The upcoming makeup trend that some see as totally unacceptable… Man V’s Makeup.

In recent years there has been a growing population of men who choose to wear makeup. If it be a bold, courageous statement, or something much more subtle in order to enhance or hide unwanted features. Much of this rise has been brought upon us due to society’s gender fluid generation, which encourages us not to be defined by our gender stereotypes, and be who WE believe suits us.

Swiftly following from this ‘rise’ of a gender-fluid mindset we have seen an increase in popularity of male makeup bloggers such as James Charles (@jamescharles), Patrick Starr (@patrickstarrr) and many more. These boys are able to teach us a cut crease like no other girl could!

Not only have we seen acceptance grow here on the internet, but also through retailers and brands, for example Milk’s ‘genderless’ range which showcases products which are helping not only ‘blur’ our skin to look picture perfect, but blur the distance between gender fields. In addition, popular retailers such as Asos are also jumping on board! Their website exhibits a designated tab especially for men’s makeup, which newly features MMUK (Man Makeup for Men), a “luxurious” brand which is neatly boxed in more typically ‘masculine’ packaging. It seems that from looking at these changes, men who wear makeup are being greatly accepted into our society, openly and freely…

Well… not totally. Sounds a little too good to be true! As we all know a revolution will take time, however… (and here is where the problem begins), within Asos’s section, all of the products (Appart from MMUK) continue to be swatched on female models, female skin, therefore, one can conclude the true target market is is for females, right? If this doesn’t prove our point enough Asos advertise the mascara “show girl”, by Barry M. The word “girl” instantly genders this mascara, perhaps dissuading many men from purchasing it. And this is only one product picked from hundreds, all designed only for women.

Furthermore, a study completed by Homage (http://www.hommage.com/blog/hommage-magazine/men-wearing-makeup/) in January 2017, found that most straight women wouldn’t date a man who wore makeup. It looks as though we still have some way to go before gender fluidity, or just self expression through makeup can truly be accepted.

In order to judge these statistics on a greater level we decided to ask those surrounding us whether they believe a “man can wear makeup?”. For females the following question was “would you date a man who wears makeup”, and for men we asked “would you wear it yourself, if not, why?”.

The results from these interviews were pretty unanimous, both males and females stating that they had no issue if a male wanted to wear makeup, most seemed very opened mined to the idea infact. However, the men asked did not admit to ever having worn makeup nor having the desire to. Their concerns on the subject were often decided by the thought of what others would think, being unable to uphold their tough exterior behind makeup. People also associated it with gay men, a way for them to express themselves, and whilst they admired this, they were not willing to join in.

“In today’s world I think people still can’t be themselves. I would get definitely get looks, I wouldn’t wear makeup, no.”

Again women were open to men wearing makeup. Although, when the topic of dating occurred all of the females we asked said that they could only deal with minimal makeup, for example using concealer to cover bad acne scars. Bold eye or lip product may put them off dating the person at all.

Interestingly, most women were able to accept drag, one of our interviewee’s naming it to be only “temporary’”.

“I’d like to think I would be able to let them do whatever they want (…) I don’t think I would mind drag, but thats only temporary. So, extremes in small doses”.

Perhaps the reason behind this distaste for ‘extreme’ makeup is again due to the idea that makeup is ‘feminine’, and for a male to be applying it in large quantities he therefore looses some of his masculinity. Partners associate it with being a gender crisis, and people would rather date someone who is secure and steady. But really we all are basing this on what… stereotypes? And in 2018, where our culture is so full of diversity we truly need to stop seeing makeup in this ‘female’ way. Everyone deserves self expression, and surely makeup is just another avenue in achieving this?