Why should girls have all the fun?

Modern men like Harry Styles and Prateik Babbar are breaking barriers of toxic masculinity. Men are no more shying away from self-care

There was a time when Indian men would be ridiculed for using face creams, lip balms, wearing jewelry, or even sporting colors like pink and purple, but not anymore. The modern man is embracing makeup, neckpieces, getting nails done, and even following skin and hair care routines like face packs and hair spas on a regular basis.

A recent post by the Instagram page ‘SheThePeople’ appreciated men for breaking such stereotypes. A girl named Nutan Shinde commented on the post on how she has no problem when her boyfriend does his eyebrows and forehead. Another woman shared how she is encouraging her husband to start a skincare regime without thinking ‘Log kya kahenge?’ Because it’s all about self-care!

---

Hollywood icon Harry Styles recently broke barriers of toxic masculinity by wearing a Gucci gown on the cover of Vogue. Singer V from the boy band BTS too proudly flaunted his heels during a performance. Back home, Prateik Babbar shattered stereotypes by painting his nails, and who can forget Ranveer Singh oozing with confidence in skirts and ‘feminine’ colors?

Normalizing self-care for men

Akshay Neelakantam, a Hyderabad-based model, shares that apart from maintaining his long hair by conditioning it regularly, he uses biotin and beard oil frequently to tend to his beard. “For my skin, I use papaya face packs once a week. Plus, I ensure that my diet is rich in fiber so that my skin has a natural glow. I also take Evion 600 to maintain my skin texture,” adds the 30-year-old.

Men like Shahamat Hussain also use mud and golden face packs. The 28-year-old Technical Writer at FactSet shares, “For my skin, I have realized that the more you moisturize it, the younger it looks. Since my beard also needs proper care, I make sure I use a moisturizer every night before I sleep. I scrub my face twice a week. Castor oil on skin and hair has made them better over the years.”

On the other hand, well-known photographer Kaleem Shaik advises that it’s better for men to use natural products like fruits and aloe vera on the face. “When it comes to hair, I use a sulfate and paraben-free shampoo and conditioner with moderately warm water and let my hair towel dry so they get to their natural form. I may apply either a hair serum or oil to keep it moist but most of the time the natural oil secreted by my scalp will keep them good,” he elaborates.

While Bharath Kumar adds that face and beard washes, scrubs, cleansing products from brands like The Man Company and Beardo are a must; Shaik Waseem concludes that even men need to protect themselves from the harsh sunlight this summer by using sunscreen and hat. “Musk melon pulp is my go-to face mask,” he shares. You go, boys!

---

Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .