Has Male Grooming Always Been So Fashionable?

I have three brothers. Since they all reached adulthood, only one has ever paid great attention to their grooming and appearance. One always looks messy and like he hasn’t showered in years. Another looks clean much of the time. Then, there’s the one that always looks clean and well dressed, unless he’s literally in the middle of a project. Being a girl I know less about men’s fashion than I do about women’s. Some thoughts on men’s grooming were shared with me, and I thought they’d be interesting to share with you.
Has Male Grooming Always Been So Fashionable?
There have been a lot of lifestyle changes within the last century. Among the biggest changes we see is in male grooming. Grooming generally refers to the overall or rather the general appearance of an individual from physical appearance to mannerism. It is common knowledge that women have and will always be very particular about their personal grooming but we are currently experiencing and witnessing a very interesting thing about male grooming. We are beginning to notice that there is more and more talk about male grooming and this brings us to the question. “Has male grooming always been so fashionable?”
Traditionally, men used to do very hard work that required a lot of physical strength. The nature of this work saw to it that at the end of the day they were always sweaty, greasy, dusty and dirty. Upon getting home they would clean up and rest till the following day to go back to the same circumstances. Men therefore did not have time for their own grooming and it can be argued that as long as there was food on the table for their families, their own personal appearance mattered little to them. Their ladies on the other hand had light duties. This saw to it that the ladies had so much time at their disposal during which they did their personal grooming like doing their hairs and nails among other things.
During the same old society however existed the top class people. These were mainly merchants and community leaders who paid others to do their dirty work for them. These men had money to buy expensive clothes, soaps and perfumes as well as lotions for their bodies. They took personal grooming as a very serious thing and one would always find them very well groomed at all times. One could tell whether a man was poor or rich by the way they groomed themselves. It was very common to rate a man’s personal grooming by the kind of moustache he had, the suit he wore and also how shiny their shoes were. The shinier the shoe the better groomed a man was.
Grooming in men also determined the kind of suitors they attracted. Ladies were often more willing and ready to accept a wealthy suitor because it guaranteed a stable future for her. The way a man groomed himself was a common way to judge the amount of wealth he actually had and it could guarantee him any lady he wanted.
Currently, male grooming is taking the central part of society. Where fashion and grooming was initially associated with women, males are now central players. We find that men go to great lengths to ensure that they are fashionably groomed. You find that males are weight watching to avoid growing bellies with most of them going to the gym with the intention of getting a six pack. Men are very keen on the appearance of their hair and this has led to entrepreneurs opening up salons and barber shops targeting men where they get their hair washed and shampooed or shaved to form unique styles. Many beauty products targeting males have also hit the market. This is due to the ever increasing male demand for smoother acne free skin. A lot of products are also being marketed and sold that help men in achieving their dream six pack bodies.
Some of the factors that are contributing greatly to these male changes and making male grooming in Belfast so fashionable is the fact that ladies are focusing on physical appearance in their search for a potential mate. Another factor that has affected male grooming is influence from role models or celebrities. As young male children grow they try to imitate a certain role model in their lives. Musicians are icons and fashion drivers and they are the ones who are driving the male grooming industry. Whatever they do and the kind of body shapes they possess is what most of their fans want to achieve leading to an ever rising and increasing fashion demand in male grooming.