Beauty Industry - Starting on Men Now!

reply to post by moocowman


Moocow,

If you don't put all these things into a book, I will personally come to Wales and tell you off - I will wag my finger at you! OOH, how scary is that?

reply to post by spellbound


Hm, I'm flattered and totally out of character don't know how to respond, if this was a movie no doubt I would break into a song about fluffy things.

Just stay away from these lyrics

I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight.

I feel charming,
Oh, so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel!
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real.

See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!

reply to post by moocowman


See???

You are really hilarious.

What I am saying is just a suggestion, obviously, but I think you really should write something.

And while you are singing about fluffy things, I would like you to dance the dying swan in Swan Lake.

reply to post by calstorm


Oh yeah!

He should definitely sing that, against your advice.

reply to post by spellbound


A moo in a tutu dear god, perhaps that's an image that should be put on the back of cigarette packets.

I look obscene enough in cycling shorts which is the second most unflattering thing a bloke could possible consider attempting to get in to next to a wet suit.

What the hell is it with ballet and tights any way ?

If women really prefer wheelbarrow man with the measuring tape up front, why do the dudes with the obvious wonderbra in their tights pull the babes?

Interestingly enough, I once attended court with a pair of socks in the front of my jeans to observe the reaction if any, from the female lawyers that were about to turn me into a quivering wreck.

It was a very interesting experiment to say the least I would have loved to have been a fly in the minds of my would be assailants .

reply to post by moocowman


When I was a little girl, I learnt ballet and I went to the ballet.

When I was a bigger girl, I still learnt ballet and I still went to the ballet and oh!!!! Those tights!!!

That was before I knew they were mostly gay.

Its the moves And you know they have stamina.
Its the same reason we dig the Calvin Kline underwear models. Shhhh, don't tell. Cause its really not about that right girls?

edit: Because it just didn't should right the first time around. Gee where is my mind, Oh yea, still stuck on that photo I wisely decided was to risky to post.

[edit on 15-11-2009 by calstorm]

Gotta' pop in here: I write for a very popular beauty blog with thousands of subscribers and let me tell you,the "beauty industry" persay isn't "targeting men" (armed with those big bad tubes of goo...), MEN are ASKING for products that target THEIR specific needs and wants!!!

Yes,many products do contain "chemicals" but there are dozens of great companies out there that are creating cruelty-free,organic,and really amazing products that are GOOD for any human's skin and well-being,gender aside.Pangea Organics is one that comes to mind...
I cannot tell you how many women write to me and tell me their "guy is using up their stuff..." whether it be a shower gel that gests rid of dead-skin or a face protectant that has an SPF and gets rid of sun damage. There are some amazing products and treatments available today,it's simply that the tech and techniques are there and more obviously available,not necessarily that someone is "vain/shallow" because they choose to enhance or treat their body and face with respect.

To me,it is simply disrespectful NOT to care for yourself and NOT to be willing to put some effort in whether it's by working out, taking care of your hair and skin,etc.

It is absolutely a personal choice for all when it comes to degrees of "grooming" but let me tell you,it's a HUGE business and not going anywhere,in fact sales are UP in most of the beauty/personal grooming sectore when many other things as we know,are down.

You can say what you want about "not caring" but in reality,it's simply not true and I have had WAY too much first-hand experience with men to know they WILL and DO admire someone who "takes care of themselves" and that usually means making some investments in products.I know many "manly-men" that absolutely love some good lotion,a face cream to soothe, an elegant scent,and some hair-products to tame...some of the ranchers I know around here are among the HOTTEST guys out there and trust me,they all use a little "something" after a long day working hard.

The media and society as we know it IS very biased about "looks" and is IMO,causing men to take a second look at how they "present" as well.Nothing wrong with wanting to improve anything in your life as I see it.

It is,as with most things,about balance and not becoming obsessed or too focused on the latest trend,treatment, or product.

Men are also very smart consumers and they know what they "need..." If they are lucky, a savy-woman will help steer them,LOL!

Men, is this true? Please I know we steal a lot from you. Your t-shirts, you boxers and even your careers, but please don't take our foundation and lipstick. Unless you're transsexual then its all good.

Last year, over here in China, there was a television commercial in which non-other than Pierce Brosnan was pitching some sort of 'manly' face cream.

James Bond flogging skin toner?

I always thought the only skin toner Bond ever handed out were the quick, crisp slaps to the face...

Originally posted by calstorm
Men, is this true? Please I know we steal a lot from you. Your t-shirts, you boxers and even your careers, but please don't take our foundation and lipstick. Unless you're transsexual then its all good.

make up or beer, make up or beer, make up or beer, make up or beer,

Christ women really know how to mess with us.

I will know that life has lost all meaning when I'm stuck behind a bloke touching up his lipstick in his rear view mirror .

it's the twenty first century dude, you speak like you still remember when women got the vote! Of course thats possible as it WAS less than a hundred years ago, we're still developing as a species - to say this is a womans place or that is a mans place is just silly, we're above being purely biological beings now -going into work and typing a memo to your boss about pay scales in rural india or adding thirty two lines of code to a database does not require the slight strength advantage evolution has given us males, nor does childcare require the slight biological tendency towards compassion which women evolved - as a man of the modern age i can reason that leaving a baby alone it stupid, dangerous and immoral. As a woman i would still be able to use a keyboard and hang around a water cooler.

Men in the society structure of life have often used money, power and strength as their main weapons of attraction - women on the other hand have modeled themselves as sexually attractive objects. Maybe two to three thousand years of our germanic culture and judeochristian moral system have seen this as the norm - and for good reason, it worked.

Since the development of scientific reason and modern moral philosophy we are creating a culture in which diversity is free to flourish, i have long hair for example something which would have marked me out as 'different' in my fathers generation now ever now its almost universally accepted - times are a'changing! My clothes are often scruffy, once again people accept this as a choice i have made not as a detriment to my character.. i have many smartly dressed friends with short hair, today people can accept that others are different.

I see this as a great thing for everyone, from the various views and ways of living humanity will develop into a much more complex and interesting organism - we have room in our society now for pretty boys, for sloths and greasers, for chavs and rockers - hopefully gone are the days people who rode different styles of two wheeled motorized transport felt they had to fight it out along brighton sea front.

The more people learn to think for themselves the less impact these adverts will have, people will be able to shrug off the attacks advertisers make on their basest fears and weakness because they'll accept themselves for being themselves as they accept others for being themselves - the desire for conformity is what gives adverts their power, what tricks young girls into wasting billions on junk products, what tricks young boys into wasting millions on junk outfits just because of the label, etc, etc, etc

So when you see these adverts, don't worry that they're coming after you - just think 'lol, thats not for me' and move on - after all, do you want to attract a partner who likes the sort of people who you really aren't? of course not, really someone who understands and thinks along the same lines in some respects is always going to be a more enjoyable romance or friendship.

Fear not the fragmentation of society, rather revel in it - be yourself, whatever that is - use makeup or don't, use skin cream or don't, work hard or don't, love art or don't - it's finally free for people to choose for themselves no one will burn you at the stake for your views anymore!


Just quickly on the subject of men looking good, what's the problem? science has provided us many miracles -that we can sit here and share views in such a way is in itself a great thing, it never USED to be a peasants place to study literature and debate by writing - how times have changed, here i am lowest of the low able to view the worlds storehouse of knowledge, and even add my own humble two duckets! If science can provide an antibacterial scrub which will clear the grease from my pores after a hard day at work and leave me blackhead free then whats wrong with that?

Of course i agree only an idiot would damage their health to the degree steroids do, caring only about aesthetic appearance is also silly - yet is caring which team will kick a ball through a net any more important? at least love of aesthetic beauty often leads to an interest in the arts, which in turn expands the mind in a meaningful way.

so i say it's good that men are finally being seen are more than cart horse and plow - maybe one day we'll even stop seeing wealth as the main component of worth, meh, that could be generations away though

Originally posted by irishchic

Thanks for the good post. Whilst I understand what you are saying, I think you are missing my point.

What is described as "taking care of yourself" is very subjective. To me, being clean and tidy is taking care of myself. I cannot imagine how any other lotion or potion is going to improve anything. My skin and hair are perfectly fine and so is my wifes without using anything. My wife swears that her skin is better without using anything.

The problem is that as a society we are being told what "taking care of yourself" is by the marketeers, such as the examples I gave in the OP. Extra orange tan, extra white teeth, plucked eyebrows and steroid induced over muscled bodies are becoming more and more common over here.

Don't get me wrong, I am not some sort of knuckle dragger. I just don't get taken in by marketing easily and I understand the "science" behind these products. I have done a lot of work for a couple of the largest cosmetic companies in the world and have spoken to their chemists who laugh at some of the crap that people buy and the crap that goes into their products. More work goes into the dispenser and packaging than into the product in general.

Originally posted by NatureBoy
Just quickly on the subject of men looking good, what's the problem? If science can provide an antibacterial scrub which will clear the grease from my pores after a hard day at work and leave me blackhead free then whats wrong with that?

Thanks for another good post.

As I posted above, what exactly is looking good? And why do you think that? I personally cannot stand the look of women wearing makeup. Especially the type of girl that works behind the cosmetic counters in Debenhams.

I know an excellent antibacterial scrub that will clear the grease from your pores. It is called soap. W we can water that down, add a foaming agent and multiply the price by 10 if you want to buy that.

Originally posted by moocowman
NEVER EVER USE IMAC NEAR THE GENITALIA TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR VASECTOMY !!!
Men be very afraid of women s things !!!!

www.vintageconnection.net...

Both Egyptian men and women applied makeup

Some of the earliest evidence of modern beauty equipment has been found in Babylon ruins. Both the men and women of Babylon also curled their hair and make up their eyes with eye shadow, eyeliner, and eyelash and brow enhancers. They frequently painted their faces with white lead and used henna to color their nails.

Egyptian Women traced the veins in their temples and breasts with blue paint and tipped their nipples with liquid gold.

In the 17th century, men and women used makeup to limited degree; ceruse was used as a base, and a cheek and lip reddeners were sometimes applied. From the late 1600s forward, makeup began to get heavier.

In ancient Greece the application of fake eyebrows, often made of oxen hair, was also fashionable.

Most of the Greeks I know really don't need enhancement in the eyebrow department.

Men have used cosmetics throughout history. Native American men applied their war paint. African tribes painted their bodies. Not to mention all the tattooing going on. Someone else pointed out that it’s often the male animal in nature that is more flamboyant.

I prefer my hairy sometimes stinky man. I’ve got to agree with the working-man-sweat thing. There’s something to that. Very funny thread.

reply to post by LightFantastic


yeah sure, soap is all well and good - it's not too friendly to the skin mind and can cause dryness, etc so why not upgrade to something more technologically advanced? Something which can actually properly deal with the pours on your skin?

if you want to debate this issue then i've got something you can use, Cuneiform script! You can press stone shapes into clay and then show them to others in your village when they get back from goat herding. We update how we live all the time, when i was born no one had a mobile phone - actually no one - and now we all do pretty much.

I agree whole heartedly that much of the junk on the market is psudo-science, hokus-pokus nonsense but does that mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water? of course not!

Looking good, being clean, healthy, etc is something which everyone should strive for - it's simple common sense - however what you think looks good, which style you like, etc right down to if you prefer the pitted tough flesh of clint eastwoods stubble covered chin or the delicate and softly childlike face of Prince -or maybe a mix, strong yet smooth and pure Sting kinda look - it's totally up to you.

When society stops acting like everyone has to be exactly the same then these adverts will loose most their power.

reply to post by LightFantastic


o know what you are talking about... and its sad,why?.. well for starters men,boy's guys.. dudes.. dont exsist anymore. half lo0k like girls,most act like females(make up.. tight jeans,more hair product then brawn...) you see most teen's to late 20's.. even 30''s being more "metrosexual" then anything nowadays... y? i was born in the late 60's.. so im not "too old" but i know i lives in the time when men were men.

ATS is starting to do this. I'm so sick of the ads with yellow teeth, the big fat guy becoming ripped ect. You know on some level that crap is probably influencing you without you even noticing, thanks ATS.

Ax body spray is sort of an interesting development, mass marketing to, lets be honest, stupid young guys. They have the stupidest ads, "double pits to chesty"? No offense but that's about the gayest thing I've heard recently. Then they tie it in with motorsports of all things, and of course women.

As far as needed items, mosturizer in the winter is really a must, chapstick, but that's about it. A guy shouldn't wear more than one scent and most are wearing about 5 between hair, clothes, soap products ect.


[edit on 15-11-2009 by ghaleon12]

reply to post by LightFantastic


I hear you Hon...

I am just also very realistic about the expectations most people have in terms of their physical appearance-standards,trust me. I've been around the beauty/firness biz for many years.It isn't going to change.

As I mentioned,it truy IS all subjective but I will also tell you first hand that they ARE some fabulous and highly-effective products out there in the world of beauty that really work amazingly well and have to only improved the outward look of some but also given them a new self-esteem and that is,to me,worth a lot,even it's it's only skin-deep.

I recently advised a young woman who had a truly disfiguring birthmark combined with Lupus. Because of the "tech" involved with certain companies,she was able to try some things( skin treatment to calm redness,an amazing makeup foundation that also helps support skin health) that immediately changed her outlook and her face.Her tears of joy at looking "normal" were sincere and heart-warming.

I'm all for that no matter how "shallow" it might seem.

[edit on 15-11-2009 by irishchic]