Rachael Mockalis
There’s a perception that men shouldn’t wear makeup—that it’s emasculating or girly. Not only is this perception hurtful and sexist, but it’s also a relatively new idea. James Charles, Jeffree Star, and other male makeup artists are not a new phenomenon. There’s a long history of male makeup artists and an even longer history of everyday men wearing makeup.
Let’s take a quick look at this history.
Warpaint
This story begins way back in 10,000 BCE—the age of the earliest evidence of Native American tribes wearing warpaint. Though many people might not think of it as makeup, it was the use of paints and pigments to adorn the body. Using even a narrower definition of makeup, warpaint falls under that category.
Warpaint’s use, however, was far from how we use makeup today. Instead of trying to accentuate or modify their features, warpaint usually consisted of abstract shapes and symbols in varying colors. Painting these patterns on the skin both acted as a uniform to help identify your allies and as a psychological ritual. In painting their skin, men were both mentally and physically preparing for battle.
Many First Nations peoples had meanings assigned to the different colors. Though perhaps not an intended purpose, the paint around the eyes may have also helped reduce the glare from the sun—a purpose echoed throughout many warlike civilizations.
Since most Native American cultures regarded war as a masculine role, those wearing warpaint were usually men. The purpose of their warpaint was not one rooted in vanity or adornment, but deep cultural meaning.
Adornment and Practicality
To find a better example of adornment, we must look thousands of years forward. Starting around 4000 BCE, in ancient Egypt, men and women famously wore elaborate eyeliner. People of all genders and social classes also used liberal amounts of eyeshadow, lipstick, and rouge. Though the ancient empire cared a great deal about makeup for beautification and as a status symbol, it wasn’t purely cosmetic.
It had religious purposes—thought to appeal to and evoke Ra and Horus—and practical—dark makeup around the eyes can help protect from the sun’s glare. Though the lead-based materials in the kohl were also toxic, they had antibiotic properties when combined with moisture from the user’s eyes.
Though women were more often portrayed as performing elaborate beauty routines, it’s telling that beautification became a ritual during mummification—regardless of the dead’s gender. The ancient Egyptians held significant respect for both the cosmetic and ritual purposes of makeup, allowing it to follow them into the afterlife.
Makeup and Masculinity
The Romans weren’t as inclusive in their makeup usage, however, it became a point of contention at certain points during their civilization. While some Roman men applied red pigment to their cheeks, lightened their skin with powder, and painted their nails, others looked down on the practice as effeminate.
It’s worth noting, however, that society also looked down on women who wore obvious makeup since it was associated with sex work. Roman poems and comic plays often turned makeup-wearing individuals into jokes, deriding them for the practice and associating makeup with negative character traits.
In part, these views come from the philosophy of Stoicism, which believed vanity and selfishness were ugly, undesirable traits. One who overtly adorned themself foregrounded their desire for beauty and therefore revealed those negative qualities. This didn’t completely stop people from wearing makeup, however. Some Romans continued to wear natural looks—just enough product to enhance their natural appearance.
Ghost-White Faces
Makeup continued to fall in and out of favor in Europe for centuries. In Elizabethan England, for example, men powdered their faces to the point where they looked ghostly white. Noble men and women were expected to have pale complexions and usually used makeup to achieve that end.
Men’s makeup became an obsession once again in 17th-century France, where King Louis XVI started a trend through his love of extravagance. This continued until Queen Victoria I of England—the biggest trendsetter of her day—declared makeup obscene and it quickly fell out of favor amongst both men and women.
A Modern Rebellion
It wasn’t until the late 20th century that mainstream men once again wore obvious makeup. Though men in 1920s Hollywood wore makeup, the goal wasn’t so much to show off as it was to show up on camera. The older black-and-white cameras had a hard time picking up details, so Hollywood’s makeup artists worked hard to accentuate actors’ features. This was more obvious in women, so men didn’t really pick up makeup artistry from film stars the way women did.
In the 70s and 80s, however, rock ’n’ roll artists like David Bowie and Prince wore eyeliner as a way to stand out from the crowd and distance themselves from the mainstream. Though their most ardent fans followed suit, it wasn’t uncommon for their peers and parents to look down on them for doing so.
This trend continued into the early 2000s, where subcultures started to emerge around rock and punk music. Though men wearing eyeliner was still a far cry from the mainstream, far more young men were donning makeup and nail polish.
Drag Queens: A Primary Influence
Throughout the 1900s, drag queens became increasingly prevalent cornerstones of the LGBTQ+ community. Few people realize, however, they also played a crucial role in the history of modern makeup.
There’s no questioning the effect drag queens have had on the beauty industry. Many of today’s most common beauty techniques were pioneered and passed down from queen to queen long before the mainstream caught on. The drag community continues to influence makeup artistry, with many famous drag queens—like Trixie Mattel and Kimchi—even launching their own beauty lines.
We think of makeup artistry as a feminine pastime, but these men have been pioneers in makeup for as long as they’ve been performing.
The Modern Male Beauty Guru
Men are now all over YouTube and Instagram, creating makeup tutorials, showing off hauls, and starting trends all over the world. Though men’s makeup hasn’t always been taboo, we’re now cycling back into an era where men aren’t looked down on for adorning their eyes and lips.
The industry is starting to catch on, including more men and gender non-conforming individuals in their marketing. In 2018 Chanel released Boy De Chanel, a male makeup line. Still, cosmetic companies often take a more discreet approach when marketing to men. Many men are still ashamed to admit to wearing makeup, even when people are increasingly accepting.
Including men and gender-neutral language in advertisements can go a long way to erasing this shame. While more and more men wear lip balm and beauty brands continue to advertise to them, we also need to work towards creating a society where men don’t feel constrained by their masculinity.
