I
t is now rare to walk into a
supermarket or pharmacy
and not see an entire section
full of “manly” facial scrubs,
toners, anti-wrinkle eye ointments
and even night creams. Gasp! John
Wayne must be turning in his grave.
Times have definitely changed and
it’s understandable to a certain
degree. As scientific advancements
continue to extend human lifespan,
it is natural that one would want to
preserve youth as long as possible.
Images of housebound grannies
knitting in rocking chairs have
been replaced by proclamations of
“Thirty is the new twenty!” or “Age
is just a number”. Tales of 70-year-
old body builders with physiques
rivalling those in their twenties are
all over the internet. Movies such
as
The Bucket List
coupled with the
rise in popularity of extreme sports
among the elderly are examples of
the mindset of today’s modern man.
More than ever, we are refusing to
“go gentle into that good night”.
As a result, the anti-ageing
market has grown globally to be a
US$260 billion industry in 2013,
according to BCC Research. Many
sociologists believe that this growth
is fuelled mainly by the population
of ageing baby boomers, but also to
a rising interest from men seeking
the Fountain of Youth. More and
more males are making an effort to
preserve their age. Gone are the days
of married men sporting the “one
pack” beer gut, “tighty whities”, with
black socks and sandals. Today’s man
wants to look good, feel good and live
for ever.
Looking good
Sinatra, Paul Newman and
Humphrey Bogart are sitting at a
bar having a conversation. Ol’ Blue
Eyes turns to Paul and Bogey and
asks,“What brand of skin toner do
you guys use?”
Can you picture it? Neither can
I. Even amongst my high school
buddies, I can’t recall a single
conversation in our 20-plus years of
friendship where the topic of skin
care came about. Talking about it
meant we would have had to forfeit
our “man” card. Back in the day,
male vanity was looked upon as
being effeminate.
Today, there’s been a radical shift
in thinking. Male beauty is now
recognised and valued. But with
that recognition is also an increasing
disconnect between the traditional
ideals of male attractiveness and that
of today’s man. What was considered
‘handsome’ and masculine has
evolved considerably in the past
few decades. The dignified look of
greying hair is no longer celebrated.
Once a symbol of wisdom, today’s
men view it as an impediment to
success. A recent study by L’Oreal
revealed that the number of men
visiting hair salons to have their hair
dyed soared 50 per cent between
2008 and 2010.
And speaking of hair, the current
fad is less is best. The hairy chests
of Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds,
once the epitome of Hollywood
masculinity, have given way to
a trimming of the hedges, or
‘Manscaping’. Manscaping even
applies south of the border. Heard of
The beauty and wellness industry used to be an
exclusively female domain, but in recent years there
has been a growing pressure for men to be buffed
and beautiful, too.
Dr Andy Kuk
finds out more.
Blame it on
Beckham
June 2015
41
