Makeup for men? About time! "Canaanite men and women both wore makeup" (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, 2007) and body and facial paint has been an important aspect of life for men in many cultures. Makeup provided a means for the male Greek Chorus to play Men and Women's roles in Theatre and "makeup was an important facet in the daily lives of ancient Egyptian men and women"(University of Pennsylvania Museum of archeology and anthropology, 2007). So why are we so uptight about men men putting a little powder on their nose? After all, what's wrong with a little rouge between friends?

Of course, I am not referring to me. I am still having difficulty switching from soap bars to liquid hand sanitizers. However, it is easy to see why men would want a dab of makeup. Our cultural obsession with plastic surgery, youth and sexual prowess has gotten men right where it hurts. Cosmetics are not cheap but they offer men a chance to change their face without always going under the knife. "Research company Mintel said the rise of male cosmetics comes from the desire of men in the country to look younger and smell nicer" (ScienceDaily, 2007).

Yeah people, men everywhere want to smell nicer. But there are dangers for men when using makeup. Women get lessons but men... Well, for men it is survival of the fittest. "You have to use both hands, hold steady and brush up," said Guardian reporter James Wallman, after sampling the product. "You can't do it with your mouth shut. It's like applying glue to your eyes. That's why women flutter their eyelids. If they don't, their eyes will get stuck shut" (Sciencedaily, 2007). Get stuck? Man, that is scary.

But it is not the danger in applying makeup that makes men a little jittery about taking out the eye pencil and drawing over a lash. Nah. Men can handle glued eyelids. Brothers do that to each other just for a prank. No, men are a little squeamish about makeup because they have had to go to the store and find it. Men fear shopping but we are born to adapt. "Guided by a glut of guy's magazines like Gear and FHM, men have evolved in regard to personal shopping," Hein says. "There's less and less of a phobia, and they're not as clueless when it comes to dressing's more intimate details" (Barker, 2007).

However, men still need support for the time being because we can only do so much. Bars of soap are so easy to grab and so close to the cash register whereas makeup requires venturing a little further down the aisle. Sweat lines my brow just thinking about it but I too want to smell nice. No wonder I admire those few men who venture forth and shop. Fortunately, savy marketeers are coming to the rescue of men with store phobias. "Customers were asking for it in stores," Jenni Tapper-Hoel, of clothing outlet H&M, told the newspaper when asked why mascara was shelved with the men's clothing" (Sciencedaily, 2007).

___________

References:

Barker, O. (2007) USA Today Thong Underwear for Men Grows with Brief Encounter retrieved June 11, 2007 from http://www.usatoday.com/life/2 001-02-06-thongs.htm

ScienceDaily(2007). Men's Cosmetics on the Rise in Britain retrieved June 10, 2007 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/up i/?feed=Quirks&article=UPI-1-2 0070122-12195900-bc-britain-ma scara.xml

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (2007). Painting: A World Tour of Body Modification retrieved June 11, 2007 from http://www.museum.upenn.edu/ne w/exhibits/online_exhibits/bod y_modification/bodmodpaint.sht ml

Learn more about this author, H D Dumas.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Makeup for men: Marketing folly or about time??
We want to hear your view. Write now!