“Men aren’t supposed to wear makeup”
“Men aren’t supposed to do skin care”
“Do you really apply face masks even though you are a man?”
“Are you even a man if you like doing ‘girly’ things?”
Common catchphrases and the societal patriarchy has not just affected a woman’s life but a man’s too. Men have experienced years of being told to hide their emotions and be “macho” because that’s what men do.
Men aren’t supposed to cry and men are supposed to hold doors open for women and not indulge in skin care.
Until now.
Young millennials are taking things in their hands and changing the stereotypes that have been imposed on them for years now.
They are working to break out of the stereotypical gender norms and rising about it.
In one such example, Lakshay Narula, a young millenial, exfoliates his face and buffed his nails out. Not just that, he also whips out the hair removal cream and applies some on his chest to clean out the chest hair, and fight through the stereotypes that are commonly imposed on them.
Inspired by the Bollywood actors and the cricketers who have been advertising such products, Indian men are splurging on the grooming products and subverting the macho stereotypes that have been imposed on them for years now.
When asked, Narula said that he spends just 15 minutes on his hair alone just before the shoots start. He is also into exfoliating of the skin and using herbal face packs.
He also said that using the hair removal cream felt amazing and that its time for the society to drop the ideology that women need to shave to impress their man.
“I am a man and I am doing it to feel more confident,” he added.
Owing to the rising demands for the men’s grooming products, Indian start-ups are investing on varying products ranging from charcoal face scrub to the beard oil and tinted moisturisers meant specifically for men.
While the social media and the television industry is undergoing a reform, in today’s world, grooming is one of the biggest parts of the movies. You will rarely find actors with a disheaveled look. Everything is on point and presentation for men is also key now.
With men taking a liking towards personal grooming and focusing on their skin and overall look, it isn’t surprising at all that brands are making products targeted to the male population. And, what other best way to popularise it than reaching out to the celebrities to promote them.
Popular hair removal brand, Veet, reached out to Kartik Aryan to advertise their hair removal cream so it reaches the masses across the globe. More so, Ayushmann Khurana has even bought some stake in a beauty start-up targeted toward men named The Man Company.
Ingraining the process
In a country like India where men’s grooming only meant shaving and soap, it is hard to transform people’s approach to these products. Creating a market of the previously unheard products is extremely tough.
When asked, Hitesh Dhingra, who is the founder of TMC said that when they first launched the charcoal mask, the one thing that they did was make explainer videos. This helped get the message out all the while ensuring to teach the millennials who aren’t aware of some of the basic things.
The firm has also been actively working on their Instagram posting selfies with their product on to raise better awareness surrounding things. This is a strategy that seems to be working out for them quite well.
Even Narula highlighted saying that the friends who once made fun of him are now asking him about the products that he uses for his skin.
And, even amidst the lockdown when salons and the groomers are closed, Narula said that he is making use of that to the fullest. He has been trying out different types of hair do and styles for his video conferences.
Narula believes that taking care of himself and indulging in some self care is actually very therapeutic for him amid the rising stress levels because of the Covid-19.
Better opportunities
While this wouldn’t have been the case a few years back, it is believed that the Indian grooming industry grew by 10% between 2017 and 2018, with over $1.4 billion in sales.
Several of the consumer giants are also taking the lead by investing on men’s grooming start-ups because of the bright future that it has. Emami, which is one of the biggest groups in India purchased 30% stake in TMC while several other investors have been investing on companies like Bombay Shaving Company and Beardo.
Che Kurrien, Editor at GQ India, also clarified that one of the reasons why this is gaining rapid momentum is because the brands are directly connecting to the consumers. With high exposure levels, it is hard not to get influenced, which is exactly what is happening.
Grooming is not just for men’s own well being but also increases their potential to land better jobs, better romantic prospects and even have an eventful night out.
Several of the up and rising entrepreneurs are also leveraging the booming trend to launch salons and parlours specifically targeted towards men.
The Change the Society needs
Unlike majority of the corporate organisations which are afraid of stepping out and talking about issues worth listening, these small start-ups and organisations are taking the lead in it.
In an advertisement for Valentine’s Day, TMC social media showcased the stories of a gay couple, a man wearing makeup and even a father who is struggling with body image issues.
These kinds of movies for taking down the barring stereotypes of toxic masculinity is what we need in this world.
While countries like South Korea and Japan have already reported amazing men grooming industry, things in India are still on the path of change. We are still a work in progress. With transitions taking time, it is likely going to impact and happen gradually.
And, that’s okay too. Nothing happens in a day and so won’t this.
