Men in the Media: The Changing Beauty Ideal

At Blooming, we are seeing it more and more: men who want to have something done about their appearance. This ranges from relatively minor procedures to surgical operations. A change is taking place compared to the past. Why is it that increasingly more men are now also finding their way to the clinic?

At present, we see two different beauty ideals coexisting. On the one hand, we have the fit, muscular athletes, as we have seen in films and series for decades. However, we are also increasingly seeing men who embrace their feminine side. More and more often, we see men who are conscious of their clothing, wear painted nails, and no longer strictly adhere to gender expectations and patterns. Think of Harry Styles, for example. In general, we see that men are becoming increasingly aware of their appearance and are paying more and more attention to it.

In a relationship with someone of the opposite sex, you can hardly fail to recognise it. The woman spends endless time on her appearance, while the man is more or less done with some gel, deodorant, a nice fragrance, and, if he's lucky, a day cream. This is a role that was established as far back as the early 20th century. The man earned the money in the household and had more say, so he would have no time for his appearance. His money spoke for him. It was not until the thirties of the last century that this began to change, when massively muscular men like Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on our screens. Fitness became popular. With figures like David Bowie, and nowadays the influence of K-Pop, we nevertheless saw an ever-growing 'counter-wave' of the stylish, diverse man who refuses to let norms dictate his style.

Biologically speaking, men have been fortunate. Because men have more testosterone, the facial skin is thicker and oilier and contains more collagen, meaning that skin ageing becomes visible less quickly. Whereas skin ageing in women starts earlier and progresses more gradually, in men it tends to set in later but the process progresses much more rapidly. Of course, there may also be other cosmetic aspects that bother you. Beauty standards and ideals are of course constantly changing, but beautiful skin is timeless. Due to changes in society, we see that more men are daring to address their cosmetic concerns, resulting in greater self-confidence. At Blooming, we are happy to explore what is possible in the field of cosmetic treatments. We do not look at trends, but at what looks best for your proportions.