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Men And Grooming
| So Wednesday, on my way home from running errands around Central London, I pick up the day's Evening Standard. I don't buy it for it's cutting edge standard of news or reporting of issues, I simply collect the crosswords they do for my mum as she enjoys theirs the most. However, on Mondays and Wednesdays the Life and Culture section usually have columns written by two people who I enjoy reading. On Mondays it's Hannah Poole and on Wednesdays it's Nirpal Dhaliwal with his "City Lives", that day Dhaliwal decided to pick on men... one of my favourite hobbies. Basically what he wrote was that men have become to vain about their looks and their maintenance. Men have become to feminine and how David Beckham will only be remembered for his outfits and squeaky voice once his football career is over. I honestly don't know how old the term metrosexual is, but I do know that quite a few men heaved a sigh of relief once they had a label for themselves, straight men who embrace their feminine side, which shows greatly in their grooming. As I read the article, I could honestly say that I found myself siding with both sides. Dhaliwal says that all the rugged and rough guys are being replaced by all the pretty boys, such a George Clooney and Ben Affleck, how masculinity is being drained by this new wave of narcissism. I'm sorry, but since when did men stop being narcissistic?! I believe men only started having true insecurities when they started embracing grooming practices, when they realised they could polish themselves up and look really good. It's because they cared about how they look that the cracks started to show. It's true for women too, which is why I regret caring about my appearance and become feminine. However, what is wrong with a man taking care of himself anyway? What is wrong with a man looking passable? Why do we allow men to get away with the minimal and yet look sexy and edible, and yet we women spend hours and hours to look effortlessly wonderful and amazing. I'm sorry but I think it's ok for men to work a little on their looks, to try a little for their women, at least through the honeymoon period like women feel they have to, why not? On saying that, I do believe sometimes a line needs to be drawn. Although it has only recently been the fashionable for men to make visits to their local beauty salon, or at least it would be local if they lived in Mayfair, men in the Middle East, I find, have been making a sport of self grooming for a MUCH longer period of time. Although many people would hate to admit it, Arab men, especially of the Lebanese variety, are incredibly conscious about their appearance and sometimes go to extreme lengths to reach that level of perfection. Take Saudis for instance, they wear their thobes (those long white nighties you usually see the Arab men wearing during the day) and their ghutras (the white headdress) or shumagh (the red one), every part of that outfit, for the middle class, working Arab man has to look pristine. The amount of care taken to wash those thobes, and the delicate wash used to clean that material is just, amazing. Imagine going to work in a white shirt that covers your entire body, you’d want that white shirt to look crisp and clean right? Imagine having to make sure that ENTIRE FULL LENGTH shirt having to look clean and crisp. Imagine ironing one of those bloody things, it’s a bloody nightmare, I know, I tried. Then those headdresses? The amount of starch that is used to make sure that that thing sits properly and the point at the end sits stiffly and straight. The amount of time and the number of times the average working Arab man will take in order to make sure that that WHOLE outfit works out right is the most frustrating thing especially when you have to wait for that person to drive you to work or school. And Lebanese men don’t wear these things, this is usually limited to those men in the Gulf, Lebanese men have a whole wardrobe to contend with. I won’t even stop there. Now I don’t know how long men have been grooming themselves in England, but I’m sure they have not tried waxing, or are freely into threading. Hell, I don’t think barbers in the UK are even attempting to offer threading to their customers. And for those of you who don’t know what it is? Threading is the slightly painful way of removing hair where a person will wind thread around their fingers, and like with any depilatory device will remove hair by plucking it from the skin. Sounds like fun? Well women have been doing it since before it became fashionable, men on the other hand, I’m not so sure. However, your local friendly barber in the Middle East will easily offer to thread your ear hair, or thin out any bushy eyebrows (and even shape them) as easily as they can offer a close shave. You may think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not, although unfortunately not enough men have their ear hair removed even though it would do the world a favour if they did! I'm probably the most contradictive person my friends (and boyfriend) will come across, but I'd like to think it's because I embrace different things at different times, while shunning their opposites too. Who knows, but I have to say something has to be said about seeing your man looking a little more masculine and rugged... although it doesn't hurt when they still don't mind taking care of themselves at a minimal level. |
posted by Lunar Chick at 11:52 pm
24 hours between showers, 5 days between shaves, 4 weeks between haircuts, 7 years between facials.
And proud of it.