Men are more willing to beautify themselves with products
Pampered, plucked and preened – these are no longer words just associated with women, as new research shows that more men than ever before take pride in their appearance with a grooming routine.
Nearly twenty years after the phrase was first coined, a new study into male body image shows that ‘metrosexuality’ has finally hit the mainstream with over half of all men now admitting to preening and using beauty products to improve their appearance.
Almost two thirds of men said they undertake their beauty regime to make themselves feel better and to boost their ‘body confidence levels’ and almost one in six say they are trying to look younger.
But 15% say they feel under pressure to look good from their partner, 12% say they feel under pressure to look good from their mates and one in ten say they feel influenced by images in the media.
Women tend to be more accepting than men when it comes to attitudes towards male beautification. Over half of women think that it is acceptable for men to pluck or wax their eyebrows compared to a third of men, 38% of women thought it was fine for men to wear fake tan, compared to 30% of men and nearly half of women think men wearing concealer is fine compared to one in three men.
According to the research commissioned by The Co-operative Pharmacy, 53% of men undergo some form of beauty regime ranging from pampering and preening (15% pluck or wax unruly eyebrows, 7% wear concealer, 7% dye their hair and 1 in 20 use fake tan) through to more extreme measures to ‘looking good’ such as using steroids, slimming pills and using protein powder to bulk up.
Men are more likely than women to find using steroids or protein powder to bulk up acceptable with 23 per cent of males saying it was fine to use steroids and 44 per cent thinking it was alright to use protein formula.
While many of the methods men use are perfectly harmless, some men are gambling with their health by using harmful or illegal ways to boost the way they look. Pharmacists can advise on a range of health issues, including grooming products, but more importantly are acutely aware of the dangers of using medication or drugs, such as steroids, for purposes other than that for which they are licensed.
Tagged in men's fashion Grooming