare and beauty for men was hastily ushered under the umbrella of grooming. However, a growing cohort of male beauty bloggers is now challenging the binary pink-for-girls, blue-for-boys divide that governing the beauty aisle. The winds of change, while long overdue, are sweeping through the crevices of the industry—netizens can now watch James Charles fronting campaigns for Covergirl or turn to Hyram Yarbro for unfiltered advice on which skincare brands are worth their money. The result is a more inclusive sphere that offers impetus to a future where beauty is genderless and here, we take a look at the names ushering in the revolution.
“As a guy walking into a beauty store and trying to browse through the options, you can almost feel the physical weight of the embarrassment and stigma attached to male beauty because men have been conditioned to believe that they shouldn’t bother themselves with personal care and grooming,” notes Yashwant Singh, a New Delhi-based content creator. A skincare enthusiast inspired by his own journey with cystic acne, his advocacy for male beauty remains the exception, rather than the norm in the country. The 22-year-old believes that the reason men are represented to a limited extent in the beauty blogging landscape is that they are under-represented in the beauty industry at large. “If you step into a beauty store, you’ll never find a male celebrity as an ambassador of a gender-neutral beauty brand. Any product options for men are significantly limited.”
However, the buck doesn’t stop there. Matt Woodcox, a Texas-based beauty influencer, believes that men could have possibly under-represented themselves to a certain extent. He observes, “A lot of men don't want to admit they use skincare and beauty products or put it on social media for everyone to see. A heterosexual male who wears foundation shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable but unfortunately, society has put these restrictions on us without our consent,” he observes. He believes that the notion is further reinforced by mainstream brand packaging that restricts male beauty to black, brown or neutral colours. “If the beauty industry is to move forward, we need to let go of the notion that male-identifying individuals need to be ‘masculine’,” he adds.
Both are in agreement that if the beauty industry is to become more inclusive of all identities on the gender spectrum, the way forward can only be paved with greater representation. Singh says, “We now live in a space where guys can talk about skincare and getting their nails done but earlier, people wouldn’t consider these aspects of masculinity. With more guys coming forward to embrace themselves, it can change the narrative on how we define masculinity. We need more men to prioritise self-care and grooming without giving in to binary gender stereotypes to normalise the conversation around male beauty.” However, despite the steps being taken forward by the industry, change doesn’t happen overnight—Woodcox admits to being on the receiving end of negative comments. “I've had people comment things like, ‘this is girly lol’ or ‘a guy wearing makeup? weird...’. But I stand proud in who I am as a male-identifying beauty blogger who likes pink, makeup and breaking down the gender restrictions that society has tried to instil in us.”
The arrival of male bloggers on the beauty landscape isn’t just defying gender norms—the ripple effect could potentially alter the future of the industry on the whole to create a genderless space. Encouraging steps in the direction are already being taken by young beauty brands driven by an inclusive ethos, such as homegrown label FAE Beauty. When crafting the brand’s identity, founder Karishma Kewalramani consciously chose to expand its scope beyond women. “We wanted to cater to a more holistic and representative spectrum of individuals, so using models of different genders was a no-brainer for us. As a brand, we felt like it was about time that an Indian individual who does not identify as female sees themselves in mainstream beauty campaigns, enabling and empowering them to feel a sense of relatability that has unfortunately evaded them thus far,” she says. The brand’s inclusive philosophy is reflected in its packaging that steers clear from conventional hues of pink that have been stereotypically identified as feminine. “You'll observe holographic elements in our packaging which alludes to the entire spectrum of colours, enabling customers to make what they will of the product, instead of putting them in a box with a gendered take on colour,” she adds.
Ultimately, the final destination is to normalise the notion that beauty and skincare are for anyone with skin, believes Woodcox. “We've let society tell us ‘pink is for girls, blue is for boys’ and ‘dolls are for girls, toy trucks are for boys’ for way too long. Makeup and skincare are for everyone on the gender spectrum, and we all just want to be seen and feel represented. I would love for the beauty industry to offer us the love and acceptance that we deserve, regardless of our age, sexuality and gender,” he signs off.
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