Poll: Make-up for men. Where do you stand?

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I feel a lot of make-up looks bad on either gender.

 

[Char-Nobyl]

Ok, so I just saw this Cracked article:
http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/5-mens-products-that-are-clearly-womens-products/

Yeah, I figured that was going to be the starting spark for this post.

Ignoring the fact that article is poking fun at how much these products overcompensate... How would you feel about a world where men wear make-up just like women? And by that I mean it'd expected of you to wear it when you go to work (unless you're in a very practical field), or go out with your friends, or on a date or whatever.

I personally think all these male beauty products are just the cosmetic industry trying to broaden their market, rather than a fight for equality or whatever.

I'm all for equality, but I feel this is equality in the wrong way. In an ideal, equal world women shouldn't be pressured into wearing makeup, but should these products take off I'm imagining some kind of world where both men and women are ostracised for not wearing make-up.

Wait, hang on. Your post and the poll question are asking two very, very different things. Your post says, "How would you feel if, as a male, you were expected to wear make-up?" and the poll says, "Should men be allowed to wear make-up?" Those are two dramatically different issues. Of course it seems like "equality in the wrong way." In the former, you may as well be asking if the race-relations of the Antebellum South would have been improved if lynchmobs were forced to target whites as well as blacks.

Captcha: Old codger

Yeah captcha, I am kind of worried I'm going to end up as some kind of grumpy old codger, cursing at androgynous youths, grumbling under my breath that "back in my day, proper blokes didn't wear makeup!"

Okay...but there's a difference between thinking that this is becoming the new norm (which it isn't) and asking if we think it should be expressly forbidden.

 

[Rose and Thorn]

I don't find men with makeup any stranger then women with makeup. What is strange to me is when one thing is supposed to be ok for women and not men. or vice-versa.

Braziers don't count.

I will wear my flame-bearing sconce if I so choose!

Spoiler

Touché good sir and how 'hot' you would look wearing that. Why I would even say you might look 'smokin'.

 

[WoahDan]

Should be able to, i dont really approve of it and would never do it myself but if you want to look (imho) like a prat you should be allowed to look like a prat. I do have a problem with it becoming mandatory in the same way it is for women though.

 

[Genocidicles]

Wait, hang on. Your post and the poll question are asking two very, very different things. Your post says, "How would you feel if, as a male, you were expected to wear make-up?" and the poll says, "Should men be allowed to wear make-up?"

Oh crap yeah I forgot about that. I wrote the poll down first and went out for the night, came back and wrote the post and forgot about what I'd written in the poll.

I'm trying to edit the poll now, and every time I press 'post' on the edit screen it just stays the same.

Okay...but there's a difference between thinking that this is becoming the new norm (which it isn't) and asking if we think it should be expressly forbidden.

I could very well see it becoming the norm. Nowadays men do feminine things like waxing their body hair and using moisturiser and all that stuff, who's to say that make-up wont be next?

 

[JEBWrench]

Touché good sir and how 'hot' you would look wearing that. Why I would even say you might look 'smokin'.

The smoke is from the hair that's left from attempting to wear it on my shoulder. >.>

 

[rutger5000]

Perfectly okay if your in a metal band, otherwise you're just making a fool of yourself. But if you want I won't stop you, maybe laugh at you, but that's all.

 

[AngloDoom]

Nothing is stopping people now from wearing what they want besides other people insulting them, so the question is more "Do you think people should belittle others for what they wear?"

No, no I do not.

 

[keosegg]

I think it's a wonderful thing, more guys should wear makeup, but then again, I'm a little biased because I'm a guy that actually does wear make up when I go out. And I don't just mean a little eyeliner here and there, I'm talking about full on eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara and foundation, with a little blush here and there.

Some people, look better in make up and some people feel better in make up. Whatever the reason, it perfectly alright for anyone to wear make up and no one should judge them otherwise.

But people who expect women to wear makeup in order to be considered a woman should fuck right off.

Also, for the record, I'm not gay, believe it or not.

 

[Dags90]

I could very well see it becoming the norm. Nowadays men do feminine things like waxing their body hair and using moisturiser and all that stuff, who's to say that make-up wont be next?

That's still a pretty small minority of men. The only guys I know who use moisturizer do so for specific reasons, like if they have eczema or get a tattoo, or their skin gets so dry it itches in the winter. I don't personally know any guys who buy anti-aging moisturizer or anything like that. It's a matter of practicality for most men.

Cultural diffusion between the sexes has been decidedly one way for almost all of Western Civilization. Women wear pants but men don't wear skirts. A bunch of traditionally male names (Taylor, Jamie, Dana, etc.) are now gender neutral, but find a girl's name that's done the same (as far as I can tell, there are none).

 

[Boris Goodenough]

I am indifferent really.
However I don't think women should "need" to wear make-up in the first place.
Also if it becomes normal for men to wear make-up, will it be with foundation and rouge and everything? It could raise the bar of "prettiness" and make other guys need to buy make-up to catch up and will have to use lots of money on that.

 

[ToxicOranges]

Make-up is a very bad thing anyway. Why the f*ck would you force that horror upon the remaining 50% of the population?

I seriously wish make-up didn't exist in any form, excluding for stage / news / tv etc.

 

[m19]

If wearing make up made men more attractive to women they would wear it. But it doesn't. So there.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

Way I see it, other guys can smear whatever crap they want on themselves, I just use soap, and bodyspray, and chill the fuck out, hell I rarely even bother with styling hair(usually I have my head shaved).

Not like I'm going to stop someone doing what they want to their bodies/faces, I do what I want, why shouldn't they?

Just that my method costs a lot less.

 

[chris11246]

I dont feel that anybody should have to or be expected to wear makeup, man or woman.

 

[TheRocketeer]

I'm against it, and not because it's unmanly or gay or whatever, but because makeup is an asinine, predatory industry built on tearing down consumers' self-esteem to pit people against each other and instill the need to smear DIRT on themselves, at a retail markup that would make Francis Drake draft up protest signs. And no, I don't believe that make-up is only for people who just want to look good for themselves anymore than I believe there are that many people with sore necks in dire need of a good massager. There are already plenty of industries that prey on male insecurity to survive, we don't need one more.

More importantly than the issue of an industry derailing human progress by manipulating society's collective self-image for profit, can I just point out that makeup doesn't actually work? Like, have you ever seen one of those home shopping channels show off some ridiculously expensive powder or cream, gushing about how it's the culmination of all cosmetic science from Egypt forth, and been utterly unable to tell the difference after they put it on? I guess it's better than the '80's when the whole Barnum Bailey look was hot, but... really?

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Hell no, I don't want makeup to become normal for men!

[small]I won't be able to feel like a naughty little slut for wearing it if it's normal...[/small]

No you fool, us men have a sweet deal going. While the lady folk are applying make-up and all that, us males can get away with a quick shower, some deodorant and a clean shirt. Don't ruin that.

David Mitchell's Soapbox much?

 

[chadachada123]

I don't even like make-up on WOMEN, and would prefer if the "beauty market" didn't exist much at all except for truly special occasions.

The reason I say this is because women (and men that wear make-up) constantly violate the most important rule of beauty-products: The goal of make-up is to make it look like you aren't wearing any. It's meant to make you look more natural, not like a robot covered in powder and paint.

And it looks just as tacky on men as it does (in many instances) on women, and equally unnecessary for, say, walking around campus or something. Going to a dance? Go ahead. Average day? No fucking point, and we as humans should stop being so artificial and vane.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

If you can pull it off then all power to you. Doesn't bother me.

I hate wearing makeup personally. I only really wear it because it's expected of me.

 

[rebus_forever]

I think its bad for anyone to feel expected to wear make up, Im fine with anyone wanting to wear make up if they choose to, men were pretty much doing it first anyhow with war paint and such, I think lots of us have too limited an idea of what gender means.