Once upon a time, no too long ago, men wearing makeup was a sign of the counterculture. Men who wore makeup like Billy Idol, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger usually faced some sort of judgment or harassment. Makeup was considered a female-related thing, but recently makeup has become more fluid.
“It’s for all genders. We have guys backstage who ask for contour or a little more highlight. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined that,” Peter Philips the creative and image director of Dior Makeup told Elle.
Major beauty labels like Chanel, Dior, Estée Lauder, Glossier, Milk, Fenty Beauty, The Ordinary, L’Oréal Paris, and Essie are showing advertisements with people of all genders and identities using the same beauty products.
In fact, Chanel introduced a men’s-focused makeup line in 2018, Boy de Chanel, which included a brow pencil, foundation, and matte lip balm, and its latest launch, which debuted on September 1, added a concealer, nail polish, and three-in-one eye pencil.
Rihanna’s brand, Fenty, even sells a kit for men that includes foundation, a touch up brush, a skin stick, blotting paper, and blotting powder. The brand’s products were introduced by several influencers, such as NeonMUA and Hector Espinal.
“Dark circles, holes in the eyebrows, redness in the skin, there are problems everybody deals with,” Chanel makeup artist Tyron Machhausen told Elle. “Men are now realizing they can fix it. Even more, they are realizing by filling in their eyebrows or their beards, makeup can make them look more masculine.”
We’re all for empowering people and letting every gender and identity express themselves in ways they couldn’t before. What do you think of this shift in the beauty industry?
