Thus far in American history, the fact that men have escaped an onslaught of advertising for beauty products is a triumph of gender ideology over capitalism. Companies, after all, could double their market if they could convince men that they, too, were unsightly without make-up.
If a company were to try to market make-up and beauty regimes to men, however, their smartest move might be to masculinize make-up. And, this is, indeed, what some companies are doing. Here are some products. Their design is interesting, but their names are the most fun. Some of them are subtle, others not so much.
Studio Five Sport and Sun Tone Enhancer (or, as the ladies say, blush):

Male Species Power Face Mask (when you need a power face to go with your power tie):

4VOO Distinct Man Confidence Corrector (because you're going to need confidence when you go on your mission):

Ener-C After Shave Mission Balm (Is the shave itself a mission or are you going on a mission after you shave? And, is it impossible?):

Ken Men Battle Scars Healing Anti-Inflammatory Repair Cream (I guess you need this post mission):

Studio 5ive Double Stroke Cream Mascara (get it?):
Ken Men Cream Me Face Base (oh come on!):
Ken Men Blo-Job Bronzing Powder (you've got to be kidding!):
Also interesting is the Aveda marketing for hair and skin products aimed at men.
The products are called Pure-formance:
Notice the scruffiness of the men in the images, the dark blue-grey-black colors, and the use of nature. Below you can see the design of the products: brown, orange, grey, and sage colors with angular shapes (on a blue background, of course).
The first two paragraphs of text:
It's a biological fact: men are different. Their scalps are thicker than women's and on average produce twice the level of oil. This can make men more prone to sensitivity, dryness, itchiness, irritation and redness.
The Aveda Men collection is tailored to men's essential need for high-performance scalp and hair management that's easy to use.
So men are different than women. This is simply biology. They are more: "thicker" and "twice." And, of course, no matter what it is, it must be "high-performance."
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4 comments:
March 12, 2008 at 7:49 AM
When I saw the "Blo-Job Bronzing Powder" I thought this had to be a ruse - but no, this is an actual product. Unbelievable.
March 30, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Exactly what I thought.
March 30, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Ahahaha! Oh, this is priceless.
April 3, 2008 at 6:22 PM
That is hilarious. Here's to hoping that as more men get hooked on the beauty regime that market forces drive the prices down. Perhaps a neutral gendered line of cosmetics with a mark-up for gendered packaging?
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