From Alexander the Great to Harry Styles: the favorite beauty rules of famous men

Our ideas about masculinity have changed over the centuries and continue to change. Very Good Light male beauty journalist and editor David Yee researched different cultures and found evidence that men and self-identified masculine people cared about their beauty. They lined their eyes like Ramesses the Great, adored perfumery like Alexander the Great, and even used highlighter like the Neanderthals who lived more than fifty thousand years ago. We chose several stories from David Yee’s book Pretty Boys, which was published by MIF. In them – a new look at male beauty.

Neanderthals

Centuries before Kylie Jenner was called a billionaire and beauty mogul, cavemen crushed pyrite, added various components to it, and applied the mixture to their faces. Yes, yes, Neanderthals invented foundation, colored cosmetics and glitter fifty thousand years ago, before modern humans even existed. So we must pay tribute to our old and distant brothers. They were not dim-witted, undersized creatures that grumbled and threw stones, but rather spiritual creatures. After all, they tried to transform their appearance not only to show off in front of others, but also to express themselves.

An important find of archaeologists was a mixture of crushed lepidocrocite (lavender-colored stone), hematite (strawberry-colored stone), pyrite (stone with golden hues) and charcoal. Together, the minerals gave a stunning sheen. According to Professor Joan Zilian, when they were mixed, a skillfully made cosmetic product was obtained, similar to modern highlighters. It was used over foundation. “It only makes sense to prepare it for cosmetic purposes,” Professor Zilyan told the Guardian newspaper. “When light hits you, you reflect it.”

Professor Zilyan hypothesized a clear correlation between makeup use and emotional and social intelligence. The drive to look good and show off your assets—whether you opt for natural freshness or full make-up—is correlated with an increased ability to analyze social structures, a desire to either emphasize one’s status or blend in with the crowd. A collection of ancient highlighters, foundations and blushes showcases the importance of makeup in the earliest human societies.

Ramesses the Great

The usual morning of the Egyptian ruler Ramses II, better known as Ramses the Great, began like this: for several hours he was occupied with all kinds of beauty rituals. This was done not only for self-care. To the ancient Egyptians, the better you smelled, the more attractive you seemed, and the more dazzling you shone, the more favored you were by the gods.
It all started with immersing the pharaoh in a warm bath, sometimes filled with milk. A team of assistants rubbed every inch of the pharaoh’s skin with soap made from animal fats and vegetable oils mixed with Dead Sea salts, a natural antibacterial agent. While the king was soaking, his assistants mixed milk and honey and applied this mask to the pharaoh’s tanned face for thorough exfoliation and hydration. The manicurist then trimmed Ramesses’ finger and toe nails with a small nail file and a knife. This position was so important and respected that it was even indicated on the tombs of the masters. In the conditions of the scorching Egyptian sun (the heat reached 50 ° C), it was important to apply creams, moisturizers and masks to the pharaoh’s face several times a day to keep the skin supple.

After the pharaoh’s skin became soft and radiant, make-up artists set to work: they painted their eyes with kayal. According to Egyptologist Helen Stroudwick, eyeliner was the most important step, as the eyes were powerful in ancient Egyptian culture. And finally, the stylists selected the perfect wig for Ramesses II and put it on his shaved head.

Alexander the Great

Of all the hobbies of Alexander the Great, only perfumery made his heart (or rather, his nose) sing. If he did not expand his empire from Europe to India, then he studied the ingredients, mixed them, matched the flavors and bottled them. Who would have thought that one of the greatest conquerors in history had such a hobby?
When Alexander became a teenager, his teacher Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, explained to him that fragrances are not only an object of admiration. They also measured “arete” (“perfection” in Greek) and “sofrosyune” (“restraint”). A person who understands and appreciates aromas is also not alien to “poise, logic and intelligence.” And these are all signs of a great leader.

Although Alexander is one of the greatest military minds of history, he is also considered the father of perfumery. He combined various notes, made perfume profiles and poured perfume into vessels. Of course, other peoples, including the Egyptians, Indians, and Persians, have used essential oils before. But it was thanks to Alexander that perfumery became a large-scale industry that thrives to this day.

bts

When BTS won the 2017 Billboard Music Award for Best Social Artist, they did more than blow the internet. Few knew that they were waging war against Western standards of masculinity. The very next day, BTS was widely discussed in the States: thousands of Americans became interested in the fact that guys use cosmetics and questioned their masculinity and sexuality.

But South Korea has glorified men and cosmetics at various times in its history. Today, South Korean men buy 20% of all cosmetics in the world. There are only 25 million men in the country, but collectively they consume more than a billion dollars worth of cosmetics every year. In the 2010s, boy bands wore make-up as often as their female counterparts, and guys with pastel-colored hair and shimmery eyeshadow, lipstick, and blush became the norm. “There’s not much difference between boys’ and girls’ makeup, except maybe using less bright colors,” says Yang Hee-young, Pentagon’s makeup artist. “Men are just as beautiful as women.”

Today, South Korea is a great example of the democratization of beauty, but just three decades ago, the use of makeup by a man was considered taboo and fraught with the risk of imprisonment for violating the country’s strict Confucianism. With the dominance of K-pop on the charts, preconceived notions about what men can and cannot be are being shattered.

In 2018, BTS is invited to speak at the UN on youth culture. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity,” RM, one of the group members, reads the speech, “just talk about yourself. Find your name and find your voice by talking about yourself.”

Harry Styles

Harry Styles, the former boy band prodigy, seems to have been working since he started touring the world with One Direction. This group no longer exists, but from its early days, Harry stood out for his restless behavior, cheeky charm and good disposition. Although he played the role of a teen idol perfectly, behind this beautiful image was a man who explored more complex manifestations of identity.

At the 2015 American Music Awards, most of One Direction’s members took to the red carpet in matching gray suits and oxford boots. Styles – with his newly grown mane – wore a Gucci suit with a delightful black floral pattern on a cream background. His bell-bottom trousers were a nod to the bells and whistles of the 1970s and were still considered a women’s fashion item at the time. The transformation of a masculine handsome man into a risky fashionista was a real shock. “What was Harry Styles thinking?” guessed one publication in New Zealand. “Harry Styles’ AMAs suit looks like a regular bedspread,” wrote Cosmopolitan. But Harry didn’t mind. He didn’t care about the critics. “I had never worn flared pants before and it was a lot of fun,” he recalled in an interview with Dazed magazine in 2017. “I just started wearing them more and more and at the same time I felt a lot more confident.”

At the 2018 Met Gala, he went even further in the direction of non-conformity, wearing a see-through one-piece Gucci suit, a single pearl drop earring and painted his nails in black and white.
“What women wear. What men wear. That’s not the issue for me,” he explained to the Guardian. I don’t want to wear it any less.” I think once you start feeling more confident, things get a lot easier.”

Bad Bunny

The Internet exploded when Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny released a video for the song Yo Perreo Sola. The song, whose title translates to “I Twerk Alone,” became an instant viral hit thanks to its powerful theme of women’s self-affirmation.

The rapper made headlines in 2018. After an awards ceremony in Miami, passing by a nail salon, he decided to paint his nails too. The next day, he posted a photo of his sparkling manicure on Instagram. The photo has gone viral. Some accused him of “sexual perversion”, but others applauded. Nails have become his hallmark. In the video for the song Estamos Bien, he paints them black, and in the clip, Caro sits in a bathrobe while he gets a manicure, blowing on his nails, waiting for the polish to dry. On the cover of PAPER magazine in 2019, his long, almond-shaped nails are covered in acrylic lacquer.

The personality and image of Bad Bunny are multifaceted, and at the same time he argues sensibly, down to earth and convincingly – and what could be more courageous than such confidence in one’s own authenticity and a sincere belief in beauty and freedom of expression for all?

More stories in David Yee’s book