This started off as a conversation in my DJ, but I am curious to throw this out and see what others think…
so… are males becoming more obsessed with their looks? Are they becoming obsessed if they are attractive or not? Do they feel pressure to look a certain image? How much does advertising and media have an effect of how we perceive our selves?
For myself, I am relatively comfortable with myself. But I have noticed that there are now a lot more products for men than there were say 10 years ago. Do we need this? Why is it important now? I believe that marketing is trying to sell new products to men because woman are an exhausted market… and there fore they have to make males insecure about their appearance inorder to sell them something they dont really need.
And what do the woman think? Do they like a guy who spends all his time in front of the mirror plastering moisturiser to eliminate miniscule wrinkles that will come anyway???
Sorry to be the first one to react again here, but…WHAT??? We are not exhausted at all! I still need at least 50 more brands of sanitairy pads, and what if I can’t buy a new type of deodorant every week? My armpits might go resitant! I’m not exhausted! Not at all!
But thats the point…they probably start marketing sanitary pads for men!!! What do we need them for? Have a sympathy period with your partner? Are you a sensitive guy intune with your loved one? Does it turn blue as time goes by? (like the adverts?)
If they start doing something like this… will I start to feel insecure that I am not living up to the image that if I dont use male sanitary sympathy pads then I am lesser of a boyfriend and therfeor lesser of a man??? That is something I dont want to feel guilty about only to find out in 50 years time after 5 years of intensive psycho therapy that I indeed did not need male sanitary sympathy pads!!
I think the correct statement would be: Men are definitely becoming more and more obsessed with looks. Women will always be Queen in that department, but I’d say that yes, men are a newer market for this type of stuff and it’s getting bigger. Like, the whole Axe deodorant crap and all of that stuff. Still, I’ve noticed there’s only a couple of shampoos marketed for men alone, whereas women have pretty much everything in that department.
I would say that men would be a harder market to get into though, because the company would be trying to make it appeal to men without it gasp seeming to be for gay men and gay men alone.
I obsess about my hair and my teeth.
I’m a guy and I’m constantly straighting out my hair with my hands. Pushing it down or making sure it curls at the end. I think it looks cool. And I always pick at my teeth.
But I still think women care more about their appearence then men, especially their clothes.
I know I am, but then that’s because I’m a narcissist. I think men have always been concerned with their appearance, but in a different way, in times gone by it was less to do with having a great haircut or smooth skin and more to do with how you were perceived (i.e. I slew a hundred men in battle today! Look at all this blood on me! And look that’s going to leave a scar I can impress women with for the rest of my days!)
I’m happy about my appearance . The one thing that bugs me is my hair. I’m content with it i guess, but i’m always making sure its straight. I also find myself flattening it with my hand. I really get pissed when it’s windy and my hair blows around. I see others guys walking around in the wind, but as soon as the wind stops, thier hair moves right back into place!! How do they do that!? Mine stays messed up and gets poofy. The only thing i know about hair care is shampoo.I wish i knew a hair stylist…
I think there's been a trend toward that. Just look at the increase in number of products for men and how many more guys go to the gym to work out. I know sports fitness has become a bigger issue with modern athletics; but not enough tio account for the increase in guys who work out.
As far as myself, its not a huge issue; obviously I take care of personal hygiene, hair combed etc. But other than that its not a big issue, clothes are pretty much whatever unless I am going to a more formal event; in which case I might take a little more time.
well I’m a girl, but i hang out with a ton of guys… and what i usually notice, is them fixing there clothes, or there hair or something, and trying to look better, but from a girls perspective i think its kind of unnecessary because i don’t think looking good is the top priority that girls like them for, or just any persons perspective… i think its cool if a guy doesn’t worry about how he looks, and has some confidence
I think that people in general both male and female, put a lot of value in how their peers perceive them. First impressions are, and always have been important to the vast majority of people. It’s just exactly what a good impression is that changes in my opinion. For a long while I guess it was viewed as a female trait to be concerned about looks, something males would likely not view very positively in each other. Perhaps this is just becoming less significant in the male psyche, being replaced by the belief, it’s how you get the ‘fit girls.’
So in other words, it’s not males that are becoming more obsessed with their appearance, but the general social expectations of them that is. They most likely just respond due to peer-pressure, and as always there is a company there, eager to oblige this drive with their latest product. Companies will exploit a trait and push it forward, but it would be illogical to try and push something that has no market to begin with. I don’t think they are worried the market with women is exhausted, until societal expectations shift, there will always be a market. (There has been for thousands of years) It’s just that mens products were few and far between, but there was a demand for such products.
I believe it’s less that people are obsessed with their looks, and more that they are obsessed with how others perceive them. Something ‘built-in’ to people it seems.
Well I have noticed an increase in Men a becoming obsessed with their appearance… at least in mainstream society.
And we all know that mainstream media and our superficial society is to blame for both Men and Women being obsessed with their looks…
Although I tend to be more a part of the old school earth loving hippie type culture… and I definitely see less obsessive appearance based behavior among this kind of culture…
But we DO love to dress up in fun costumes and trippy, or earthy faery elven like clothing ( that we make ourselves of course) for festivals, ceremonies, shows, parties, gatherings… etc
But on a daily basis… we just wear whats comfortable… dont bother with makeup… and definitely would never put any of those nasty smelly poison chemical filled styling products on our hair or bodies…
The most common hairstyle is dredlocks… especially among guys…
and if not locks… then just natural hair, washed (or not washed) and dried naturally!
And let me tell you… those natural guys who look & smell natural and not fake… mmm mmm yuuuummmmyyyy!!!
Most beautiful Men I’ve ever seen!!
And it didnt take them much work to be that way either!!
I definitely dont like smelling toxic chemicals and fragrances when I hug someone…
And I feel bad for the person using that stuff… unaware of how toxic it all is!
Anyway…
silly stuff I think… but its a result of our consumer based society;
“Buy these poison toxic products… and you’ll be beautiful and sexy!!!”
Dont fall for it Men (or Women)… You are beautiful already
Personally, i’m not obsessed, although I do think I should lose some weight and get fit. But that’s mainly because, well, for example, my girlfriend beat me arm wrestling today, and I actually did try hard! I’m weak as a kitten… And I can’t run for maybe 10 metres without getting short of breath. Methinks I need to get some muscles!
I think it is easy to see this change.
My impression is that in the past, males were more “masculine” and did not care this much about their looks as nowadays. This is of course due to the changes in society.
Everyone (almost) wants to look their absolute best these days. Gyms are becoming more and more popular etc… The whole nutrition, diets, body building etc are getting more and more common and standard.
I can agree with the one who said it is the “femininization of men”. It’s actually a kind of modernization in my opinion. Where people are worrying about what image to project, how to appear.
Hebrew
Do you smoke? alot?
Being concerned with you health is healthy i think
As long as your doing it for yourself and your own sense of well being and not to fit into the mold of the perfect human our society wants to put us in…
Theres a difference with being conscious of our health and being obsessed with our appearances…
I don’t smoke at all, but for years i’ve ended up doing a lot of passive smoking. Problem is, though, i’m also a bit fat. I need to lose some fat and gain some muscle. And maybe just improve general health.
. The one thing that bugs me is my hair. I’m content with it i guess, but i’m always making sure its straight. I also find myself flattening it with my hand. I really get pissed when it’s windy and my hair blows around. I see others guys walking around in the wind, but as soon as the wind stops, thier hair moves right back into place!! How do they do that!? 
Mine stays messed up and gets poofy. The only thing i know about hair care is shampoo.I wish i knew a hair stylist…
