Open any women’s magazine next time you’re in the supermarket or newsagents and no doubt you’ll be confronted by a succession of adverts and articles on the next big beauty product that is designed to combat wrinkles, defeat the signs of ageing or give us airbrushed skin. The cosmetic industry is a giant one that offers many differing solutions for female grooming needs.
But, what about men? Over the last few years it’s become increasingly obvious that men are getting more curious about their own grooming habits. Now it seems many are no longer content to merely shave and shower, they too want skincare and a proper beauty regime to keep them in tip-top condition. The beauty industry is continuously growing with specialist male grooming brands.
There are now a bewildering array of male beauty products on sale in department stores and supermarkets from hair care lines to specialist eye creams and after-shave moisturizers, made with specific ingredients that hydrate and desensitize the skin after shaving. An article that was first published in The Daily Telegraph also suggests that men are now more likely to take heated hair styling appliances with them on holiday than women are. Men are also more likely to opt for things like spray tans and hair removal than they were ten or fifteen years ago.
Does this increase in awareness of grooming and beauty mean that men are becoming vainer? Opinion seems divided. This humorous article from Herald.i.e. is based on the results of a survey conducted into male grooming. It seems to think that some women can’t cope with the fact the men in their lives could possibly be more concerned with their appearance than they are.
However, the opposing view is put forward in this article written for a beauty blog which implores men to look after themselves, because from the perspective of a woman it will make them instantly more attractive and approachable.
There is nothing wrong with a man taking pride in his appearance. It shows that they care about themselves and want to feel and look their best. In a professional setting it can mean the difference between looking smart and business like or slovenly and unkempt. Ask yourself would you want to work, do business or go out with someone who looked unwashed and as though they didn’t care about how they looked, or whether you’d much prefer to do the above with someone who took an obvious pride in their appearance?
Vanity, in the twenty first century, is something that can be applied to both sexes and not just men alone, though there is a marked increase in the number of men investing in beauty regimes. This is more likely to be down to the fact that we live in a much more consumer obsessed society which relies heavily on airbrushed images of both men and women that portray an unrealistic view of how we really are. Men may feel under just as much pressure as women to strive for younger looking skin and healthier appearances.