"Real men don’t wear makeup!!"
A man wearing make-up on the street may elicit unwelcome glares, questions about his masculinity, and even his sexuality. But in South Korea, ideas about how to look good as a man are changing attitudes and influencing the whole world.
The thing about K-Pop’s beauty movement is that it is not only thriving among female idols and artistes but even more so among men. South Korea’s top male K-Pop groups like BTS, EXO, ATEEZ, and GOT7, have all incorporated makeup as part of their visuals, giving a more holistic presentation of their music. This is somehow linked to Korean society’s obsession with looking young and being hard-working, which is found to be very attractive qualities for men. Of course, K-Pop idols and artists are meant to sell this illusion of the “perfect man,” hence the need to maintain good skin and wear more makeup in public. All together they present an image that breaks away from traditional gender norms and propels us into a new era of self-love and acceptance.
Despite groups like BTS’s global popularity, there’s still an overwhelming stereotype that these male idols are considered “girly” to some because of their appearance. Comments along the lines of “Oh, but they totally look like girls. Why do you like them?” which often plague fans and supporters of K-pop. Although its 2021 going on, there are still many people who believe makeup is just for women. People should now understand that wearing makeup doesn't make a man less “manly”.
The beauty industry so far hasn’t been accommodating of men and treated most of its advanced elements, especially makeup, as female domains. Has anyone ever paused to question why that is the case, and who arbitrarily attributed beauty just to women? We all know that makeup isn’t a need-based thing, but a self-care, pampering experience which men deserve too. But what’s missing is the normalization of makeup for men. Try asking men why they don’t use makeup. It’s outrageous to hear their answers to these questions. Most of them will say they don’t need it. Some of them will downright dismiss it, calling it “gay” or girly, convinced that a pan of foundation can change your sexual orientation. And really few can say that they already use makeup or don’t have a problem with using it in the future. All this begs the question: do men really not need beauty, or are they scared of being told, “Loke ki bolbe?” (What will people say?)
Isn’t it time that a man learns that by investing in beauty, he’s taking care of himself and investing time in his appearance? Not taking care of oneself isn’t a good thing, and neglecting one’s appearance doesn’t make a man better in any way. Makeup is not just for women. Men can feel more masculine in their own way by wearing it. Wake up, it’ the 21st century and now a man also can rock some BB cream. So, does it make him less of a man? Does it change his identity and sexual orientation? No, right? On the idea of “gendered” attire, the expectation that only one gender can wear certain styles is absurd, especially when you consider that high heels, jewelry, skirts, stockings, makeup, and hair extensions were all worn by both women and men equally throughout history.
Since the beginning of civilization, skirts have been the go-to garment for most of humanity, on both sides of the gender divide. Even throughout the 19th century, skirted garments were still acceptable in many contexts in European and Asian society. Men wore jewelry off and on, and in the mid-16th century, they often wore a single dangling earring along with their wide, padded breeches that resembled puffy skirts. High heels were originally invented and worn by men. King Louis XIV was aesthetically extravagant in many regards, and as he was only 5 feet and 4 inches tall, he undoubtedly required the assistance of his shoes to maintain an imposing authority.
What people call feminine nowadays, is not actually feminine? Breaking down all the gender-biased walls could pave a path for a more accepting and colorful future. Which’s real-life example is South Korea. Just because they accepted the fact that men can wear makeup too, they are now the fourth on the list of highest cosmetics industry sales. From bright hair dye, heavy eye makeup to flashy stage costumes, some of the key elements of a K-pop boy band defies conventional beauty standards for men. With K-pop and K-dramas currently being in the global spotlight, it really is changing the way the world views men's makeup.
South Korea has since become the epicenter of beauty, and K-pop men are now synonymous with cosmetics. South Korean men are believed to spend the most per capita on cosmetics products of all men in the world. Skincare is a big business in South Korea, where the K-beauty industry is estimated to be valued at around $13 billion. Additionally, a 2018 Global Data report found that three-quarters of Korean men receive beauty treatments at least once per week. South Korea accounts for about one-fifth of the global market for male cosmetics. David Cho, who co-founded the Soko Glam Korean beauty website with his wife Charlotte, said male cosmetics have nothing to do with sexual orientation. Just as "metrosexual" now sounds like an antiquated term for a man who appreciates grooming and fashion, Cho said, it could be a matter of time before the male makeup movement goes outside Asia.
We often see K-pop girl groups and top South Korean actresses front beauty campaigns such as BLACKPINK's Jennie for Hera and Song Hye-Kyo for Sulwhasoo. But equally influential are the male idols and actors who have fronted beauty campaigns and become ambassadors for beauty brands. Now, we are seeing this trend spread to the West where some of the biggest beauty brands have appointed male Korean stars to front their own beauty campaigns to a global audience. Like, the solo artist and CEO of KONNECT Entertainment, Kang Daniel has been announced to be an official brand model for Givenchy Beauty. This is also the first time the brand has a male celebrity front a beauty campaign for makeup. Charismatic South Korean actor Lee Dong-Wook was announced to be the face of Boy de Chanel, the French Maison's cosmetics range targeted towards men. The Bangtan Boys aka worldwide famous BTS, have already been the face of many brands. But the group's most notable beauty collaboration was with VT Cosmetics, a K-beauty brand that immediately shot to fame after BTS became their ambassadors. In 2018, K-pop boy group MONSTA X was announced to be the face of K-beauty road-shop brand, TONYMOLY. Which was a huge success too.
Compared to the previous generation of boy bands, such as Shinhwa, who put an emphasis on traditional masculinity by having muscular bodies, today’s male K-pop idols put more focus on embracing their individuality. The '90s K-pop image was the start of K-pop beauty, where teen boy groups wore makeup but not as defined as today's style. It was unheard of for regular men to wear makeup. "Today, beauty is a requirement." Men realized that if they started putting on cosmetics, they'd look cool and more confident. K-pop groups have long drawn a stark contrast with Western boy bands, but are increasingly challenging what many brands as “traditional masculinity” by fully embracing makeup and fashion-forward styles to best deliver their music. The members of BTS are a great example of being unabashed in wearing bright eye shadows, pastel-colored hairstyles, and taking care of their complexions. They prove that makeup only enhances one's confidence, which seems to be what masculinity is all about.
Although much successful music acts from the past also from other countries managed to convey the message that men can look cool while wearing makeup, it still didn’t abolish the sexist stigma around makeup. Somehow, the concept of machismo, which is now being associated with “toxic masculinity,” still shackles men with the idea that expressing oneself through colorful face palettes is a deterioration of one’s “manliness.” The main point about this is that parents need to stop buying their daughters only dolls or small playable utensils. Who knows she can be a famous car racer when she grows up. So, buy them things you would give if it was your son, don’t be a wall is gender equality. On the other side, parents also need to stop saying their sons to “man up” and not cry. Don’t forget that they are also human and they also have the same emotions as others. Boys can be a softie too, there’s nothing wrong with it.
In our society mainly characteristics of toughness, ego, ambition, using violence as an indicator of power, maintaining an appearance of hardness, and suppressing emotions or masking distress are often considered as masculinity. A man has to be the opposite of a smooth and baby-faced woman, thereby maintaining that differentiation between genders. And when a man doesn’t possess these characteristics, he’s often seen as “feminine” or weak, especially in Western cultures. This kind of society views makeup as a threat to traditional, toxic masculinity, and this society hates a man confident enough to wear makeup, challenging archaic social structures. Needless to say, if a man is concealed and sun-protected under-eye bothers someone, there’s something wrong with them!
Most of the musician, actor, or performer for that matter around the world wears make-up. It is not just K-POP Idols or celebrities. They are just not ready to accept it yet. Everyone should understand that makeup is not about having a girly look but to look good and that’s why if a man wants to use makeup he definitely can. Always remember that BTS’s RM told us that, “No matter who you are, where you are from, your skin colour, your gender identity, just speak yourself.”
Rumaiysa M Rahman is a 10th grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Dhaka