An article by Foster Klug of The Associated Press highlights a new but pervasive trend with men in South Korea—skin care. And not just soaps and moisturizer, either. Apparently, men in South Korea are expected to have perfect skin, and make-up on men is common.
Cho Won-hyuk, a young South Korean man, explains what’s behind his attention to his skin:
“Having a clean, neat face makes you look sophisticated and creates an image that you can handle yourself well,” the 24-year-old college student said. “Your appearance matters, so when I wear makeup on special occasions, it makes me more confident.”
The article makes clear that while South Korea is a socially-coservative country (which also requires a minimum 2 year commitment to military service), their men spend nearly $500 million a year on skin care products… Which makes up for 21% of total sales in the market.
The difference between how South Korean men and American men view make-up is huge:
While U.S. cosmetics companies report growing sales in male cosmetics, American men are often wary of makeup. “Men Wearing Makeup a Disturbing Trend” was how American columnist Jim Shea titled a recent post.
In South Korea, however, effeminate male beauty is “a marker of social success,” according to Roald Maliangkay, head of Korean studies at Australian National University.
When and how did the shift toward men partaking in what is generally thought to be a feminine pursuit happen?
The metamorphosis of South Korean men from macho to makeup over the last decade or so can be partly explained by fierce competition for jobs, advancement and romance in a society where, as a popular catchphrase puts it, “appearance is power.” Women also have a growing expectation that men will take the time and effort to pamper their skin.
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What do you think, men? I think we can all agree that appearance is hugely important in the USA, as well. We may not automatically think “handsome” when we picture the most powerful business men in America (or other Western countries), but beautiful people have been documented to elicit a more positive response in many social situations, including job interviews.
Do you think those of us in the West are headed toward the type of male skincare routines that guys in South Korea are into?
Photo of man with facial mask courtesy of Shutterstock
Do you think those of us in the West are headed toward the type of male skincare routines that guys in South Korea are into? Who can tell. Fashion’s course is hard to predict. In fifty yrs time, formal wear for men might be just a loincloth, or a male equivalent of a burka Who would have thought for example, that around 1800 middle class women would go from wearing an almost crewcut haircut the ‘titus’ , seethrough flimsy straight dresses – sometimes with nothing on underneath. To fifty years later wearing eyewatering corsets, immobilising crinolines, and covered from head… Read more »
hmm i did blockquote the original, i dunno what ‘appened At the beginning of the 20th century, body odor was not considered a problem for men because it was a part of being masculine, explains Cari Casteel, a history doctoral student at Auburn University, who is writing her dissertation on the advertisement of deodorants and antiperspirants to men. “But then companies realized that 50 percent of the market was not using their products.” Initially copy writers for Odorno, Mum and other products “began adding snarky comments at the end of advertisements targeted to women saying, ‘Women, it’s time to stop… Read more »
When western men care about our appearance, we’re assumed to be gay. By EVERYONE, including straight women we try to date.
Some of my college girl friends who are into kpop and jpop always saying to me how asian guys are far hotter and more beautiful than western guys. ( Notice when white girl saying asians it means japanese, korean or chinese, not arabs or indians ) . I think if western guys more care about their appearance they can be beautiful too. I personally like Japanese guys more than Korean guys, their fashion sense and hairstyles are amazing. If western guys using gel on their hair, they use “moving rubber”. Google it, Gatsby Moving Rubber, its amazing!!!