Among all of the political posts that have sprawled across everyone’s timelines the past couple of weeks, I’ve also noticed a trend of other posts and articles that have been shared multiple times on my own Timeline. Each of them look fairly similar, with a big, bold picture of a young man with makeup on, with a headline tied to it along the lines of, “Real Men Don’t Wear Makeup,” “The Dangers of Effeminate Men,” and my personal favorite, “What Happens When Your Father’s Not Around.”
I honestly don’t get what the problem is. Why shouldn't men and boys wear makeup if they chose to do so?
The issue arises because there are a lot of people out there, both men and women, who have a very specific idea as to what men and women should look, say, and do. They get frustrated or upset when the solid, unbreakable line between the two genders is blurred.
I have bad news for these kinds of people. First and foremost, there are more than two genders out there. Beyond that, it has become societally more acceptable for people to present themselves in any way they want, whether it be in traditional gender roles, androgynously, or somewhere between the two. The days of women being confined to the home and kitchen are gone. The days where men were required to work long hours away from the family all week are over. It’s 2017. Women can be strong and powerful. Men can show emotion and wear makeup. Who are these individuals to be the policing force on what makes a man and what doesn’t? They aren’t. Imagine having a sense of masculinity so fragile that it can be broken by one boy with winged eyeliner.
The definition of masculinity is always changing. Just a few hundred years ago, it was expected for men to walk around in tights, powdered wigs, and yes, a full face of makeup. So why is it such a problem when a man wants to dye his hair, pierce his nose, or contour and highlight?
Makeup is a form of body modification that people use to build confidence, self-esteem, or their personal presentation to the people around them.
I don’t see it as very different than me going to the gym every day to make my body look better when I’m shirtless on the beach. I’m doing it for me, it’s not hurting anyone else, and I feel better about myself because of it.
Recently, a few big makeup brands like Covergirl and menMaybelline have introduced male makeup models like James Charles and Manny Gutierrez, and I think it’s great. We, as a society, need to accept that traditional gender roles don’t apply to everyone. Forced masculinity stops men from expressing their emotions, which is one of the reasons why men commit suicide 4 times more than women do. Not allowing men to move away from the idea that men have to be emotionless, tough, and stoic is dangerous. I personally don’t wear makeup, but let’s just let people be who they are. If that means they wear of full face of makeup every day, so be it. And let’s be honest, all of these new boys and men appearing in makeup ads look fierce as hell.
