Male facial grooming has become something of the norm. Men are consistently getting their faces threaded, waxed, plucked and more. But is this becoming too out of hand? Is the extent of male facial grooming making men seem more high maintenance? Perhaps we could go as far to say feminine or are we just living in a generation of metrosexuals.
Reporter: Kat L’Aiguille | Sub editor: Amina Sadik & Grace Brown
Below are 3 popular Instagram accounts that you can visit to see the videos and images for yourself.
@Beardfrontier:
Followers: 381K
Credit: Beardfrontier, Instagram
@Beard.care:
Followers: 96.2K
Credit: Beard.care, Instagram
@Barberslive:
Followers 12.7K
Credit: Barberslive, Instagram
I asked three men to give their opinion on male facial grooming after showing them a few videos on male grooming.
Abdul Patel, aged 20, Sales Advisor:
Q. After watching the video of a man getting his face waxed would you personally get it done yourself or any other facial grooming?
A. No way, it looks way too painful. I feel like it would take away my masculinity, personally I think it is too feminine and I would just like to stick to the traditional methods of getting my facial hair removed or lined up by a clean shaving.
Jack Smith, aged 26, Estate Agent:
Q. Do you think women would take male facial grooming as a negative on the way they look at men, by extending their beauty regime?
A. Yes, and no, I feel like women are known to be the ones who take longer to get ready especially when you are in a relationship like me, I’m used to waiting for my girlfriend to get ready. I could never imagine it being the other way round. However, on the other hand I feel like men these days look way more presentable then they used to and it’s seen as competition so a nose wax and ear wax has to be done every now and then.
Marcus Sunjay, aged 32, Barber:
Q. You’ve seen videos I’ve showed you of male grooming, would you recommend it and if so why?
A. Yes I would recommend it because, some men have a problem with ingrowing hair, and like me suffer from not being the most hairless person which is hard to maintain. Honestly I’ve been waxing my beard and eyes brows for a while, male facial grooming is not a new thing it was more discreet whereas now, it is more public and not really deemed as a bad thing. I would recommend it on a more scientific point; if you keep shaving your hairs becomes coarse and stubborn, which can result in ingrown hairs. If you continually wax, the hair will eventually stop growing back especially with age. It’s more painful but better in the long term.