Make-up, an art that is (officially) associated with men

(ETX Daily Up) – Breaking with stereotypes, makeup is officially not a woman’s prerogative anymore, taking up more and more space in these men’s daily lives. Popularized by personality, and accessible by several cosmetic brands, makeup for men – or better unisex – is anything but a utopia, and intends to establish itself as a go-to trend in 2023.

Base, foundation, concealer, mascara, nail polish, and lipstick are no longer reserved for women, far from that, now they also benefit men. There is nothing extraordinary when we consider that these men were already wearing make-up in Antiquity, except that beauty treatments have over time become exclusively feminine, in head-on collision with stereotypes and dictates around masculinity, and even more so masculinity. But that’s without relying on a new generation, determined to break the code, and destroy all kinds of dictates, ranging from those pertaining to the notion of gender.

As we have seen in recent years, beauty is gradually freeing itself from these shackles. Men first embraced skin care, almost everywhere in the world, pampering their skin like their female counterparts, then they gave up on hair removal, any part of the body, then salon treatments. There is no longer any question of these men not taking care of themselves, as is the case with women, and the phenomenon is now further afield as it is for them in turn to conform to the code of make-up, which is now considered as an art or form of self-expression, more than an ornament. .

World famous influencers

On social networks, makeup has gained a huge following with tutorials, inspiration and top trends. The hashtag #makeupformen has amassed nearly 120 million views to date, while #boysinmakeup has reached 275 million views. This strong demand resulted in a mushrooming of make-up influencers who are now distilling their techniques and advice for both women and men, such as the French Fabian who made make-up a real art, James Charles, one of the first men to have created a makeup brand, or even Patrick Starrr which is followed by millions of people on social networks.

So many influencers have helped democratize makeup for men, just as many personalities have no longer hesitated to look their best for public – or private – events. We certainly know Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, Pete Davidson, or even Travis Barker, who have contributed greatly to popularizing eyeliner, mascara, and even more manicures for these men, but we can add fashion designers Olivier Rousteing or Channing Tatum. . Recently, it was Pierre Niney who shared behind the scenes of a photo shoot for Citizen K magazine in which he posed with make-up on.

The booming makeup for men

Some of these personalities have gone so far as to launch their own beauty brands for men. Harry Styles with his gender-neutral cosmetics brand Pleasing, including skin care and makeup, Machine Gun Kelly with nail polish brand UN/DN LAQR, and Tyler, The Creator with nail polish and fragrance line Golf Le Fleur, to name a few. celebrities who have helped make makeup more accessible – and less cliche – for men.

But other cosmetic brands, which are much more popular, are now following each other to offer these men a number of make-up products. As we know, Chanel, MAC Cosmetics, or CoverGirl are among the pioneers in this field, however, nowadays there are many brands that offer make-up for men, or to be more precise, make-up for everyone. This is the case for the house of Dior, which uses its classic make-up to enhance its male models on the catwalks, MMUK, War Paint For Men, or ALTR London. A real evolution in the cosmetics sector, even though most of these products, if not all, need not be aimed at either of the two sexes… Beauty is ultimately everyone’s business .