Step forward: What has changed in the relationship of men with cosmetics
margarita virova
In the model and beauty business has always worked not only women. Among make-up bloggers, of course, there are more girls, but you can recall several notable men on the move, which is significant. And although in the professional world there are representatives of very different identities, one of the main concerns of last year was the relationship of men with makeup. We understand whether everything that is happening is so fresh and new as to cause a noticeable resonance.
Manny, like many other young make-up artists and lovers, tries on the traditionally feminine makeup, without flirting with the drag images
Last fall, the face of the CoverGirl brand, which often chose representatives of the novice brand without world fame, was seventeen-year-old video blogger James Charles. He is not an honored industry fighter: at the time the campaign was released, his accounts were just one year old. Charles is the one who is called make-up enthusiasts: a person who loves makeup and shares his passion with others. Manny Gutierrez, who now advertises Maybelline mascara, is already a more famous figure with nearly three million subscribers. It is important that Manny behaves as an activist: he does not hide his sexual orientation and encourages others to not be shy about the love of makeup.
Gutierrez is not like the older generation of bloggers like Wayne Goss, who acted as an online consultant and focused primarily on the female audience. Manny, like many other young make-up artists and lovers (for example, Briton David Sternberg or Michael Finch), tries on traditionally feminine make-up without flirting with drag images. He identifies himself as a man, does not disguise the stubble and adheres to a rather moderate style of dress. His love for make-up, therefore, does not speak about gender transformations, as many people are used to perceive. James Charles, by the way, mentioned that his parents tried to find out from his son whether he was a transgender person, but he had no doubts about this.
Men's cosmetics collections have ceased to be a wonder: the Tom Ford brand is responsible for the middle ground, in which from 2013 you can find a whole arsenal of eyebrow gel to beard oil. The decorative ceiling of this collection is concealer, which the creator himself then called "an unusual means for men." It took only a couple of years, and in 2016, MAC, whose position implies the ultimate equality of all lovers of makeup, regardless of gender, age and nationality, presented the men's cosmetics collection in collaboration with Harry and Peter Branta. It included the same eyebrow gels, a palette of shadows, translucent lip markers - all in a neat natural gamut. This issue received enough attention, however, in Russia women became the bulk of buyers. All "male" products are distinguished from "female" products only by packaging, and the revolution consists, in essence, in rejecting the pink cap. Nevertheless, these stories show that a new norm is being formed, feeling that brands are striving to expand their target audience.
This new norm - the idea of make-up as a means of self-expression for everyone, appeared thanks to Internet heroes promoting a relaxed approach in matters of beauty and appearance. Not so long ago, cosmetics, the services of professional makeup artists and cosmetologists were seen as tools for "improving" the appearance, a set of techniques and techniques that will help you look the way fashion dictates; these ideas are still alive today, but the alternative course is already gaining momentum. Today, an impressive part of the community make-up is perceived as entertainment, a popular and diverse hobby and art form - but such things cannot be endowed with strict gender characteristics.
Thanks to Internet heroes, a new norm appears - the concept of make-up as a means of self-expression for all
The stumbling block will probably be for a long time the right of men to wear makeup for any reason and without according to their taste - unfortunately, this choice is surrounded by many stereotypes that link it to the rejection of the conventional "masculinity". At the same time, in the fashion or in the perfume circles, gender separation is melting before our eyes every year - there these processes started earlier, but at first they met resistance in the same way.
Of course, we will not take a big step forward as long as there are ideas that gender or gender make us look and behave in a certain way. Make-up or lack of it, like the love of skirts or trousers, does not oblige a person to reconsider their gender identity. A person who identifies himself as a man who loves makeup is just a man who loves makeup. And many of them really have something to learn.