GENDER-NEUTRAL MAKEUP

 - KASHISH CHAVAN

The cosmetic industry in the past ages have been dominated by women. In early ages, makeup was largely targeted to women. This was because, men and women, from their early age were taught that makeup is strictly for women and not men. They were taught that makeup was feminine. This created a huge stereotype and led men to think that wearing makeup would make them look feminine.

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Famous makeup brands, like Maybelline, etc. solely casted women in their commercials and campaigns to catch women’s attention back in the days. Gendered slogans were used to name their lipstick shades, for example, ‘You go, girl’ which showed that their only target was women and women only. 

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But this was ages ago, slowly but surely, the cosmetic industry is moving in a much more inclusive direction, both in terms of racial and gender diversity. The taboo notion that makeup is feminine and bad for men has decreased. Successful brands such as Covergirl, M.A.C, Maybelline, etc, have started using men as their models to represent their brand. They are challenging the beauty norms and fighting the stereotypes of the society. 

Source: Google

Source: Google

Today, so many male beauty influencers are dominating the world. YouTube personalities like, Jeffree Star, Patrick Starrr, James Charles, etc. are loved by everyone. Jeffree Star is the number one beauty YouTuber and number five YouTuber overall based on YouTube  generated  income, according to a Forbes report. 

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Makeup for men has become more prominent in the Popular Culture. Male grooming has become a multi-billion pound worldwide industry. Many companies try to change product names for men to buy them like, Mascara becomes Manscara, Eyeliner becomes Guyliner, Foundation becomes Tinted moisturiser. 

There is are cosmetic brands that are targeted specifically at men. One of which is Formen by Toronto based  Andrew Grella,. He founded Formen in 2015 after he noticed the absence of men’s cosmetic in the market.

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Andrew Grella, founder of Formen cosmetic
Source: Google 

Jecca Makeup by Jessica Blacker, makeup artist for TV started this makeup line, when she started receiving messages on Instagram from people who were transitioning from male to female for advice. She started this makeup line focusing more on the transgender community and their comfort. Other makeup brands like, Fluide and Panacea are becoming successful by signaling to the world through their spokespeople and smart marketing, that everyone, including Cisgender men and women, transgender, gender non-confirming, non-binary, and gender fluid individuals, can be their costumers and use their products.

Jessica Blacker, founder of Jecca Makeup and Joseph Harwood
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In reality, every makeup product can be used and it has been used, it’s not like an eyeshadow would vanish if used by a man, or a lipstick would change it’s color if used by a genderqueer. But, even after the acceptance in the society, they feel uneasy to go to a cosmetic store in public for makeup advice. Therefore, these new brands matter. By simply existing, these brands can have a huge effect on how the members of LGBTQ communities feel about themselves.


Celebrities like Troye Sivan, Luke Hemmings, Ezra Miller, Johnny Depp etc, love to wear makeup. As a lot of people look up to celebrities, they influence men to wear makeup at a whole new different level.

Troye Sivan
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Luke Hemmings
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Ezra Miller
Source: Pinterest

Even after all the past ages and the changes made, there are still some places in the world that have not fully accepted this change. For example, India.

India is a land of culture and diversity and the people of India are huge followers of these cultures which are hundreds of years old. They want the things to be as they were before, hence, accepting  these changes can be very difficult for them.

I believe the mind set of some people have become so narrow that it becomes very difficult for them to believe that a man can also wear makeup. They still believe in norms such as ‘men should look like men’ or ‘men only look good when they look rough and tough’. This false belief has led so many males of the society to hide who they truly are. Men are still afraid to be themselves in fear of not getting accepted by the society. No matter how much India is developing or a free country, if the citizens do not feel like they are free and they are who they want to be, then there is no point in calling India a developing nation.

Source : Google

 In my opinion, men should not be judged if they want a flawless skin by covering them by layers. If men want to put on makeup, they should be able to do that, without having to face the insulting remarks of the society. Men should be treated as equally as the women are treated when it comes to makeup. Calling a man “beautiful” instead  of “handsome” should be treated as normal. It is very important to note that wearing makeup doesn’t make a man feminine and also a man who is not a part of the LGBTQ community, if likes to wear makeup, should be treated as normal. Normalizing these things and wiping out these norms has to be the first step towards creating a world without toxic masculinity and sexism. It’s 2019, and makeup is the last thing that a man should be afraid of.