Men wearing make-up

[PADDY]

I'm ready to plummet in the popularity stakes...BUT...

But 'makeup' on men is complete Hogwash, poppycock and balderdash and undermines the whole notion of masculinity. Especially 'in here' where we value the 'visual' masculinity (at least) of the Golden Era in the 20th Century.
The photos (shown below) are of Adam Ant and Johnny Depp, and dressed at they are with makeup on they just look like 'big girl's blouses!' and quite laughable [huh]
(I appreciate these are publicity shots for their industry as luvvies and Thespians).

And the BIGGEST girlie of them ALL...!! (but it was Halloween, so I was doing my luvvie bit!)

Good personal male hygiene - YES!! of course. Wearing girlie makeup - Absolutely NOT!

** Please allow this Paddysauraus one last fine cigar before the firing squad folks**

 

[LeeB]

NO, NO, NO!

 

[BinkieBaumont]

The Poer of Paint

Calista Flockhart as Audrey at left and Gwyneth Paltrow as Jimmy Dean, at right

 

[LordBest]

Lipstick, powder and a little bit of paint, make a chap look what he jolly well aint.

 

[cherry lips]

BinkieBaumont, those pics are amazing!
Johnny Depp is a man who wears his make-up well:

 

[chanteuseCarey]

AHEM brother!! Thank you for giving us another FL male's opinion on this topic. No firing squad has been called! Let's hope its not just only the 'visual' masculinity of the Golden Era we value... I think most of us value not only the "looks" of the Golden Era, but the values and lifestyle the people had back then too.

btw, your makeup for Halloween was maybe not so bad- okay well maybe it wasn't so good either, but that wig-eek!

But 'makeup' on men is complete Hogwash, poppycock and balderdash and undermines the whole notion of masculinity. Especially 'in here' where we value the 'visual' masculinity (at least) of the Golden Era in the 20th Century.

Good personal male hygiene - YES!! of course. Wearing girlie makeup - Absolutely NOT!

** Please allow this Paddysauraus one last fine cigar before the firing squad folks**

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Calista is truly scary as done up as "trying" to look "like" Audrey. What an affrontery to the memory of the style and beauty of her looks and spirit of the real Audrey Hepburn.

That is Gweneth? You've got to be kidding... other than "sad", there is no other way to describe that one.

Calista Flockhart as Audrey at left and Gwyneth Paltrow as Jimmy Dean, at right

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Why on earth is that 'sad'?? What is possibly sad about it - she was made up like that for that shoot presumably, so I doubt it was her idea anyway. I think it's fascinating - I'd love to do something like that just to see how I would look as a chap.

As far as the men and makeup issue goes, I like my men to look like men, and my own one certainly doesn't wear makeup, but he looks after his skin and grooms himself impeccably, much more so than most Golden Era men would have done. As such, at 41 he has naery a wrinkle and looks way younger than his years. And is much less hirsute (on his back!) than an older man with his genes would be, for which I am glad!

However I have to disagree with Paddy's description of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack... while I am positive there are plenty of women out there who don't like Mr Depp, and especially in that character, I have not met any yet!! lol lol

 

[Paisley]

Yep. From artists to CPAs, they're crazy about Jack Sparrow.

 

[Warbaby]

There seem to be a lot of strongly negative reactions to men in makeup - but why? Is it somehow threatening to one's concept of masculinity? I'd like to hear some some of the rationale behind the rejections.

 

[Paisley]

I don't think there's any deep psychological reason. I think it's about context. In our culture, makeup is for women. It's a bit like wearing a skirt: traditional kilts that have been worn by regular men for generations are one thing; borrowing your sister's sundress is another.

 

[get_atomized]

1980s Adam Ant is fantastic. That image is only convincing me that some men look GREAT in makeup. Like with women, I like dramatic looks.

Makeup seems to have a cultural connotation of femininity (characteristics we associate with femininity? Is this because we feel men aren't supposed to "primp" like women?), so wearing masculine-coded items like a suit and fedora with makeup does pretty clearly suggest gender ambiguity! I agree that trying to fit the idea of men wearing makeup fully into the masculine category of binary gender norms is unreasonable. It's a transgression of heteronormative expectations.

That doesn't mean it's a bad thing. The definition of masculinity is is not constant, historically or throughout human cultures. The examples of men wearing makeup in the Golden Era seem to have been considered trangressions of the norms of that particular time and culture. Still, people did it; some women crossdressed as well. Just like now, I don't think the practice can really be considered an aspect of the mainstream culture. You could say you are committing a vintage transgression lol . I don't think it's necessary to see it as an offense to the sanctity of one's beliefs about binary masculinity and femininity. The presence of ambiguity shouldn't present too much of a challenge to one's personal understanding of fixed gender categories.

As a sidenote, a lot of women seem to like it. I'm on board with you ladies.

 

[MisterCairo]

Currently using the following from the Body Shop:

For Christmas a while back my wife bought me the BShop's predecessor mens products. They are revamped now with maca root, and I actually go in to purchase them myself!

 

[Feraud]

Is there really a difference between these two? [huh]

 

[BellyTank]

Both are wearing make-up.


B
T

 

[Miss Neecerie]

any -look- that involves going back in time....really shouldn't 'scoff' at other looks....

because seriously....go back a bit further then -this- subculture...and there were then men wearing makeup....go back again and they didn't....and further back again they did...

so this whole 'manly men' stuff is erm nonsense...or are you seriously arguing that the Pharaohs were 'poncy unmanly men'?



like all things -fashion- related....there is nothing new under the sun..and it cycles over the centuries....

The problem is that people here tend not to believe they belong to a subculture that follows a -fashion- just like every other human group.....and so there is some presumption of 'rightness' of 'our way'.....

 

[BinkieBaumont]

The Power Of Powder & Paint

Martha Stewart as Veronica Lake

Winona Ryder as Liz Taylor and Gina Gershon as Sophia Loren

 

[Vanessa]

arguing that the Pharaohs were 'poncy unmanly men'?

Yul? Unmanly? I think not.

Hubba hubba.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

The Power Of Powder & Paint

Winona Ryder as Liz Taylor and Gina Gershon as Sophia Loren

 

[matrioshka]

Is there really a difference between these two? [huh]

No, at least not on screen. Johnny Depp's personal life is probably much less chaotic...

Binkie,

I couldn't believe that is Martha Stewart in that photo. At least not until I saw the Kevyn Aucoin credit in the corner. Are all of those photos his work?

I'm a man who uses makeup-when I'm not a man.

M