Beautiful boys

A recent campaign championing the rights of men who wear makeup has once again stirred up the gender debate rigidly defining how men should look and dress, writes Nayare Ali

Men in makeup or guys who paint their faces — however aesthetically — are dismissed as effeminate or gay. While it is considered acceptable for actors or models to wear makeup for the camera, off-screen, the macho male with rugged skin is still considered a symbol of masculinity worldwide. Real men don’t wear makeup has been the mantra so far. That is why a recent campaign is path-breaking because it gives men the freedom to beautify themselves.

Shakti Singh Yadav, who identifies himself as a digital nomad and is popularly known as the ‘februaryboy’ on insta was one of the three men who demonstrated their daily makeup ritual on their networking site. “I got a lot of appreciation from people and it was good to see people respect what I do.” The video, which got 25,416 views, was clearly a hit. “It was also empowering to see people getting inspired by my video and calling me their role model. I was very overwhelmed with people’s response. It gives me the motivation to do even better in the future,” says Shakti.

Constantly being judged

Digital creator Siddharth Batra, who was also a part of the campaign, often does insta videos showcasing makeup trends and tips that have earned him a huge following. His video on makeup basics for men earned him 2,57,323 views.

Speaking about the campaign he says, “The response was overwhelming. I had positive messages, uplifting DMs, personal incidents being recited — it was overwhelming to see a lot of people understand the intent behind what I do and why I do it. In fact, I had some DMs from people even apologising to me for judging me for posting beauty videos, for making assumptions based on the content I create. It makes me so happy, he confesses.

As we evolve into a unisex world, where much importance has been given to gender neutrality, how much of a reality is this concept in India? Queen Andro, a content creator who is gender fluid but binary, is optimistic.

“At this point of time, I feel we are in a good place especially in the fashion and makeup industry which is blurring the lines and moving ahead in a good way,” says Andro.

Queen Andro

Gender neutrality

Siddharth though is sceptical about gender-neutrality, which he believes is “far from being a complete reality in India currently. But things are changing, conversations are being had and that’s what matters. A direction of change is what really matters,” he adds.

The question to ponder over is why is makeup considered a part of the female domain? “That is the narrative fed to us be it from the media or society itself: these social mores have been clearly demarcated into a masculine/feminine category. Clearly, that’s not the case,” adds Andro.

Acceptance & comfort

Fashion maestro Prasad Bidapa offers an interesting perspective, “In modern times men and makeup don’t really go together. But in ancient times the French and the Egyptians regularly wore makeup. Now, I see grooms wear makeup at their weddings so they match the bride. Grooming products and creams are popular with men but colour cosmetics somehow look very odd on men! This will not come back in a hurry,” he points out.

Shakti Singh Yadav

Perhaps that is why the concept of men wearing makeup is not all that popular unless they are actors or models who are in the business of looking good. Siddharth, however, believes that, “A LOT of men use makeup, though, some may/may not own up to it. Their reasons for doing so could be many, but till the time they feel comfortable using makeup, half the war is won. Acceptance and comfort of owning up to it will come with time,” he asserts.

Changing stereotypes is a gradual process that cannot take place overnight. In order for men to be comfortable walking around in makeup, it is the female sex that needs to play a supportive role.

Will women be at ease with this new scenario? “So many women have personally messaged after the campaign, saying how much they love and admire men who are well-groomed and follow their heart,” adds Shakti.

Men have begun to take tentative but positive steps towards the world of makeup. As society becomes more inclusive and accepting, this too will become a normal part of our lives someday.