Beauty is for men too

Beauty is for men too
Indian men are visiting salons for facials, to shape their eyebrows, wax their chests and legs and cut their nails in an effort to look beautiful and groomed

Beauty rests on necessities. The line of beauty is the line of perfect economy.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Conduct of Life "Beauty")

THE Indian male of the nineties is discovering that there is more to beauty than just woman. They seem to have twisted Emerson's "line of beauty" out of shape as they drive down to salons to shape their eyebrows and wax their legs for that "acceptable" clean look. Beauty salons, once the exclusive preserve of women, are bursting with men, their faces well 'masked', and feet and hands stretched out for the beautician's attention. Hair on the head is styled to suit the face, that on the chest and legs is ripped off with hot wax.

At home men preen in front of the mirror longer than women. It is not the wife who delays the dinner appointment but the man who is still deciding which colour handkerchief to carry, than what perfume to dab on it. The wife loves it and for the upcoming executive it is a small part of creating that first impression which can supplement the 'words of wisdom' from his mint-rinsed mouth.
Of course, paunch is out and power s in. "Power lunches, power muscles, everything is related to power," said restaurateur Kishin Mulchandani, 37, of south Mumbai. Even power workouts at the gym, to burn off the flab around the belly for the belly for that lean, chiselled look.

Appearances do matter in these dog-eat days of global competition. "I like to look better and keep clean," said Abbas Contractor, 36, an interior designer whose job involves constantly meeting people. The first step to grooming is looking good and feeling good. A haircut and shave at the good old barber shop left one smelling of desi eau de cologne and prickly hair in the back. The beauty salons were the answer. "I have been going to a salon once a month for the last four years," said Contractor. "Initially I used to cut my nails at home, but I realised that it was better to get them manicured by a professional who would clean the tips and do it right." Besides, a lot of pretty women attended on you, he joked. But jokes apart, salons in the cities, be it in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Calcutta or Kochi, are seeing a sudden influx of men. From middle-aged businessmen, to middle class executives, professionals and even college students, all are flocking to the salons that were once frequented only by film stars and the very elite.

They do everything from facials, waxing, thermolysis and facelifts to perming. "If many of them are waxing their legs, chests and arms, it is because they see it as a personal fashion statement or because they believe it is hygienic, " said Dr. Rekha Seth of IZ beauty clinic in Mumbai.

In India, the concept of the well-groomed male came in with liberalisation. "All of a sudden even the common people became aware of designer brands like Reebok, Armani, Rolex and Piaget. The awareness came through television and other media," said Kishin Mulchandani. With the new awareness came the opportunity when the beauty salons opened their doors to men. Initially, a visit to a parlour was marked by secrecy, but today many find it fashionable to flaunt their salon appointments. "It is the most natural thing happening for them," said Rekha Seth, disagreeing the t men are embarrassed to be seen in the salon. "My clients are very self-conscious about how they look and they don't mind spending money for it. The young men want to go for waxing, the middle-aged for facials and the youth for trendy haircuts."

More and more salons in the cities are catering to both sexes. Some have specific areas for men and women, while others have a common area for haircuts. Some five-star hotels have converted their barber shops to salons. Rita Sethi has been with The Oberoi salon for the last 24 years. In the 70s it was called the barber shop but now it is the men's salon.

"At that time men came to us for a haircut," she said. "There was no hair stylist and only a small percentage of men who travelled extensively, like airline crew, asked for facials and permanent waving. The rest of the men found these sissy and feminine." She had been trying to cajole her husband to have a facial. "He would come here and see the men having facials and pedicures and find it outrageously girlish," she said. Writer Shobha De agrees that there are still some like her husband Dilip De "who would not be caught dead in a parlour". "For them cosmetic treatment is effeminate and only pansies go for them," she said. Admittedly, this is a mindset that is difficult to change.

For marketing executive Sanjay Gupta, 24, looking good is a woman's business. "Man looks at a woman's beauty, women don't go for the same in men," he said. "The woman does not want a beautiful, groomed man, just a cool, kindhearted one." According to him, clothes and looks are important, but "Will a scar make a difference? In fact, it looks very macho," he said. He reasoned that men became particular about their looks only after women started working. "Ultimately everything is related to your profession. If you don't need to appear before clients it's fine." But for Sanjeev Loomba, 27, a chemical engineer in Mumbai, appearance plays an important role.

"To survive here you must either have tonnes of money or be good-looking. I am conscious about how I dress and keep myself fit by going to the gym," he said. "Women are attracted by good grooming." "A well-groomed man looks much more attractive," agreed hairstylist and model Coleen Khan. such a man is a welcome change from the casual one with smelly socks and a paunch to boot, she felt, as did several other women. "The anti-salon types feel that to be casual is very manly," said leading model Milind Soman. 'They feel that going to a salon goes against the macho image."

MACHISMO or not, the fact is that men are very conscious and aware of how they look. Milind attributes and the media exposure to the global outlook. Another reason for this consciousness is the manifold increase in the Indian consumer market for men, according to Prue Rajan of the Taj Hairdressing Salon in Mumbai.

But a growing market has not translated into increased awareness about the cosmetics and services available for good grooming. "We get so many inquiries from men about facials and other treatments," said Prue. "They have only heard about these services but don't know anything about them or even whom to ask."

Sanjay Gupta acknowledged this ignorance. "I 've never seen an ad for a men's salon and have never heard of men going to one," he said. And when men do go they are timid about trying out a threading or a waxing. "Men are still very shy. They have thick hair on their eyebrows but hesitate to ask for a threading,' revealed Prue. Attitudes are changing, though, and those who are going the whole hog are realising that apart from being hygienic, the treatment relaxes them and makes them feel good. "After a hard day's work, a facial, cleanup and sauna ease tension and makes me feel good," said architect Zarir Mullan.

"Feeling good is looking good," declared Rita of Oberoi Salon. She believes that confidence comes with good grooming, which is very important for the job and one's social standing. "It is the package deal you offer." With more and more middle class males putting their best foot forward to look good can the cosmetics industry be far behind? Today, male cosmetics is the fastest growing market internationally. "The foreign companies have seen the potential among the middle classes and are brainwashing them," said Shoba De.

Cosmetics maketh the man, seems to be the new dictum. And showing them how are the beauty contests with top male models swaggering on catwalks to catcalls from women watching from the sidelines.

In Milind's view the way one presents oneself reflects one's background, success and confidence. but facials, manicures, vibrator massages, after-shaves and perfumes tell only half the story, the other half is told in the clothes one wears. Men are learning to dress for the occasion, be it at the workplace or a party.

"The workplace dressing, Friday dressing, has taken over the safari suit which was an eyesore," said fashion designer Hemet Trigged, 36. But the options are few. "Ultimately, they have to put their legs into two tubes either loose or tight."

Even so, men are becoming fussy about clothes, according to Raja Darwin of Charagh Din in south Mumbai. "Our male clients now pay a lot of attention to material and colour combination," he said. "They are experimenting with colors like beige and blue, want to look around more and have become choosy,' he said. "They are seeing what their counterparts are wearing internationally and want to wear the same," said Anis Noorani of Zodiac. As proof he points out that the market for the mid-price segment is growing rapidly.

Their tastes have been polished beyond belief, agreed designer Krishna Mehta. "Earlier they used to leave the choice to me but now they will not leave everything to the designer," she said. "They want to have a say, talk about colours and want a quality product." The kurtas from the local darzi or the khadi Bhandar have been replaced by designer angarakhas and sherwanis. This turnaround has come in the last five years and covers all age groups. "While the youngsters wear trendy, peppy stuff, the 35-plus professionals plump for stripes, button-down and formal. The middle-aged go for quality, paying attention to stitching detail and the oldies stick to the sober, " said Mehta.

If Indian men are becoming choosy it is because they have a choice that was not there earlier. "Ten years ago if I wanted a pair of suspenders even after hunting I would not get a good choice," said businessman Ketan Mehta. Doesn't all this cost the earth? No, said some well-groomed men. "It's not important that what you wear be designer clothes," said Milind. 'We wear it because models them free. I take care of my nails at home, use astringent face scrubs and moist." Male models have come a long way from the days of being props for the more popular women. "In the past male models had no identity and only those with no career options became models. But now we have Arjuns and Milinds who are positive role models," said De. And the salon generation is taking their tips seriously. Instead of choosing cosmetics off the shelves they are trying to do it through a qualified beautician, said Prue Rajan.

It would be a difficult choice to make even for the beautician, considering that the market has seen an influx of male commodities. From designer underwear to men's cosmetics they are all available now. The size of the men's toiletries market is Rs 150 crore. There are shaving foams, after-shave lotions, moisturisers, deodorants, eau de toilettes, colognes, hair creams, styling gels, talcum powders, shampoos and soaps. The key players are Baccarose, park Avenue, Old Spice, palmolive, Instinct, Jovan, Denim, Nivea, Yardley and premium. Baccarose recently introduced perfumes, deodorants, eau de toilettes and a range of colognes.

If these are all international brands, there are also Indian brands like Vinita Jain's Biotique, which has a special range of 60 products for men. "We have after-shave gel, creams for acne, face packs, etc., for the upwardly mobile who are concentrating on personal grooming." "Ten years ago there was just Old Spice. Now you have many choices," said N. Mahadevan, deputy general manager of Menezes cosmetics which has 15 products like after-shaves and colognes of Blue Stratos. "The market has grown because men have realised that its high time they looked and smelt good."

The shave creams market is Rs 70-80 crore, after-shave Rs 30 core and talcum powder is whopping Rs 1,000 crore. "The deodorant market is growing slowly because men have still not understood their use,' said Mahadevan. "They still use talcum powder to mask odour. If we get even 20 per cent of these talcum users, it is a big market." Nor is cologne very popular in India. "Many still use it as a pati when they have fever; Tata's Eau de Cologne was only used for that," said Mahadevan. "In the west it's used before a bath; it's put in the tub because it is refreshing."

But Indian men are shedding their ignorance to the extent that advertisers are even making so bold as to focus on different segments of the market. "To be successful one will have to go in that direction," said Gautam Rakshit of Advertising Avenues in Mumbai. 'The manufacturer will have to research and focus on their particular segment only."

Where does all this leave the woman? Even in ads they have been reduced to props from the sex symbols they used to be. "If you see the ads of male products like Raymonds and Pantaloon, they have become more male-oriented," said Rakshit. But in real life men believe that women do play an important role in their grooming. Said 35-year-old Atul Maru, director of entertainment company Shemaroo: "My wife supports me and gives me tips on my clothes and haircuts. It is important what she thinks about the way I look."

Today beauty care is the key for the average Indian male to feel nice, to look good and to climb the social ladder.

SEJAL SHAH
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