Men also affected by the physical cult of perfection

Are men ready to shatter so-called male beauty ideals? If the movement seems to begin on the side of certain Hollywood stars, it is clear that most men, rid of the clichés on the codes of male cosmetics, try on the contrary to get rid of their complexes to achieve this perfection so much – or not – sought. Farewell to ‘dad bod’, baldness, wrinkles, and other badly drawn pecs, these gentlemen work to cultivate canons of beauty that guarantee youth and virility. Movements in favor of self-acceptance just have to get dressed.

Male beauty without taboos

Over the past decade, and even more so since the start of the pandemic, men have endeavored to deconstruct all the clichés around beauty, well-being, and cosmetics. No longer a question of dealing only with cosmetics dedicated to shaving or aftershave, and even less of not having access to everything necessary for waxing, treating yourself to a makeover, a massage, or a good exfoliation session. As a result, brands have succeeded in launching unisex cosmetics, or entirely dedicated to men, or even make-up designed for these gentlemen. All helped by influential personalities, like Harry Styles, Alex Rodriguez, or even Machine Gun Kelly. And this has also had an impact on the acts of medicine and cosmetic surgery.

“The demand for cosmetic surgery has grown among men. Because taboos are over, men want to stay well and in shape. They don’t necessarily think in terms of beauty, but they would like to have a dynamic and attractive appearance”explains Dr. Catherine Bergeret-Galley, plastic surgeon, vice-president of the French Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (SOFCEP). “They essentially ask for an improvement in their silhouette and their face. They want to treat the neck, in particular the double chin, the nose that is too big, the protruding ears, the sequelae of acne, or even the bags under the eyes”.

But with complexes

If it is above all a question of keeping in shape, with the bonus of the sports sessions that this implies, and of staying young, men, like their female counterparts, also try to erase certain complexes, whether they are symptoms of a real malaise or the consequences of societal injunctions to which they are (also) subject. If the latter weigh much more heavily on the fairer sex, the ideal of male beauty remains a reality, even if the ‘typical profiles’ seem to have multiplied in recent years. Tall, strong, muscular, with a full mane, and virile, the perfect man is also confronted with all sorts of clichés, although the standards of beauty are diverse and varied from one country to another. Something accentuated in recent years by the advent of social networks.

“Men often ask for a more masculine face…I believe transgender trends are very disruptive to both men and women and we are getting more and more requests from women to be more feminine and on the other side men who want to be very masculine. It doesn’t matter whether they are heterosexual or not. Men want more virility for their face but also for their body”, emphasizes Dr. Bergeret-Galley. Certain physical characteristics, once appreciated in these gentlemen, are now judged and criticized, symbolizing a certain carelessness. This is the case with salt-and-pepper hair, but also with ‘dad bod’, understanding ‘dad’s body’ (in other words the belly), which is today the subject of not very complimentary comments on social networks such as in the media.

And it is not Jonah Hill, victim of ‘fat shaming’ on several occasions, who will say the opposite. The American actor and director asked his followers a few months ago to stop commenting on his weight, good or bad, because it wasn’t helping him get better. “I don’t think I took off my T-shirt in a swimming pool until I was in my thirties, even in front of my family and friends. It probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities hadn’t been heightened by years of public mockery of my body by the press”he confessed.

Let it be said, the body of men is also scrutinized, judged, and mocked, bringing out a now palpable malaise, as well as a host of complexes. “This translates into a desire to get very broad shoulders, pecs, six-packs, well-muscled buttocks, but also the removal of love wrists. The stereotype of the aging intellectual with glasses, paunchy and still sexy, is over”, says the plastic surgeon. An observation that could last, because unlike women, men do not seem to have (yet) embraced the body positive movement, which advocates self-affirmation.

A beginning of revolt

Some Hollywood stars, like Zac Efron and Channing Tatum, have begun to rebel against the relentless body shaming suffered by actors – and actresses – and audiences alike. The first returned to his ultra-muscular figure in “Baywatch: Baywatch”explaining that he never again wanted to be subjected to such a drastic diet to display the famous six-packs, when the second had clearly explained having to starve himself and chain training to show off such muscles in his films, adding that he was a job in its own right.

In 2019, actor Richard Madden, known for his roles in “Game Of Thrones” and “Bodyguard”went even further by talking about the pressure felt by the actors to lose weight, and flaunt a sculpted and muscular figure. “We project a very unrealistic body image”he confided to Vogue UK, stressing that men were, like women, subject to these clichés and injunctions.

Admittedly punctual, these breakthroughs suggest that men too could soon advocate self-acceptance, and of all bodies. A real societal advance, the lifting of taboos on male beauty will only be beneficial if it allows these gentlemen to allow themselves to be pampered for their own well-being, and not for the image they are supposed to project.