The males of any species face an uncomfortable future.
They're precariously straddling the metro/hetereo verge, and consistently forced into situations where everything about him is assessed, from brains, to productivity, to attractiveness.
Yes, due to the increasing number of women in the workforce, the male appearance is now something that they’re having to pay closer attention to, but (still) there are many who are unsure how to groom without appearing feminine.
For years the idea of the brawny man who exuded effortless animal charm ruled, with idols like Sean Connery leading the way for craggy faced versions of prime male-estate. With the rise of feminine looking stars such as Jude Law and the fresh faced Will Young, men are giving to redefine their notions of masculinity. And it’s not an easy leap, as they’re having to relearn ideas about grooming, styling and everyday associations.
But how does you average man get into moisturiser?
They might steal some off their girlfriends shelves, or sneakily chuck in some Nivea 4 men when they’re in Tesco, but a regime still seems out of moist of their grasp. Companies are aiming to appeal to the growing interest in male grooming by creating products that will appeal to the burgeoning man, the idea being to get them whilst they’re young.
True, the metrosexual man could invest in some high quality products like Lab Series for Men or Origins for Men, but your average male would probably balk at the prices.
Soap & Glory, purveyors of the skincare range for women that mimics Benefit products in shape and style has created a male friendly line of products, that aims to appeal to those starting out in skincare.
The fact that they have topless gamine males adorning the packaging implies they realize that the market is widening, and the pricepoints are pocket friendly, suggesting that the younger male (14+) might be interested.
It also de-feminizes the idea of cleansing, by presenting these products as tongue-in-cheek in an unashamedly male way. Men already benefit from the fact that they tend to get more attractive as they age, and now it appears they'll have the grooming know how to magnify this fact
Whilst some might deplore the so called feminization of men as another mis-step on the road to equality, I find their inclination towards grooming a celebratory experience. The labels female and male are becoming more blurred and the rise of products like Guyliner and Manscara show that pressure to look good is crossing the gender divide.
Obviously, it would be better if men and women could bond over shared intellectual goals rather than societies need for youth and attractiveness, but anything that shows the sexes how similar they are has to e a good thing.
As more men fall under pressure to maintain a certain standard of appearance, the more sympathetic and understanding they'll be to their female colleagues, and hopefully this will eventually mean the unrealistic beauty standards became history - for everyone, whatever their sex.