There’s no denying the fact that make-up has largely been associated with the female demographic for centuries now. It’s simply never been positioned as a category for men, even though there is literature that suggests men from royal families in ancient Egypt and across Europe have been using make-up. Of course, we all know that our favourite male celebrities also wear make-up for films and red-carpet appearances, but what about the men around us? Do the men around you apply any make-up at all?
When I was in university, I remember a close friend asking if I could apply my concealer to hide some of the dark spots on his face. Of course, it helped that our skin tone was the same colour. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem like an odd request to me; I helped him out and eventually got him his own tub of concealer as well. And none of this made him seem like less of a man to me. But I know that wasn’t the case for him, because even though he loved the results, he asked me to never mention this to anyone — he didn’t want anyone to know that he wore even a smidge of make-up. Of course, a decade later, he’s now part of this story.
Cut to today, men wearing make-up is more normalised than ever before, thanks to Instagram, TikTok and the creators using make-up freely, as a mode of expression. We spoke to three men who love make-up about what it means to them, how it makes them feel and why it is truly okay to be using it.
For digital creator Ankush Bahuguna, his love for make-up was something he discovered during the pandemic. “As an actor, you always have make-up artists for every shoot so it isn’t really new to me. When the pandemic hit and we went into lockdown, I was left with no option but to do my own make-up for shoots. A lot of trials and disasters later, I realised how much I enjoyed the process and how there can be a hundred ways to use a product. I’m at a point where make-up excites me—creating looks is such an enriching process, it’s art.” Beauty content creator Shantanu Dhope agrees. “I use make-up to display my artistic skills to the world. It helps me showcase how I’m feeling and my gender expression to the world.”
Luxury brands including Chanel, Givenchy and Tom Ford have make-up lines tailored to men which include concealers, foundations, brow products and even nail polishes. Closer to home, MensXP launched their MUD range of make-up for men which includes a concealer and BB cream, targeting skin-perfecting cosmetics. The key driver of make-up as a category for men is the confidence it instils. “Wearing make-up makes me feel well put together,” says Bahuguna, who went on to launch a second Instagram handle, Wing It With Ankush, to share his experiments with make-up. “Not that make-up is necessary to feel good or look good but some people really do enjoy it—it’s like being a sneakerhead. You feel great when you wear your favourite pair of sneakers, you see it as an extension of your personality. That’s exactly how I feel about make-up.” For beauty and sustainability creator Sunny Pandey, wearing minimal make-up has been his go-to look since he was in college. “I always loved the idea of keeping it real but also presenting the best version of myself, and make-up allows you to do that effortlessly. Imagine stepping out after pulling an all-nighter but you still look fresh because your eye bags are well concealed. That’s the magic muggles have access to and I have embraced it happily,” he shares.
While a little concealer here and brow product there may not be very noticeable, bright eye make-up products and colour on the cheeks is more evident, setting men up for judgement. “I have never had anyone confront me about wearing make-up but I do get the occasional stare,” says Dhope. “I think the most amount of hate I have received is online. A lot of people are threatened by a guy wearing make-up. I have reached a point in my life where I do not let it bother me. I’m actually glad I can start a conversation. Make-up has always been gender-neutral. It is we, as a society, who have labelled it to be more ‘feminine’. We need to unlearn these concepts and I hope that’s what people take away from my page.”
While Bahuguna is no stranger to online trolls, it’s the love that he receives from his audience that keeps him going. “There’s always someone in my DMs and comments who has a problem with men wearing make-up. But things are changing, there are so many men in make-up now and that’s probably normalising it for so many men out there. People tell me that my make-up videos make them feel like they could do it too, they feel like picking up that eye palette and giving it another try. I love that they don’t see me as an unattainable aspirational guru. I’m just another person trying to ‘wing it,’ and they relate to that. A lot of times my audience shares some very useful hacks with me too. It’s a community of people who are figuring things out together. I like that they consider me to be one of them when I talk to them.”
As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Pandey often receives hate comments attacking his sexuality along with the fact that he wears make-up. “What I don’t understand is how using certain products can define anyone’s masculinity. The thought process is bizarre, but we are positively headed in the right direction and hopefully in the next couple of years the bullies will keep their pen down. If you can use hair wax to make your hair look perfect, make-up can be used in a minimalist way to conceal eye bags, blemishes, highlight your cheekbones and basically do whatever you want so as to achieve your definition of a perfect look.” Bahuguna acknowledges his privilege and the support he receives from his community. “It’s great that the conversation around men wearing make-up is only growing bigger. But we’re still far behind when it comes to showing support to the non-binary and trans communities. There are so many talented beauty creators from these communities but they never get the same support that cisgender people like myself get. I hope that changes. I hope acceptance comes just as easy for them, because if you’re accepting people’s choices as per your convenience and comfort, it’s not really acceptance."