Through the lens, calmly
Published: Thu 25 Aug 2022, 6:04 PM
More than a decade and a half in the past, whereas I used to be working in New Delhi, I had gone to meet the top of a way of life model for a narrative; certainly one of his firm’s verticals was skincare, and whereas we had been chatting (I overlook the peg of the story, nevertheless it was undoubtedly not skincare, which is why no matter he proceeded to state was a little bit of a wild card), he casually talked about that that they had a executed survey on men’s “magnificence habits”, and a staggering variety of males had fessed up to stealing copious parts of their wives’ skincare potions (when the women weren’t wanting clearly). This discovering, he continued, was so potent that his firm was about to launch a ‘manly’ model of a fast-promoting product… I don’t need to get into particulars, however suffice to say that it was one which made your ‘complexion’ glow.
I instantly demanded a duplicate of the survey, and went on to file a brief piece on the altering ‘face’ of men. At least on paper.
I realised that whereas the boys had been sporting sufficient to spill the beans in nameless surveys, they had been chary of being upfront and face-first about it.
They nonetheless are. Rarely will you come throughout a member of the male species who will let you know he’s comfy with a magnificence routine. This, although the male ‘grooming’ sector — which isn’t simply hirsute shaving gels and woody eau de colognes — is rising by leaps and bounds, yr on yr.
I’m wondering why.
I’ve a pal who seems to be interested by skincare. “Oh, sunscreen lotion… And what’s that, a moisturiser?” Sniff, sniff. “Smells good.”
“You need some?” I supply.
“You mad or what? That’s for ladies!”
“Okay, however there’s a corresponding men’s vary with stronger components, as a result of your cover is more durable.”
“Oh, these are for pansies, actual men don’t want all this female nonsense!”
Then, the opposite day a colleague nipped throughout to the place I sit to ask, “Have you heard of this model referred to as XXXX?”
“Oh sure, I’m an enormous fan, choose up their merchandise at any time when I can — in truth, they’ve simply come out with a stunning lash serum… But why do you ask? Are you utilizing the lash serum too?”
“Are you loopy?” however I believed he was laughing too exhausting.
“Why ought to I be loopy? Why shouldn’t men yearn for thicker, smoother lashes?”
He decamped promptly.
I narrated the story to the identical curious-about-skincare-however-unwilling-to-apply-moisturiser pal, who went “Eeeks, which man would need to have fuller eyelashes?!”
Last Sunday, a feminine pal knowledgeable she had simply utilized a yoghurt masks on her face and was sitting again on her favorite ottoman chair, eyes closed, when her husband waddled in and wished to know what she was up to.
“Can’t you see?” she mentioned, opening one eye. “I’m making an attempt to soothe my irritated pores and skin.”
“Oh,” he mentioned, “even my facial pores and skin feels somewhat itchy…”
She provided to apply the identical masks on him. “Stay away from me girl!” he screamed. “I’m a man!”
But someway she satisfied him that “no person’s going to ever discover out”. “If ever inform anybody I did this, I swear I’ll kill you with my naked palms,” he threatened, earlier than he took his place on the ottoman chair and allowed her to maskify him.
The second he closed his eyes, she clicked a photograph and WhatsApped it to me, with the caption: “Guess who’s basking with yoghurt on his face?”
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/arts-and-culture/why-dont-most-men-man-up-to-skincare
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