Lipstick Under My Mustache

Think of a casual evening; you're making your way into the humdrum of the nearby market, you want to buy that particular eye shadow palette you've been saving up for, and you know today is the day the prices are going to be slashed, not so much but yeah, within my budget.

Its end of season sale and all the ladies are swarming over to the makeup store asking the sales clerk to state the discounted prices and then with a disappointed look, turning away from the store as though that 1500 Rupee lipstick would now cost 500 at the end of season sale, little do these women know these stores are just employing tactics to attract customers; oh no, right now I am also one of these ladies.

This is a common scenario, very basic and futile to describe because it does not bring forth any novelty, but what if, there were boys in that crowd as well? Searching for makeup to match their lovely skin tones? Lipstick shades that could probably go well with beards and maybe some eyeliner to match the kohl that only adorned the eyes of Muslim men before, now a general commodity along with Turbans and orange cloth. Nudes, Mattes, Glossy, and shimmery, Ruby and Mocha shades, Plum and coral; colors to define masculinity just as they define religion and race.

Boys and makeup have always been disassociated either because they don’t make sense or because boys are boys and they don’t have the societal pressure to regulate their face along with their weight whereas girls are subject to both. But over the years, we’ve seen an opposite trend that’s here to stay.

Boys are now becoming the torchbearers to the makeup industry, the agency to create a platform suitable for makeup artists on YouTube. James Charles, Jeffree Star (who is perhaps non-binary), Bretman Rock, Manny, and many more YouTube stars have held their ground, went against the norms and created a safe space for men to practice makeup.

It's not only these men who belong to the queer community who are experts at a formerly girls prescribed field, but there are also emerging, many heterosexual men who are taking the art to new levels every day. Actors such as Ezra Miller and musicians such as Adam Lambert are regularly spotted with dramatic and bold ensembles such as Ezra's Met Gala look, that one certainly was eye-grabbing.

Makeup in this way should be available for all genders without attributing it to anyone of them. It does have negative connotations most of the time when its seen as a mask-making the people who use it in excess feel bad about their decisions, but if they're happy, why should anyone else care?

Humans are not physically perfect but are expected to conform to the ideals all the time, and if makeup does make us feel better sometimes, so be it. And women are not the only ones who should be getting such a privilege to beautify themselves; society always makes a spectacle out of feminine products, thereby immediately shaming any attempt by men to do the same. I say we put a stop to this and allow men to partake in the joy of creating art on faces and thereby transforming the face itself to creativity.