“MANning Up”: The Cosmetic Industry Sees A Lift in Male Clientele

Our society’s intense appraise of beauty goes past mere awe and appreciation. It’s become increasingly obvious that our culture rewards those who are beautiful. Having come to accept this as a fact of life, women have long learned the way they look affects their performance in the job market. The male population seems to be quickly picking up on the strong signals. Now more than ever, male executives find themselves competing against a much younger demographic and therefore, recognize that looking more refreshed and vigorous can be a significant advantage in retaining or obtaining a position.

Image maintenance is no longer exclusive to a woman’s domain. In recent years, the men’s grooming industry has been progressively expanding as men want to look and feel better regardless of their age. One may say a transition into cosmetic procedures is simply the next step. The number of men opting for treatments such as Botox®, even facelifts, is constantly on the rise with men including these treatments on their to-do list. Cosmetic treatments have become maintenance, the same as a trip to the gym or hairdresser.

Is this increasing trend a result of a change in attitudes and mentality, what is now perceived as socially acceptable, or an inevitable outcome of what advances in cosmetic surgery have made possible?

Many people forget that while 50 years ago men did in fact choose to let nature take its course undisturbed, they also had no other choice in the matter. Thus logic invites us to an evident assumption: why should men sit back and accept the signs of aging as an irrefutable phenomenon when often a simple and minimally invasive procedure can effectively “turn back time?”

Reports by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show over a million Americans do not [sit back]; the percentage of the male population sitting in the waiting room of a cosmetic physician’s office is growing rapidly as men from diverse ethnic backgrounds now comprise an increasing percentage of this market.

So, whether it’s done as a good “business move” to survive a moribund economy, a way to get back in the dating scene, or simply because they want to enhance their appearance, men are joining women in a common goal towards looking healthy, youthful and more attractive.

Photo Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Tags: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Anti-Aging, Botox, cosmetic surgery, Cosmetic Treatments, Facelift, job market, male cosmetic procedures, unemployement

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 4:44 pm and is filed under Cosmetic Treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.