Think makeup is only a woman's patent?
Think about it carefully, makeup has existed for thousands of years, and both men and women use it the same. Then how can men in modern society give up the opportunity to make themselves more handsome?
In the early stages of human development, due to cultural differences, gender biases were less than in our modern world. The ancient Egyptians did it, the Romans did it, and even the British did it back then. So, modern boys no longer use cosmetics and are slightly out?
Let us first understand the extraordinary history of men's makeup from 4000 BC to 2020 AD.
Ancient Egypt
I think we all agree that Egyptians looked cool at that time (at least, judging from the retained pictures).
They don’t think that applying some makeup on their faces will make their manhood disappear-on the contrary, their noble eye makeup will make them look more powerful! They started doing this around 4000 BC, and makeup is still evolving. From black eyeliner to green malachite eye shadow, they even put some red paint on their lips.
It is not just for beauty-cosmetics have a magical, medicinal and practical use, and it is also a display of one's status.
古罗马
Around the 1st century AD, Roman men and women liked cosmetics as much.
Today we call that period "gender distortion", but in that frivolous era, men just like to take care of themselves and have their own beauty habits. They use tassels on the lips to achieve amazing results, and like to use special powder to brighten the complexion. They also painted some pigments mixed with pig blood and pig fat on their nails.
伊丽莎白时代
You might ask, what about European culture?
Well, during the reign of Elizabeth I, British men put on more makeup than women! They like to take care of their skin and make facial masks with natural ingredients such as eggs and honey, just like we do today. Moreover, everyone wants to have pale skin (morbid beauty), which leads to the use of white powder cosmetics, which is quite fatal.
And everyone wanted to have gray hair at that time, but the bleach was too rough at that time and often caused hair loss. This is when the aesthetics of white wigs appeared throughout the Elizabethan period!
Victorian era
This is a very bad time for makeup lovers across the UK.
Queen Victoria I was a strict lady, she hated makeup very much, she declared it was immoral and very vulgar. Only theatrical actors can act on the face without being affected. If the actors are all male, there is no choice but to perform different acts in costumes.
The church was also very strong at the time, so the whole makeup matter was declared the work of the devil, and no one wanted to argue with the pastor.
30s Hollywood
We should all thank Hollywood for creating a new era of male makeup.
For hundreds of years, male makeup has been criticized and taboo by people. Now, it has come quietly and reappeared without any disturbance. The film industry is very concerned about the best state of actors and actresses, so not only women but also men have undergone some cosmetic surgery. Although a little small, this is a beginning and a transition to a new freedom of makeup.
70s to 80s
With the explosion of rock music and rock music in the 70s and 80s, men's makeup has once again taken on a new look.
Although it is hardly representative of the mainstream, people in the music industry can make up as they please, and they are crazy about it! From the elegant makeup of a prince at the beginning to the slightly weird style of David Bowie, to the crazy and cool makeup of the members of "KISS-makeup", everyone is looking for it!
was also when male makeup artists such as Way Bandy and Scott Barnes showed themselves to the world. And Scott Barnes (his name is still very popular today) also admitted that many professional makeup artists at the time were mostly men!
2000年
As more and more Many musicians began to put on makeup to make themselves look like they had just left a beauty salon. The term "urban beauty" was once again introduced into society.
For example, we are talking about artists like Adam Lambert and Jared Leto, who like to add some extra gorgeous elements to their appearance, and on stage The audience can be attracted to the audience.
And the punk band promoted male eyeliner at that time, which also inspired cosmetic brands to launch male-specific cosmetics.
2010年
More and more men are beginning to accept makeup, showing what they can do with makeup.
Neutral men and women have become a new fashion trend, which means that the boundaries of makeup are blurring. A man can become a woman, and a woman looks absolutely masculine-this is a new freedom that all of us can experience, thanks to a change in aesthetic standards. Companies like Maybelline and Covergirl have also taken full advantage of these trends, showing male faces on their covers.
Don’t forget that David Beckham also drew eyeshadow on the cover of "LOVE" magazine!
2020年
At least in our current culture, Makeup is increasingly the most neutral.
More and more young men are wearing trendy makeup without feeling guilty or frowning. Then why don't they do some skin care measures like women do to improve their appearance, or use concealer to cover blemishes? Obviously, its scale is not extensive, but with the passage of time, makeup is no longer a big issue.
If you look at Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, men there have been using cosmetics for decades, and they think it’s never special.
This is the most normal thing in the world, and it is also an expression of various subcultures.
