Makeup for men is no passing fad, it’s been around since the dawn of civilization

Yi explains that earlier than the 18th century, there weren’t such clear vogue distinctions between men and girls. Then got here one thing historians name the Great Male Renunciation. Today, we nonetheless stay in a world that’s nonetheless massively formed by the slender, Enlightenment definition of gender. “In the West we’ve gotten so used to masculinity by way of a claustrophobic lens,” says Yi. “But I do suppose issues are altering, as a result of Gen Z and the TikTok era and celebrities have a extra expansive sense of masculinity. We’re speaking about Harry Styles, who wears a costume on the cowl of Vogue, we’re speaking about Bad Bunny, who loves acrylic nails, we’re speaking Frank Ocean, who talks to GQ about retinol, and we’re speaking about BTS, who wears make-up and coloration their hair.”GQ talked to Yi about some highlights from Pretty Boys. 18th century influencers, Viking with customized grooming kits, horny sixth century Korean assassins—it seems historical past is full of lovely men. The Egyptians Exfoliated In many cultures around the world, magnificence (and beautifying by way of make-up) was an indication of godliness. This was very true in historical Egypt, the place pharaohs have been regarded as human manifestations of gods. Many pharaohs used extraordinarily luxe eyeliner, a charcoal blended with gold, emerald, and rubies.“Pharaoh Ramses had these wonderful facials combined between honey and milk,” says Yi. “Milk has lactic acid, it’s a good way to exfoliate, and honey is a pure antiseptic and nice pure solution to have supple pores and skin.” Ramses additionally had a devoted skincare routine with Sephora-worth’s set of lotions and potions. Historians discovered a recipe for an anti-aging cream made of honey and lotus flowers that was mainly one of the earliest identified SPF moisturizers.