Gone are the days when you could tell the genders apart with ease. These days men and women are trading what was typical of their gender type and seeing whether or not the grass is greener on the other side. But when you think of make up for men, do you think scene of utter perfection supermodel, or image of absolute horror Marilyn Manson?

Make up has been on the way in for men for quite some time. It started with men's skincare, which was an obvious stage in development, since men deserve to look and feel good too. But is make up taking that development a step too far? These days men can purchase foundation, concealer, mascara, eye liner and pretty much anything else that was typically female.

Of course it is great to have these products available for those few men who do wish to wear make up, and lets face it, they are not so uncommon these days. There are your rebellious teens with their eyeliner and white face powder, but there are also your vain types who just want to look good. But why shouldn't men be entitled to look good? Us women have these privileges, so I guess, so should men.

But is a whole range of make up just designed for men really necessary? Personally, I do not know any men who would dare wear make up. Yet I see many. This is because my partner plays in an alternative band and while he would never even consider using anything remotely close to make up, the people who come to his shows often do. But this is make up in the sense of standing out. I do not know any man, nor do I recall seeing any in person, who wear make up for the sake of just looking good in the same way women do.

Personally I do not believe there are enough men around who want to wear make up to justify a large focus on male make up. It is good to have it available for those few that wish to use it, but I do not think it is mainstream enough at this stage that they need their own line. Unlike skincare, men should be able to use the same make up products women use, so there is little need for their own line. If it makes them feel more masculine to be buying make up designed for men, then perhaps they need to look up the meaning of masculine in the dictionary, because make up really does not fit that description. So realistically, if a man is reluctant to buy a product because it is designed for women, then he should be reluctant to wear make up at all.

Let us go back to the days when men were men and women were women, and allow that firm line to reappear.

Learn more about this author, Holly Rogers.
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