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Stepping into her parlour

If peacocks can preen, why not the males of our species? It is considered emasculating for a man to shower attention on himself the way it is considered normal for women to.

Stepping into her parlour

There has been an increase in the number of men opting for facials, manicures, pedicures, etc.



Aditi Garg 

 If peacocks can preen, why not the males of our species? It is considered emasculating for a man to shower attention on himself the way it is considered normal for women to. But that does not stop the metrosexual male from putting his best foot forward, even if it takes a bit of pedicuring to achieve. Be it shape-wear or fairness creams, men are trying it all like never before. 

A different (hi)story

A usual reaction is surprise when we hear of a man who is fond of dressing up or uses creams and lotions as these characteristics are usually associated with women. But a peek into history tells us differently when men also dressed up. Not very long ago, they wore wigs of various styles and they were the ones to first wear heeled shoes, which women took to wearing much later. Egyptian kings, along with queens, regularly wore makeup as a part of their dressing up and as a ritualistic requirement. There has been a marked shift from the times make up and dressing up for men were associated with royalty to being associated with drag queens. 

Lighten up 

The flux of fairness creams in the market would have you believe it was a cure for some infectious disease.  It was restricted to women obsessing over their skin tone but now men are equally taken in by the trend. Every Indian and international brand is selling products from face washes to creams targeted at the males. They were using the fairness creams advertised for women earlier, but now the industry has woken up to the fact that men are preoccupied with their looks as much as women are. And in a culture so biased towards a fair complexion, it is no surprise that an increasing number of creams are being bought by men, too.

Walk into any departmental store or your neighbourhood grocerystore and a routine enquiry is enough to give you an idea of just how many men's fairness creams get sold. Most of the women buy fairness creams for the menfolk in their families when they shop for their monthly groceries and if the people manning these counters are to be believed, the number is fast closing in on what the women buy for themselves. "People look down upon you if you are dark skinned as if you are dirty. Even for job interviews, I have seen people not nearly as well-qualified as I get jobs and promotions because their fair skin is more 'presentable'. Earlier, I used to share my mother's fairness cream but now that I have options specially created for men, I use them regularly although I would not be comfortable telling anyone about them," says a 35-year-old banker from Noida. 

Flab fighters

If you thought women had to endure torture by forcing themselves into corsets, tummy tuckers and other shape-wear, think again because men are giving them full competition in this sphere as well. While women talk about it, compare notes and laugh it off, men have no such option. It is not accepted as a 'manly' thing to do, leaving them with a bit less of tummy and a whole lot of discomfort, to gain a bit of confidence. Websites like Koovs, Myntra, Flipkart, eBay and Amazon offer a range of shape-wear for men. Going by the number of brands and kinds of products available, these have touched upon a market that is the tip of the iceberg. Wearing it is such a hushed affair that it is difficult to find a man who agrees to wearing tummy tuckers and it is hard to come by stores selling it. Online anonymity propels its sales and lets men smooth out the bulges with as much ease as their female counterparts. 

Rise above nature

Stilettos, wedges, kitten heels and platforms; heels for women’s footwear are varied and much loved by the tall and short alike. For men, elevated shoes and those with built-in heels that are hidden from view are much in demand. While women can get away with looking like a model in more than a few extra inches added to their height, is it not fair enough that men can rise a few inches higher as well? Naresh Chandra of Celby Shoes says that they offer formal, semi-formal and sports shoes for men which can add between 2.75 to 5 inches in height. Such shoes are very much in demand, as men find overcoming their height complex a great confidence booster. 

A recent study published in Economic Record, Australia, has found that for those who were 6 feet tall got $1000 more annually than those who were 2 inches shorter. The study also stated that taller men were thought to be more intelligent and powerful. Arianne Cohen, who has authored The Tall Book, says that people make $789 more per year per inch. With height being such an important characteristic, it is but natural to be conscious about it.   

Men are beautiful too!

While the number is still less than the women, the number of men in salons is growing every year. A global market research group, Mintel, interviewed around 2,000 men and found that in the US, 52 per cent of men surveyed had visited salons for everything from spas to haircuts. Among those aged 18-34, 25 per cent got a manicure or pedicure and 20 per cent got a facial. Closer home, Apurva Rudra of Looks, DLF Promenade, Delhi, says, "In recent years, there has been a 30-40 per cent increase in the number of men here. More men are enjoying pedicures and almost 20 per cent get facials regularly.”

Even boys as young as 16 are visiting the parlours. A young boy from Ludhiana, who has just given his Class X exams, confesses to having taken a package at a parlour for his farewell party that included manicure, pedicure and facial to include eyebrow reshaping and a skin brightening treatment. While this gave him the much-needed confidence, he does not feel confident enough to share his name. 

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