It has been believed for a long time that men who wear makeup are not considered manly enough, or they’re gay, feminine, or any other attribute that takes a hit at their masculinity or their identity. While wearing makeup is predominantly something women do, it’s 2018 and it’s the year that more and more men are grabbing their brushes, their eyeshadows and their lipsticks while stepping up and forward as people who also use makeup.
This idea of women being the only ones allowed to wear makeup only started in the mid-1800’s. Before then, men used makeup for many reasons. Egyptian men used black eyeliner to communicate wealth and status, and men who wore wigs and painted their cheeks exemplified aristocracy. Later, in the Rock N’ Roll era, iconic rock stars like Prince and David Bowie wore the makeup that made them edgy and fashion forward.
According to Mrporter.com, they reported a growth of about 300 percent in men’s beauty and beauty products. This means that more men are abandoning the notion that only women are the ones that “should” or “are allowed” to take care of themselves and groom their appearance. A stigma that people don’t seem to challenge is the fact that men are in all of their right to want to wear moisturizer, buy skin care products, or even that nice bar of soap that smells like coconut. Going beyond the simple skin care products, if men want to wear makeup, it does not speak of their sexuality nor their gender.
Makeup has become a booming industry where not only men but millennials, in general, are buying and using almost 25 percent more cosmetics than they did just two years ago. So, perhaps we could thank this increase in the popularity of makeup to more men feeling comfortable in using these products that make people feel and look good.
An important stepping stone in this process of acceptance was when Cover Girl named James Charles, at only 17, their first ever male ambassador for the brand. And, just like James, we can see other male makeup artists like Manny Gutierrez and Patrick Starr, who became cover faces for Maybelline and M.A.C., respectively.
Men wear makeup too and that’s perfectly fine! Makeup shouldn’t be restricted to a certain gender. It’s a form of art and a form of self-expression.