Continuous Male Make-up and Gender Identity

There were many instances where individuals have stated many negative and positive remarks about my bodily features that have both impacted me in various ways that stem from being, not only an Asian Canadian but in a more specific sense, a Korean Canadian phenomenon. In this paper, I will discuss where the judgements of ‘societal norms” come from, and how it relates to “me and my body in society” as a Korean Canadian. Through my convictions developed from vast amounts of past experiences of what people have stated, have also enlightened me, I have gained the body of knowledge as a result, through my personal experiences of which I will be discussing. I will be using western ideology and my experiences of being a Korean Canadian, how it particularly

When it comes to us women wearing makeup, it seems like we are shamed if we do, and shamed if we don’t. Although, the face powder in Renaissance era were harmful to skin, I am still glad that they came up with the idea. Without the Renaissance’s idea of face powder, Mr. Max Factor would not have invented the pancake foundation. Half of my makeup collection are: cake foundation, liquid foundation, face powder, setting powder—you name it. What can I say? Perfect skin ideal is hard to emulate, especially if you are genetically prone to acne. Nevertheless, it seems as though, whether you embrace the significance of makeup or choose to step out of the house—"bare-faced," you will be criticized either way. Because one day you attended a family gathering

Smith focuses on Koreans’ desire to achieve or acquire Caucasian like features. He examines South Korean history in order to uncover the reasons why plastic surgery became so important in South Korean culture. He also explains the benefits of having an attractive appearance not only for social purposes but also for work.

As I was reading The Beauty Bias, by Deborah L. Rhodes, I came across a statistic that perplexed me, saying the total “annual global investment in grooming” comes to $115 billion (Rhodes, pg. 32). This shocking fact provokes a worrisome question: Why do we, humans, spend so much time, money, and thought on our appearance? As a complex question, there are several equally complex answers. However, the simple answer is that everyone else invests their time and thought into your outer shell, eliciting effort from you to improve what they study - your external image. The concern placed on one’s fashion choice or natural features by society takes away from larger, more pressing issues such as the declining economy, or feeding third-world countries.

The author tries to answer three questions in the book, which are subjective, so it is hard to really do, but she tries to by going through the economic, social, and culture changes that occurred after World War II. During the first part of the book, Luciano discusses certain areas men are concerned about ¬– body and fitness, hair, cosmetic surgeries, and sexuality. She writes about how the concern regarding these male beauty aspects have increasingly become more and more important for men, that we spend more money on hair transplant, cosmetic surgeries, fitness studios, fitness products and are more concerned about our masculinity and appearance, which ironically, is typically seen as more feminine.

Seeing all the ways masculinity is performed and expected really made it clear to me the way everyone performs masculinity in society, especially in terms of holding back emotions. In The Mask You Live In, they discuss how by the age of ten, boys are socialized into believing it is not okay to cry in public because emotions, especially sadness, are seen as feminine and weak. While this especially affects boys and men, it also affects anyone trying to gain power in society. Women have to perform masculinity in order to be seen as competent, respectable, and strong if they ever want to hold a position of power. For example, if a female politician shows any strong emotion, they would be seen as emotionally unstable and therefore unfit for the position.

Throughout the essay “The Ugly Truth About Beauty,” Dave Barry tries to explain how cosmetics are not important to the average male, but is an important topic for women. Men usually do not place as much importance in one’s appearance as women do. As Barry points out, if a group of men were instructed by Brad Pitt to apply cosmetics, they would quickly realize that the task was pointless, even demeaning to an extent. Most women on the other hand, place higher importance on their looks, even to the point of setting unobtainable goals of beauty. An example that Barry makes, is that women become obsessed with these looks because men want women to look that way, even though majority of men don’t care about cosmetics for the most part. These different

The nature of the self is what controls one's instincts like reacting violently and it is largely influenced by internal and external factors including destructive societal pressure. In the documentary The Mask You Live In, it provides the idea that masculinity in modern society is highly emphasized, causing several destructive effects. For example, males from a young age are often taught to behave like a "Real man" who is not allowed to shed tears publically. As a result of these masculinity "Rules", men always tend to hide away their emotions afraid that it will challenge societal beliefs. Over a long-term, boys who endure these external pressures experience longlasting toxic outcomes including becoming self-enclosed.

Aussie’s hair products is plastered on a two page spread that suggests that women can improve their beauty, specifically their hair, by using Aussie brand products. Women today are held to high standards of beauty. Needing to look as skinny as the supermodel on page six, flawless makeup and skin that is shown on the face of a well known actress, and glossy soft hair that appears on the Aussie advertisement. In the world we live in there is no such thing as perfect; however that doesn’t stop the media, people, and advertising for implanting the idea into our conscience that by using these products we can take a step closer to society’s definition of beauty. Unfortunately, everyone is uncomfortable

There is a major misunderstanding between makeup industries and women of color. This is a result of the lack of understanding of the needs of the diverse consumer. There is an absence of knowledge and empathy for others that are not white. When we consider these factors we have to think about the creators of these products. Often times they do not look like us, so how can we expect for them to meet our needs. This form of discrimination can place a direct discouragement on women of color’s self-esteem. This exclusion in an attempt to purchase foundation for their skin tone is what race relation’s specialist, Nadra Kareem Nittle calls “colorism.” In her article “What Is Colorism-Skin Tone Discrimination in America,” she describes colorism as the disadvantage dark skinned people face, while privileging those with lighter skin. Colorism is rooted in slavery, as slave owners typically gave preferential treatment to slaves with fairer skin complexions, while dark skinned slaves faced harsher mistreatment out in the fields. Makeup companies favor their white counterparts, often only providing a few shades that do not meet the needs of women of color.

Cultural beliefs and patterns regarding appearance have played a key role in reflecting the effects of beauty standards in Asian-American society. Through recent decades, it has transformed to become a key component to consider when understanding how body image fluctuates from country to country. In east Asian-Americans’ case, they are more than likely to trace back their cultural identity within two main geographic locations: either from their ethnicity background (China, Japan, South Korea) or from their residential domain in the U.S. However, this raises the question of whether or not they conform to the dominant white or regionalized Asian beauty standards.

All around the world makeup is constantly inspiring people. In every country, people choose to do their makeup different. The culture influences the style in which artists choose to broadcast their talents. American and Korea have different concepts when it comes down to the beauty style they take on and the endless possibilities are out of this world.

Young girls are more concerned about acnes and blackheads while mature women are looking for anti-aging and anti-wrinkle products. Genders do affect the choice of skin care products. In the past, skin care products only belong to the girls’ world. Nevertheless, in recent years, men are increasingly becoming more and more concerned about skin care. With a view to this latest trend, various brands have started developing men’s line. Income level directly affects the purchasing power of customers. Skin care products take up a wide range of price levels from far less than a hundred dollars to more than a thousand. Young girls who do not have any income cannot afford the expensive skin care products while mature women with higher purchasing power focus more on quality and effectiveness. Occupations also determine the need for skin care products. Models and artists generally have a higher consciousness on skin care than people with less exposure to the public.

The cosmetics business is a billion dollar industry. Every year, women are responsible for consuming millions of cosmetic products. The cosmetics industry is so large because of several factors. The media is a huge contributor to the intense pressure to look a certain way. The idea that "sex sells" is evident in gossip magazines, movies, advertisements, music, and more subtly- in the business world. People first notice what race someone is, how beautiful or ugly they are and what clothes they are wearing. Beauty is skin deep; however, first impressions are usually what others use to base their

Cosmetics fall into their own marketing arena. It is the only other product, besides food, that consumers are in constant need of because cosmetics are used in our everyday lives. Cosmetics, in order to have any type of customer base, are made with great quality in mind. With all these different brands offering the same types and qualities of products, Dove had to branch out into another important segment of this cosmetics market. Cosmetics are being used just as much by men as they are used by women, and it is important that a cosmetics product line can compete in the market of men’s products as well. Dove’s main competitors, Nivea, L’Oreal, and Garnier, have not crossed into making men’s products. The lack of men’s products gives Dove a competitive advantage in their arena. Dove has dominated in this category through their marketing and different direction.