February 23, 2023 - 11:39am
Perhaps you are familiar with the tell-tale signs that suggest a friend or colleague has visited a cosmetic clinic: the mysterious half day of leave; an icepack held gingerly to one side of the face; curiously plumped cheeks. ‘Tweakment’ is now the term of choice for cosmetic medical procedures that are considered non-surgical or minimally invasive. Common examples include Botox and injectable fillers, but also the unpleasant-sounding ‘threadlift’, which involves medical-grade thread placed under your skin to pull it into a tauter position.
These procedures are primarily aimed at women, social pressures upon whom continue to generate the insecurities that are the bread and butter of the nation’s plastic surgeons — 93% of all surgical cosmetic procedures in the UK were performed on women in 2021. But as these enhancements become normalised and tweakments offer a less invasive, non-surgical option, the industry behind them is setting its sights on men.
A 2021 survey found that only 26% of UK men aged 16 to 40 are happy with how they look, while two in five say they feel pressure to have the perfect body. These findings show that there is a potentially large market for the cosmetic industry to tap into, with masculinisation packages pushed by plastic surgeons allowing us to peer into a world in which increasing numbers of men seek these procedures.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons claims that men prefer to “look tweaked rather than tucked” and UK clinics now offer procedures explicitly aimed at men “seeking enhancements of signature masculine features”, such as a stronger jawline. One clinic that advertises itself on Instagram is currently promoting a ‘masculinisation package’ that includes adding definition to the chin and cheeks and refining the nose.
This so-called masculinising effect is achieved with the judicious use of fillers, seeking to replace softness with more angular features. This is in comparison with facial surgeries more often sought by women, in which the jawline may be softened and the nose shaved down. The fillers used by surgeons to masculinise a man’s face are often temporary, using hyaluronic acid, and their effect fades after a year to eighteen months.
With limited data, it is difficult to get a sense of the men who pay for these procedures, but the clinics that benefit are all too keen to emphasise that any man can become a happy recipient of their services. One American clinic actually suggests that the hitherto widespread male disinterest in plastic surgery has been the result of “toxic masculinity”.
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SubscribeJust another illustration of the feminization of men, ironically in the form of trying to look more masculine. This will not end well.
It might have something to do with the trend of men having lower testosterone. It’s a problem.
That’s a good point, but it also raises the spectre of an associated concern.
Sperm counts (millions per ml / motility) are decreasing due to environmental factors. If this is also associated with lower testosterone, and males are having plastic surgery to make themselves appear more masculine, this is presumably to become more attractive to the opposite sex and more likely to attract a mating partner.
In other words, females will be ‘fooled’ into choosing males to mate with whose innate fertility isn’t as high as they’re being led to believe. I wouldn’t want to think about the consequences of this.
That’s a good point, but it also raises the spectre of an associated concern.
Sperm counts (millions per ml / motility) are decreasing due to environmental factors. If this is also associated with lower testosterone, and males are having plastic surgery to make themselves appear more masculine, this is presumably to become more attractive to the opposite sex and more likely to attract a mating partner.
In other words, females will be ‘fooled’ into choosing males to mate with whose innate fertility isn’t as high as they’re being led to believe. I wouldn’t want to think about the consequences of this.
It might have something to do with the trend of men having lower testosterone. It’s a problem.
Just another illustration of the feminization of men, ironically in the form of trying to look more masculine. This will not end well.
I’ve read other news stories recently in which younger men are getting fat and wearing makeup in the belief that all appearance-based choices and habits are equally valid. It was remarked upon by an Army training sergeant who increasingly encounters recruits who can’t believe they’re expected to get fit.
So which trend is more true?
I’ve read other news stories recently in which younger men are getting fat and wearing makeup in the belief that all appearance-based choices and habits are equally valid. It was remarked upon by an Army training sergeant who increasingly encounters recruits who can’t believe they’re expected to get fit.
So which trend is more true?
I’m not sure this is a fad, but for some reason the author seems keen to big up this – is she in the pay of the tweakers?
I’m not sure this is a fad, but for some reason the author seems keen to big up this – is she in the pay of the tweakers?
I don’t understand the criticism. Why should people be told they shouldn’t try to look as good as they can? Growing old and ugly isn’t a virtue. If you wish to do it there’s no shame in it but if you want to do a few things to improve your appearance that shouldn’t be treated with disdain either. After all women spend a schidt ton on makeup and hair dye each year, it’s a form of trying to look your best.
I don’t understand the criticism. Why should people be told they shouldn’t try to look as good as they can? Growing old and ugly isn’t a virtue. If you wish to do it there’s no shame in it but if you want to do a few things to improve your appearance that shouldn’t be treated with disdain either. After all women spend a schidt ton on makeup and hair dye each year, it’s a form of trying to look your best.
Of course everyone ‘should’ want to be their best and sometimes that means look your best. However this is a fake, quick pretence at improving yourself. Men, like women, ‘should’ put the effort into actually becoming better but we are, almost, all too lazy.
This fakery may well be successful for that individual but, as Steve Murray has commented, the societal effects won’t help.
We need a reality that rewards men for being masculine and women for being feminine. If only we could agree on what those terms mean!
I don’t see the point. Women are not interested, which has finally been realized and is driving most of the societal changes we are witnessing. This “artificial enhancement” fad should be very short-lived, at least regarding heterosexual males.
I don’t see the point. Women are not interested, which has finally been realized and is driving most of the societal changes we are witnessing. This “artificial enhancement” fad should be very short-lived, at least regarding heterosexual males.