TL;DR
Young men are increasingly adopting beauty and grooming practices traditionally coded as feminine, driven by economic uncertainty and a cultural shift positioning appearance as a pathway to success.
Key Takeaways
- 1Beauty and appearance optimization have become central to modern masculinity, a reversal of traditional gender norms around grooming and vanity
- 2Economic and job market pressures are pushing young men to seek controllable ways to improve their prospects, with physical appearance becoming a primary focus
- 3An industry of influencers and products capitalizes on male insecurity by framing looks as essential to life success, dating, and career advancement
- 4Men are adopting practices once considered antithetical to masculinity—skincare, eyelash trimming, lymphatic massage—as a response to losing ground in traditionally male-dominated fields
- 5This trend reflects a broader cultural moment where traditional male identity markers are being questioned and redefined
Notable Quotes
“Men and maybe masculinity more broadly is experiencing this really interesting political, economic, and cultural moment where men have lost ground in territory they once monopolized or dominated in.”
— Jordan Foster
“The body is this avenue through which you will reclaim some of the territory you may feel you've lost.”
— Jordan Foster
“What would have once been seen as the furthest thing from masculinity, spending a bunch of time primping in front of a mirror, is now becoming, oddly enough, a solution for more and more men.”
Chapters
1. The New Male Beauty Trend
Young men on TikTok are receiving and adopting beauty optimization tips like ice facials, lymphatic massages, and eyelash trimming as part of a growing trend around appearance enhancement.
2. Cultural and Economic Context
Men are losing ground in traditionally male-dominated fields and the job market is increasingly competitive. Physical appearance and body optimization have become framed as a controllable avenue for reclaiming lost status and success.
3. The Paradox of Feminine-Coded Masculinity
Activities once seen as antithetical to masculinity—spending time primping and investing in beauty—are now being adopted by men as a solution to insecurity and a pathway to attractiveness, dating, and career success.
4. Industry Exploitation of Male Insecurity
An entire industry of products and influencers capitalizes on young men's search for control and success by promoting the idea that looking attractive is the key to life achievement.
Key People & Entities
- Jordan Foster
- Cultural scholar and new media researcher studying how masculinity is evolving in relation to beauty and appearance culture
Glossary
- Looks maxing
- The practice of optimizing one's physical appearance through various beauty treatments, grooming practices, and lifestyle changes to maximize attractiveness.
- Femme-coded
- Cultural practices, behaviors, or aesthetics that are traditionally associated with femininity or feminine expression.
- Lymphatic massage
- A massage technique that stimulates the lymphatic system to reduce puffiness and promote facial circulation and drainage.