The Three M’s: Makeup, Masculinity, and Media
The portrayal of makeup has always been associated with femininity, women, and further from anything but masculinity. According to a survey, 17% of American men would consider using and wearing makeup in the future. This would double the size of the market currently. Added to the current users of male makeup, nearly 1/3 of American men would consider using or using makeup currently. However, the age of the users is skewed towards the younger men. Because of that, it shows that the role of makeup in movies has come to start to redefine masculinity in the younger generation of men. While male leads in movies have always worn makeup, it is not done noticeably and the characters in the movies are never shown putting on or taking off makeup.
Media is now a large impact on people’s beliefs, values, and knowledge. With the widespread active consumption of media increasing day by day, people are learning more about makeup and how makeup is for people of all genders and ages. The increasing usage of skincare and grooming routines has become more widespread among men. As a result, more men have become accepting of makeup, so more men have started to use it. There is also an increasing crossover between skincare and makeup. In recent years, makeup has begun to incorporate aspects of skincare into their products which have made it more appealing to a larger audience.
The largest majority of male makeup users are in the LGBT community. Without them, the large acceptance and knowledge of makeup would not be the same. Paris is Burning is an American documentary that was released in 1990 about the ballroom culture of New York City and the people and communities involved with it. The documentary was directed by Jennie Livingston, and it is considered one of the most influential, culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films of all time. In 2016, it was selected by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry to be preserved. It shined a spotlight and brought LGBT+ life and issues from the AIDs pandemic. In this scene at the end of the documentary, Dorian Corey is putting on makeup while talking to the camera. Talking about her ambition and purpose, she talks about how she originally wanted to make an impact on the world and be a huge star, but as she’s gotten older, she learned to just enjoy her life as is. For much of history, the large majority of men who made an impact were straight, white, and traditionally masculine. This scene is one of the most notable in the entire documentary, and it is at the end of the movie. She made history and redefined how people saw traditional masculinity with other drag queens.
Another scene that stood out was the scene of the two boys being interviewed for the documentary. These drag queens served as such an inspiration and safe space for the younger generation of LGBT children. They were the direct impact of makeup and masculinity showing in media and how it can serve as representation and inspiration for people who come from traditionally masculine Black and Latino backgrounds. They sought solace in these drag families and the LGBT community, and it allowed them to find inspiration. These drag queens challenge the idea of traditional masculinity to provide for a family. Drag families “are also a new form of community which creates a sense of belonging for these people who are rejected and marginalized by society because they do not conform to the expectations of white heterosexist, patriarchal culture, what is called as dominant culture.” By doing so, drag and the community that participates in drag shows how there are multiple ways someone can be masculine, and a cisgender heterosexual white man is not the perfect image of masculinity.
Mrs. Doubtfire is a movie starring Robin Williams, where a recently divorced dad becomes a female housekeeper in order to be able to interact with his children. While this movie does not necessarily shine a spotlight on makeup and how men can use makeup, it is worth mentioning because it challenges the idea of traditional masculinity despite the movie being aimed at families with children. In this scene, he asks his brother to turn himself into a “woman” and puts on a wig, makeup, and female clothing. The movie was a box office success and one that shows how movies can use makeup and masculinity to show they can be related and used together. By showing regular men and fathers putting on makeup, it shows how even people who aren’t involved in the drag community or LGBT community can wear makeup. While he only wore makeup to get close to his children, he learned more about them and became a better father doing so. Even if the movie was intended to be comedic in purpose, it shows how there has been a wider acceptance of men wearing makeup in the media. By watching this, it may encourage fathers to take a bigger role in raising their children. A large majority of fathers do not play a role in the development of their children, so
Another iconic movie is White Chicks, a film released in 2004 that revolves around two FBI agents going undercover and crossdressing as two sisters. They go through a massive transformation process in order to look like the girls. Their boss is a White man who has very traditional and old-fashioned views of being a man. Their boss believes that men should not cross-dress and should be tough, but over the span of the movie, the FBI agents learn about women and become close to the sisters’ friends to complete their mission. These very traditionally masculine men begin to love singing with their friends and shopping with them, and they end the movie doing so. These small inclusions in movies are indicators of a bigger change in society’s idea of masculinity. The film challenges the idea of masculine power in American society. The stereotype of Black men being hypermasculine is contrasted by the image of a White woman. The FBI agents are successful in their mission because they are able to bring out their feminine side and be vulnerable. There is no one way to be masculine. They can be powerful, masculine, and strong while being feminine at the same time.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality competition TV show that features drag queens competing against each other to win the crown of America’s Next Drag Superstar. It is hosted by the drag queen RuPaul, who is one of the most famous drag queens in the world. The clip shows the drag queen, Maddy Morphosis. Maddy is the drag persona of Daniel Truitt. Daniel is a cisgender straight man and is the first openly straight male contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Maddy’s inclusion into Drag Race, a traditionally LGBT space, was met with controversy and praise. Originally, it was thought that by including Maddy, they were pandering to straight audiences and forgetting their core audience. However, Maddy showed a great appreciation and understanding of drag culture and knowledge of it. She understands that despite being a minority in the drag community, she is still the majority and has said that “straight men are not a persecuted and excluded group within the drag community.” Her wide appreciation for the drag community has gotten her acceptance and appreciation. Maddy Morphosis is a part of a larger generational change in masculinity. Because of the portrayals of masculinity in media as well as a larger acceptance of the LGBT community, men like Daniel Truitt were able to explore their gender identity and masculinity.
Americans now spend nearly 7 hours and 30 minutes a day interacting with media. Because of this, media now has a large influence on the society and the values associated with it. The traditional ideal of a masculine man has changed over the years because of makeup and its portrayal in media. Through iconic documentaries like Paris is Burning, comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire and White Chicks, to crazy reality TV like RuPaul’s Drag Race, they have all challenged the idea of the cross-section of masculinity, femineity, and how makeup plays a role in all these things. As the usage of makeup increases amongst men, the restricting definition of masculinity will change and continue to change. Eventually, masculinity will not be tied to appearances or sexuality, but rather the strength and power of a person.
Works Cited
“Real Men Wear Makeup.” Eturbo News, 2023.
Martinez, Monica (2021) “Toxic Masculinity: An Outcome of Colonialism and its Effects on the Latinx/Chicanx LGBTQ+ Community,” McNair Research Journal SJSU: Vol. 17 , Article 11.
https://doi.org/10.31979/mrj.2021.1711 https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/mcnair/vol17/iss1/11
Egbatan, Mine. (2011). Paris is burning A critic of gender. fe dergi feminist ele. 016–023. 10.1501/Fe0001_0000000040.
“US Time Spent With Media Forecast 2023” eMarketer, 2023
