Beauty and makeup are a billion-dollar industry today. Although traditionally, this industry has been associated solely with women, makeup has cut across gender divides in recent years. The strict, separate boundaries on beauty and makeup set for men and women are being eased. More men today are interested in makeup.  At the forefront of this change are the Asian countries, especially South Korea.  

South Korea is often considered to be the pioneer of the male beauty cultural revolution. Ironically the country has long been a patriarchal society, firmly insisting on the idea of hyper-masculinity, in which the ideal man should be muscular, tough, entrepreneurial and the ultimate provider. However, in the past two decades, the country’s understanding of masculinity has changed. An idea of “soft masculinity” has emerged. This is supposed to be the result of the growth of a new trend called the “Flower boy trend” (kkonminam in Korean) in the country. A “Flower boy” can be described as a man having a soft appearance, smooth skin, decent manners and wearing fashionable makeup and clothes. A typical flower boy is the opposite of the patriarchal “tough” male.

The idea of ​​kkonminam or the flower boy appeared in South Korea in the 1990s. The emergence of flower boys can be seen as part of a global phenomenon of metrosexual males: men who take care of their appearance in a way that was once considered feminine. The spread of Japanese manga or comics in South Korea and other Asian countries is another major factor contributing to the rise of flower boys in the country. Young male actors and singers, especially in the boy bands, tried to look like men in Japanese manga, where the ideal image of a male was the “bishonen” or “beautiful boy.” The major force believed to have influenced the spreading of the flower boy trend is the purported Korean women’s craze about the men in these mangas: soft, sweet, and sensitive, passionate, sincere, and polite.

The rise of Korean pop culture (K-pop) that has swept a global Hallyu (Korean wave) helped the rapid spread of ideas of soft masculinity across the globe. The Korean Wave refers to the international recognition of Korean culture, which influenced people’s preferences for movies, TV shows, music, and art, especially beauty and skincare.  Korean dramas such as “Boys Over Flowers,” “Flower boy Next Door,” “Shut-up Flower Boy Band,” and “Flower Boy Ramen Shop” laid the foundation for the development of the flower boy trend.  Korean pop music has been another major driving force behind the changing notions of male beauty and appearance. K pop boy bands consist of men who are flawless, have smooth skin, soft features, beautiful eyes and a great fashion sense. They are referred to as K pop idols because they are just perfect: they can sing, dance, act all at the same time.

The beauty business propels this desire aesthetic perfection of Korean men and women in contemporary capitalism. Advertising and media are powerful tools for the continuous expansion of capitalism. Beauty products are sold by influential Korean celebrities, which sends a signal to Korean consumers that they can also achieve the same level of excellence by simply following and buying the product. The image of Kkonminam in the Korean entertainment industry has been popularized through TV commercials, TV series and billboards featuring handsome boys with smooth skin and silky hair. Influencers on social media such as YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc., have further promoted concepts of male beauty, gender fluid makeup and fashion on a global level. Men today desire to look soft, delicate and beautiful that includes wearing roses and floral patterns in their clothing. 

The market-driven desire to look ‘perfect’ can be stressful.  The longing to be like their favourite K pop idol creates pressure for both males and females to seek unrealistic beauty standards. Being attractive has become a means to achieve things in South Korea, which in turn creates a culture where ‘looks’ decide personal self-worth and public success.  This ‘compulsion’ to be ‘beautiful’ by standards set by the market complicates any straightforward narration of a new concept of masculinity that opens up possibilities for a ‘genderless future. It remains open to debate whether such a move to new masculine ideas of beauty ushers in an egalitarian society.

References:

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3. Jairath, Jaanvi and Daima, Rhea. 2021. ‘Role of Pop Culture in Popularizing Gender-Bending Fashion and Ideals of Beauty and Makeup’. International Journal of Policy Sciences and Law. Volume 1, Issue No. 3: 1637-1649.
4. Jalba, Rima. 2018. ‘If and how are Instagram’s top male makeup influencers shifting beauty norms and beauty representations in a female-oriented industry’.
5. Miyose, Colby and Engstorm, Erika. 2015. ‘Boys Over Flowers: Korean Soap Opera and the Blossoming of a New Masculinity’. Popular Culture Review. Volume 26, Issue No.2: 2-13.
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9. Yamakawa, Lilia. 2014. ‘Flower Men if Korea’. Retrieved from  https://japansociology.com/2014/01/30/flower-men-of-korea/

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Rupsikha Baruah is pursuing her MA in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics (DSE).