At the 77th Golden Globes Awards, Ansel Elgort sported a midnight blue Tom Ford dinner jacket, which was not out of the blue among the other glitter jackets. He also had a cluster of ice-blue glitter in the corner of his eye, and a similar nail varnish which sent fangirls into a rave and gave evidence of a fashion movement: make-up on men redefining masculinity. This is not the first time a male artiste wore glitter, Mick Jagger, David Bowie were artistes who were known to wear eyeshadow, face paint, and lipstick throughout their careers but make-up on men has had a stigma attached to it- a man’s masculinity is questioned if he moisturises his face, and so make-up is left for men who are ‘different’. This has slowly begun to change, either with Jaden Smith’s non-binary look to Ezra Miller’s striking red lipstick.
Make-up and masculinity is being redefined with the current generation’s awareness and acceptance increasing, it now seen as fierce and an act of self expression. ASAP Rocky’s nail varnish and Lil Uzi’s Hello Kitty face mask broke the internet as fans of the rappers posted similar looks.
Make-up is slowly being seen as gender neutral, without being related to your sexuality. Harry Styles and his array of bright nail varnishes, Sam Smith’s contouring techniques, Troye Sivan’s skirts and Bloom looks, skater Sean Paul’s eyeliner, Cody Fern’s AHS smokey eye and lastly the Kpop industry filled with gorgeous, meticulously styled men with a little help from G-dragon have proven that men can truly get away with make-up and look great doing it.
With Chanel releasing a make-up line catered especially for men Boy De Chanel, and other brands following it’s lead, visibility for men is created and leads redefinement of masculinity further. This movement will truly reach great heights when men can use make-up everyday, as a form of self-expression and for fun. God knows they deserve a break from mundane suits and black pants. Let this decade be a new era of masculinity.
