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For S. Korean men, makeup a foundation for success
SEOUL, South Korea -
Cho Won-hyuk stands in front of his bedroom mirror and spreads dollops of yellow-brown makeup over his forehead, nose, chin and cheeks until his skin is flawless. Then he goes to work with a black pencil, highlighting his eyebrows until they’re thicker, bolder.
“Having a clean, neat face makes you look sophisticated and creates an image that you can handle yourself well,” the 24-year-old college student said. “Your appearance matters, so when I wear makeup on special occasions, it makes me more confident.”
Cho’s meticulous efforts to paint the perfect face are not unusual in South Korea. This socially conservative, male-dominated country, with a mandatory two-year military conscription for men, has become the male makeup capital of the world.
South Korean men spent $495.5 million on skincare last year, accounting for nearly 21 percent of global sales, according to global market research firm Euromonitor International. That makes it the largest market for men’s skincare in the world, even though there are only about 19 million men in South Korea. Amorepacific, South Korea’s biggest cosmetics company, estimates the total sales of men’s cosmetics in South Korea this year will be more than $885 million.
h/t Bruce
Corona
September 18th, 2012
High maintenance.
Troy
September 18th, 2012
I have spent a fair amount of time in South Korea.
There is a definite heirarchy and status among the men. Status is key. They use the airlines like a bus terminal, arriving 20 minutes before the flights, 95% male in business suits on the flights.
All the S. Korean men smoke. The women may smoke, but they hide it. They also have sea-weed and minnows as bar snacks. There is a 7-11 on every corner. Cold as hell in the winter in Seoul. The local prostitutes do not want to sleep with cultures besides S. Korean men. (Don’t ask me how I know.) If you ever get to visit, try a thing called “room salon”. Talk about a fun, drunken karaoke party…
Just my two cents, so don’t be so hard on those guys.
wsorrian
September 18th, 2012
Seriously, why do all our allies have to be the gay countries?
wsorrian
September 18th, 2012
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Maudie N Mandeville
September 18th, 2012
My money’s on the North Koreans.
MNHawk
September 18th, 2012
My wife likes the Korean TV shows and yes, the men look very high maintenance while the women look like normal everyday people. In fact, one we’re watching now has a couple of 10 year old boys in it, one rich, one poor. I mentioned to her that if the “rich” boy went to school looking like that (high fashion to the point it made me laugh), he’d get beat up…a lot!
Go figure.