Male Manicure
All abut the Male Manicure
For a long time, when you thought of a manicure you did not think of the American male. Manicure and maleness simply didn’t mix. These days, with metrosexuals and a greater emphasis on male appearance, the beauty industry has started to find new ways to appeal to male vanity and one of them is the male manicure. So what is involved in a male manicure?
It’s all About the Nails
In large part, the male manicure focuses on the nails. Unlike women who grow their nails long as a sign of femininity, for men nails are, of course, kept short. Of course, a male left to his own devices may simply end up cutting his nails too short or unevenly. After all, it is a trait of the male species that they are notoriously oblivious to such details.
Well-trimmed, clean nails, however, are an increasingly important goal for many young men. A male manicure is about getting the perfect cut, so that the nail is not trimmed back too far--the nail should still be substantial enough to project an air of masculinity. On the other hand, the nail should not be left to grow beyond the edge of the finger, as this is both unpleasant and reminiscent of the feminine nail.
Furthermore, the manicurist conducting the trimming must also clean beneath the nail in order to avoid leaving dirt. The male concerned with a male manicure tends to be a tidy chap and wants to have his nails reflect this as well.
A professional manicure, however, may also involve taking care of some less common nail problems, such as suggesting treatments for brittle nails that may easily crack. The manicurist may also help their male clients who have discolorations beneath their nails, better to conceal or minimize these blemishes.
Twenty First Century Captains of Industry
When a male goes to get his nails done, however, it is often because he is the sort of individual who pays close attention to his appearance. You don’t have to be a GQ model, however, in order to find it important to take care of the details of your appearance. You don’t even have to be French (a recent French study shows that male manicures and similar practices traditionally reserved to women have been gaining popularity at exponential rates). In fact, many executives and men in leadership positions have started to employ personal beauty consultants to do things such as take care of their nails. Given that many of these individuals are from the so-called Generation Y (born during or after the Reagan Administration) this trend is likely to become more popular overtime as more of this generation comes into positions of power.
And why do executives and others in positions of power find it important to take care of their appearance? To put it as the tennis great Andre Agassi once did, “Image is everything!” Well, it’s not everything, but given how image conscious society has become, the CEOs of companies and the Presidents of Organization now find themselves judged much more by appearance and aesthetic performance than ever before. Therefore, those who are grooming themselves to be Twenty-First Century captains of industry, now find it important to “look the part.”
You might simply think of it as a post-modern version of the 80’s mantra: Dress for Success.
A Solitary Deed
Given the negative associations projected onto men who take too much of an interest in their appearances, it is not surprising that many men confine their manicures to secret moments. In the past generation, the number of male manicure products has grown. Many more men are now taking time “doing their nails” and buying tools that used to only be found in the sections of stores where you could find hair curlers and make up. Now, however, it is not unusual for male manicure tools to be packaged together as father day’s gifts. Once the industry settles on a name that does not have the feminine associations of “nail care,” such packages are likely to gain in popularity.