Who pops into your head? Is it tough and silent like Humphrey Bogart or popular and stylish like David Beckham? Depending on your generation you would obviously have a different person in mind.



I would like to focus on one aspect and attempt to blur the division. Does the typical male use skin products? Does it make him less of a man? Perhaps the new millennium has shattered the image of a typecast male, distorted the gender boundary and turned him into a metrosexual. A metrosexual is a new buzzword that basically means a straight guy that likes to indulge in traditionally female pursuits.

Its official! Men do wear make up and not just on the TV and movies! All you have to do is walk in to the nearest department store and you will see a slew of shelves dedicated to men’s cosmetics to cater to the male vanity. Grooming seems to have taken a strong foothold in the male daily routine. Men have gone a long way from the simple $2 a liter apple scented shampoo of the early 80’s to a clinically tested (not on animals of course) hypoallergenic $21.95 pineapple facial skin scrub from the Body Shop! There is now even a company called Menaji that specializes in male cosmetics.

A market survey from NPD Group, a market information company, confirmed that in 2002 American men spent $1 billion in grooming products of which $47 million was just for skincare products. Nowadays men have no qualms about getting the odd facial or manicure to have that competitive advantage over their more slothful brothers.

But I want to get personal. I just presented to you figures based on the general population. I am going to ask you to fess up. Raise your hand proudly and admit you have used a cosmeitc. Welcome to be metrosexual brotherhood!

In my book, a cosmetic is any of the following: moisturizers, skin toners, shaving cream that has aloe or any moisturizing additive, facial washes, blemish removers or masks. Do any of these products that I have presented here look familiar to you?

Don't be alarmed! I am not trying to put you on the spot. Apparently 9 of 10 males believe that looking good is essential in the business place.

I must confess I actually own and use most of the products I listed before. I use the shaving cream because I don’t fancy shaving scars. The moisturizer and toner help keep my face moist and avoid having a dry flaky face in the morning after a shower. I use the nose pack simply because I like to admire my blackheads after I use it. The strip of paper resembles a yellowish black forest of trees on a white background.

I believe we all want to look good. When we look good, we actually feel confident. It’s amazing but when I wear a good suit I stand a little straighter. The sudden increase of males using vanity products is just a sign of the times. If it works for 50% of the population, why not give moisturizers a try. Facial soaps are better for you than normal soap so why not try it. We all want to look healthier don’t we? Besides, there is no gender when it comes to health.

I predict a trend that more and more men will be more conscientious of well being both physically and mentally. The typical male is only a subjective term bound to the ideals of the current generation. My generation says that looking healthy is genderless. My generation says that there is a demand for male skin care products. If a man wants to have flaky skin all day and a red bloody neck after each shave then that’s his prerogative. Using a better product doesn’t make him less of a man but a smarter man.