A Recent Study Shows That Men Are Indulging in Beauty Buying As Much As Women In India. About Time Beauty Becomes Genderless
Beauty buying has always been packaged as a feminine thing. So much so that a woman steering clear of cosmetics is judged while a man who uses them is ridiculed. Not sure who made these rules and deemed personal care fit only for half the humankind but most beauty products are only marketed keeping women in mind. The beauty brands cater to a small segment and come up with extensive range while leave men to rely on the hygiene basics.
Seriously, did anyone ever ask men if they would like to stash a few more personal care items on their bathroom rack other than their aftershave and Vaseline? Because, turns out men are equally interested in beauty products as women and a recent study is proof. It says that on average, men and women are both buying about nine beauty products every month. Honestly, I am not surprised since I have seen my brother and boyfriend stealing my lip balm, serums and what not (ugh, get your own!). About time, there are genderless beauty products that men can buy and use without having to steal from our nightstand.
Recently, we have been seeing an upsurge in the men’s grooming market with a number skincare and beauty products being offered to young men. However, they are still essentially advertised as masculine vanity and are far from gender-neutral. The products aimed at male customers would often be packaged in black or blue bottles, tubes and jars and would be endorsed by an athlete or a macho actor to boldly prove the point that beauty can be for men, only if packaged as such. Can we seriously move past this gender-biased norm that vanity is only associated with women? Give us a break and let people revel in personal care, be it a woman or a man.
ETRetail | Vanity Fair: Both men and women buy an average of nine beauty products every month, survey finds #Men #VanityFair #Survey #Google #BeautyProducts #Women https://t.co/qMrccxmnpk
— ET Retail (@ETRetail) November 4, 2020
Also Read: More Men Are Visiting Salons Post-Lockdown Than Women. And They Say Women Are Vain.
Some studies also show that men are more likely to buy beauty products if they are branded and marketed as gender-fluid or unisex. Plus, they won’t even mind adopting and following a skincare routine which is often prescribed to only women. Why? Men have skin too that get damaged due to pollution and sun rays. Although their skin surface is a bit thicker than women and they practically stress everyone out but themselves which is why they don’t get acne, but taking skincare seriously is as important for a man as for a woman. However, the severe dearth of beauty products targeted at men only widens this gap further.
Think about it. You could get face serums, neck creams and eye gels all for women but the men’s personal care products don’t go beyond beard-grooming products, face wash and a face scrub if they are lucky. I am not kidding; there are all-in-one products for their face, hair and beard. Poor men! Very few brands offer more advanced skincare products like hand creams, foot scrubs and lip balms for men and we definitely need more of them on the shelves, now that it’s established that men like to indulge in beauty buying too.
Beauty and the bloke: why more men are wearing makeup https://t.co/E24j60wLVD
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 23, 2020
Not just skincare, men have shown an inclination towards makeup in recent times and it’s the most wholesome thing, especially in India. Although it still invites trolls, unsolicited sexist remarks and mockery when a man applies makeup, thanks to the deep-rooted toxic masculinity but at least more men are turning to makeup and wearing it as a form of expression and art. We think gender-fluid beauty brands are the way forward and men using beauty products as much as women needs to be normalised rather than being reported as breaking news or being a subject of a thesis. It’s about time we make beauty and makeup a genderless thing.
