Unless you and I have been living in two different worlds, we seem to have an issue on our hands. We have feminized men to the point where they are slowly starting to resemble women. It is enough evidence to go down to your local super market to see the vast array of beauty, hair and make-up products specifically made for men. So what is happening here?
MONEY;
Nearing the beginning of the 21st century the cosmetics industry woke up to one, booming thought. For decades they ignored 50% of their potential customers. Men, in the same way as women, have personal grooming issues which could be solved with the application of cosmetics. And with the wave of acceptance and gender equality that came with the 21st century it was the perfect time to start mass producing cosmetics products aimed at men. Gray hair, wrinkles and eye-bags were all relatively simple issues which could bring in a lot of money. According to the cosmetics industry makes over $55 billion annually, as of 2014. And with around 25% of men taking more than half an hour in the morning to get ready, there is clear indication that the male based products are selling.
CULTURE;
We have seen a massive shift in the cultural attitudes, especially those within the western areas of the world. Societies are becoming more accepting of men being less masculine. The days of leather jackets, motorbikes and hard rock are (sadly, may I add) long gone and have become replaced by a mindless, spiritless pop culture. These days, it is enough to make a fool out of yourself, or better, a freak, to grab people's attention and become famous. Furthermore, as women gain more and more rights, becoming (virtually) equal to men in their rights, the pressures of the past on men to provide for their families are gone. It is now perfectly acceptable for the woman to be the one who works and brings in the hard-earned cash home and for the man to stay behind and do the cooking. Although most couples tend to live in a symbiotic relationships in which both partners are expected to contribute both financially and at home, it is no surprise that men are becoming more feminine.
VANITY;
We are vain. That is the simple truth. Because every day we are bombarded with adverts of beautiful men and women, working out, eating healthy and looking beautiful in their designer clothes, we have slowly come to expect this of ourselves. We now do more than ever, to look good and impress others. It's enough to look at some statistics to know this is true; 25 million American males (and 20 million females) going to the gym each year. Furthermore, the British males spend an incredible 13 billion pounds on clothes each year, on average spending just 99 pounds less than their female counterparts. Because of the earlier mentioned shift in culture, we no longer live in the times when it was the woman's job to look beautiful and stunning and the man's job was to be handsome. These days, men feel the need to be pretty, beautiful and stunning themselves, abandoning natural masculinity.
So why mention all of this?
Because I think men are close to the point of no return. If we do not act now, soon, traditional men will become a dying breed. I am not in the favour of unkempt hair, facial hair whose shave is long overdue or an outfit which has clearly been in someone's wardrobe for three decades but I do believe that we should make a stand for traditional men. I want to see the return of the gentlemen; men who knew how to look after themselves without excessive grooming, man-pedicures and what nots. Men, who woman adored not for their beauty or perfect body, but for devilish handsomeness and intellect.
By Michal Wroblewski
MONEY;
Nearing the beginning of the 21st century the cosmetics industry woke up to one, booming thought. For decades they ignored 50% of their potential customers. Men, in the same way as women, have personal grooming issues which could be solved with the application of cosmetics. And with the wave of acceptance and gender equality that came with the 21st century it was the perfect time to start mass producing cosmetics products aimed at men. Gray hair, wrinkles and eye-bags were all relatively simple issues which could bring in a lot of money. According to the cosmetics industry makes over $55 billion annually, as of 2014. And with around 25% of men taking more than half an hour in the morning to get ready, there is clear indication that the male based products are selling.
CULTURE;
We have seen a massive shift in the cultural attitudes, especially those within the western areas of the world. Societies are becoming more accepting of men being less masculine. The days of leather jackets, motorbikes and hard rock are (sadly, may I add) long gone and have become replaced by a mindless, spiritless pop culture. These days, it is enough to make a fool out of yourself, or better, a freak, to grab people's attention and become famous. Furthermore, as women gain more and more rights, becoming (virtually) equal to men in their rights, the pressures of the past on men to provide for their families are gone. It is now perfectly acceptable for the woman to be the one who works and brings in the hard-earned cash home and for the man to stay behind and do the cooking. Although most couples tend to live in a symbiotic relationships in which both partners are expected to contribute both financially and at home, it is no surprise that men are becoming more feminine.
VANITY;
We are vain. That is the simple truth. Because every day we are bombarded with adverts of beautiful men and women, working out, eating healthy and looking beautiful in their designer clothes, we have slowly come to expect this of ourselves. We now do more than ever, to look good and impress others. It's enough to look at some statistics to know this is true; 25 million American males (and 20 million females) going to the gym each year. Furthermore, the British males spend an incredible 13 billion pounds on clothes each year, on average spending just 99 pounds less than their female counterparts. Because of the earlier mentioned shift in culture, we no longer live in the times when it was the woman's job to look beautiful and stunning and the man's job was to be handsome. These days, men feel the need to be pretty, beautiful and stunning themselves, abandoning natural masculinity.
So why mention all of this?
Because I think men are close to the point of no return. If we do not act now, soon, traditional men will become a dying breed. I am not in the favour of unkempt hair, facial hair whose shave is long overdue or an outfit which has clearly been in someone's wardrobe for three decades but I do believe that we should make a stand for traditional men. I want to see the return of the gentlemen; men who knew how to look after themselves without excessive grooming, man-pedicures and what nots. Men, who woman adored not for their beauty or perfect body, but for devilish handsomeness and intellect.
By Michal Wroblewski
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