Boys Catch The Beauty Bug (1/3) By Bekki Stephenson

(1/3), (2/3), (3/3).

Gone are the days when men got home from work, gave themselves a quick dousing with soap and water only to appear in the local five minutes later. Today, as the male population thrust themselves into the 21st century a seemingly more rigorous hygiene routine is in place. It is not just systematic personal hygiene that is top priority in the noughties mans life. Today, skincare, haircare and dare I say it, manscaping (that is removal of all manly hair) are all routine.

Beauty counters up and down the country are all brimming with the latest in men's cosmetics. The lotions and potions on offer range from moisturiser and exfoliater to body lotions and hair removal mousses.

According to the BBC, sales of male products have risen by a third in just five years and sales of skincare products have increased by a phenomenal 900%. So with such an obvious boom in the male grooming market, just what is the driving force behind the men in the mirror? The term metrosexual male is traced back to an article published in 1994 by The Independent. The author, Mark Simpson used the term to refer to the growing number of males who have fallen under the spell of consumerism; those who desire to have and be what they see in glossy magazines.

Changes in popular culture, for example, television shows such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Queer as Folk have all contributed to the way in which masculine culture has evolved over the last decade.

The rough and rugged I'll just go out and catch us something for dinner darling masculine ideal has been replaced with men of seemingly effeminate characteristics. Decidedly single, definitely urban and dreadfully certain of their identities, today's straight men are blurring the boundaries between homo and hetro sexuality. Perhaps even more interesting is that, while the butch rugby players (excuse the stereotyping) drift more and more towards sissification, a significant proportion of gay men are further embracing their masculinity.

If things continue gone will be the days of oh but I think he's gay. Still unsure girls? Just avoid the guy that looks and smells like a bloke. Chris Mooney, deputy editor of lad's mag FHM claims that the days of blokes not bothering to wash properly are long gone. He argues that the driving force behind this is girlfriends. So girls are we responsible for the fact that on average men now spend 20 minutes in front of the mirror every morning, compared to women's 18 minutes? Now don't get me wrong, I despise nothing more than a man who is too posh to wash but there is something not quite right when your man has less stray eyebrows then you. It would appear that the modern man has been bitten by the beauty bug.

My dear friend Martin is a classic exmaple. After being pressurized by his ex-girlfriend into buying that oh so expensive Roc moisturiser (in the hope that he would become too lazy to use it in which case she could thoughtfully take it off his hands) he now owns a cosmetic cupboard larger than mine. Whenever questioned about his vast array of products, he argues that they are a necessity and that his face/hair/body (delete as appropriate) is now addicted to these repleneshing/moisturising/exfoliating products and that without them his skin feels tight, his body dry and his hair and nails weak.

Continued ... Next Page (2/3)

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