Indian Male Influencers Breaking Gender Stereotypes About Makeup

I have always had a love-hate kind of relationship with Diwali. Love because Diwali gave us good enough reasons to dress up and hate because I never understood the hype around firecrackers.

Moreover, Diwali was the only time my strict mother would allow the ‘smol’ me to wear some makeup. Admit it, all of us, be it, girls or boys, at least once in our childhoods have sneakily applied our mother’s lipstick.

What Is Makeup Exactly? 

Makeup is a form of expression. Like any other form of art, makeup isn’t restricted to any gender. It is gender fluid. Makeup is also empowering for some. 

The roots of makeup can be traced back to as early as the Egyptian pharaohs. Back in 3100 BCE, the pharaohs and Hatshepsut had elaborate makeup and skincare routines.

If historically, makeup was not gendered, how did it become an ‘only for women’ entity? 

Toxic Masculinity

In a patriarchal society, makeup is often associated with femininity. In such societies, femininity is considered inferior and hence men must not wear makeup. Thus, such societies create a toxic culture by considering their women inferior and producing fragile identities that restrict men from expressing themselves fully.

Femininity and masculinity are a result of social conditioning. They aren’t natural. The process starts right from the moment when a woman conceives.

The would-be parents go the extra mile and design rooms for their yet-to-be borns – pink if it’s a girl, and blue if it’s a boy. These binaries keep on increasing as they grow up and amidst all this, boys are taught that makeup is not meant for them.

Also Read: How Do Indian Men Define Beauty In Women?

Breaking The Stereotype

In recent times, a rise in male beauty influencers can be seen around the world, including India. Here are some of the Indian male beauty influencers:

Siddharth Batra

In February of 2020, Siddharth debuted with his #GuyBeauty videos and hasn’t looked back since then. In a very aesthetically pleasing way, Siddharth posts his jaw-dropping pictures, hacks, and #GuyBeauty videos on Instagram.

Growing up he was always curious about his mother’s cosmetics, and in college, would ask his friends about the kind of makeup they use. Fortunately for him, his parents never enforced any false notions about makeup and it was always a gender-neutral activity.

https://twitter.com/siddharthbatra/status/1300772262748893187?s=20

Shakti Singh Yadav

For Shakti, his skincare is his priority. Initially, a bit apprehensive about posting makeup videos online, he started with a TikTok video on how to “enhance your eyebrow with a spoolie” which instantly went viral, thus starting his journey.

His videos range from Korean makeup routines for men to hacks for making their skin look flawless. Find him @thefebrauryboy on Instagram.

Jason Arland

A fashion icon, model, dancer and makeup artist, Jason was only eighteen when he started his career. Makeup is something that he loves and has been doing since he was fourteen.

For him, it has always been a medium to express himself. He posts makeup tutorials on YouTube and Instagram. Find him @jason_arland on Instagram.

Ankush Bahuguna

For the incredibly funny Ankush Bahuguna, posting makeup videos started quite recently when one day, he casually recorded himself while applying makeup. To his surprise, he got a great response.

He realised that there were so many men who wanted to wear makeup but couldn’t due to multiple reasons. Since then, he has started posting a lot more makeup positivity videos on YouTube and Instagram along with his other wholesome content.

https://twitter.com/AnkushBahuguna/status/1301154868112097281?s=20

Reactions

All of these men have gotten a mixed reaction from netizens.

On one hand, they were trolled, abused, and verbally harassed in their direct messages, while on the other hand, they were lauded and received a lot of support and positive comments. This is exactly what keeps them going, as love is always stronger than hate.

Few of them were also made to realise their privilege and how much easier it is to post a makeup video as a cis-gendered man than as a trans-gendered man. Yet, it is a very big step towards breaking gender stereotypes and of all them must be celebrated. 

What do you think about men wearing makeup? Do let us know your opinions in the comments section below. 

And also, have a safe, prosperous, and green Diwali!

Image Credits: Google Images

Sources: CNN Style, The Economic Times, Brut. 

Find the blogger: @darshanaaac

This post is tagged under: Indian, male, influencers, Instagram influencers, Indian Instagram Influencers, Siddharth Batra, Shakti Singh Yadav, Jason Arland, Jason Arland makeup, Ankush Bahuguna, Comedy, Reels, IGTV, IGTV instagram, IGTV videos, Gender, Gender Binary, gender stereotypes, brownskin makeup, makeup, makeup hacks, makeup india, makeup for men, equality, breaking stereotypes, Indian YouTube channel, YouTube tutorials, Youtube beauty tutorials, youtube videos, makeup videos, toxic masculinity, patriarchy, patriarchy india

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