Male Beauty Trends: Mewing & Looksmaxxing Explained
- A widening gender divide is playing out in evolving male beauty standards.
- These practices, amplified by the "manosphere" and incel communities, focus on masculinity for its own sake, seemingly more about impressing other men than attracting women.
- A 2005 study indicated men overestimate the muscularity women prefer, while women overestimate the thinness men prefer.
Explore the evolving landscape of male beauty standards as a widening gender divide takes hold. Discover how trends like “mewing” and the pursuit of peak masculinity are reshaping perceptions. The article uncovers extreme grooming practices, like eyelash shaving, driven by influences like the manosphere. It examines how such trends emphasize hypermasculinity, often at the expense of self-acceptance, and leading to body dysmorphia. Uncover the societal pressures fueling these contrasting ideals, investigate the gap men recognize and how the quest for perfection impacts mental health. This is a complex exploration of changing beauty standards and their impact on young men, and if they are really ready for what’s ahead. News Directory 3 helps make sense of it all. Discover what’s next …
Male Beauty Standards: Gender Divide and Hypermasculinity
A widening gender divide is playing out in evolving male beauty standards. Some young men on TikTok are shaving their eyelashes, believing long lashes are feminine. This trend joins others, such as “mewing” tongue exercises for a more square jaw and traveling to Turkey for hair transplants.
These practices, amplified by the “manosphere” and incel communities, focus on masculinity for its own sake, seemingly more about impressing other men than attracting women. This shift highlights a long-standing difference between what men admire in each other and what women find attractive.
A 2005 study indicated men overestimate the muscularity women prefer, while women overestimate the thinness men prefer. manosphere spaces, blending self-help with traditional masculinity messaging, exacerbate this divide.
A recent online poll on X, formerly Twitter, illustrated this. Participants were asked to choose which photo of pop star Olly Murs they found more appealing: one with prominent but undefined muscles,or one with a “shredded” physique. Men favored the “after” photo,but some insisted women were wrong about their own preferences.
This emphasis on hypermasculinity is a result of the manosphere’s growing influence. Figures like Andrew Tate promote male dominance, rejecting anything considered feminine, which leads to trends like eyelash-shaving.
Feminism has encouraged women to develop body relationships independant of male approval. Some men are adopting similar rhetoric, pursuing self-love through physical fitness.However, this can quickly devolve into misogyny, with online communities like “gymcels” and “Men Going Their Own Way” denigrating women.
ironically, the pursuit of extreme beauty standards is leading young men to body dysmorphia, a condition more commonly associated with young women. A 2019 study found that 22% of males showed signs of disordered eating behaviors focused on muscle-building. Social media content glorifying muscle-building is linked to muscle dysmorphia.
Shaving eyelashes, an act of self-sabotage targeting a feature associated with femininity, reflects this trend. Some young men reject anything “girly” about their appearance, especially if women find it attractive.
These confusing body standards leave young men struggling to see their bodies clearly or meet unrealistic ideals, mirroring the challenges faced by their female peers. This creates a troubled form of equality, where achieving healthy self-love and positive body image is increasingly difficult.