Alex Rodriguez announces concealer line, ignites conversation around men wearing makeup
Alex Rodriguez is taking a swing at the beauty industry.
On Thursday, the 45-year-old baseball legend shared several photos to his Instagram — one of him just posing, with a beaming smile, and another showing him using a blur stick by the company Hims, a wellness brand that gives men affordable access to hair, vitamins, mental health, skin products and more. The concealer, which he worked with the brand to create, was specifically designed for the needs of men.
"Working with the Hims & Hers team, I wanted to create a product that solved an issue I faced every day. I realized as I was jumping from meeting to meeting, I needed something quick and easy in my routine to conceal blemishes or razor bumps," he captioned the photos, in part.
Some fans took to the comments to praise Rodriguez for helping to normalize the idea of men wearing makeup: "I don’t see anything wrong with men doing their thing to look good," one fan said. Another added, "Looking goood," and yet others declared, "Thats awesome!" and "I love it! Normalize men wearing a little something make’m look hotter!!!"
Others, though, were not at all excited about the idea. "When did men stop being men ?" someone asked, with another adding, "Make up for man whats next?"
Despite the negative comments, men wearing makeup has been moving into the mainstream for several years now. In 2019, of over 2,000 men surveyed by Morning Consult, 30 percent of men ages 18 to 29 said they would be open to trying makeup, while another 30 percent of men ages 30 to 44 said they were also open to it. Another survey from the same year found that the top three most popular cosmetic products among men were lip balm, blemish concealer and foundation.
With the rise of male beauty influencers like James Charles, P-Stuh, Malik J. Windley and others, the beauty industry has definitely taken notice. According to a 2020 report from Grand View Research, Inc., the global men's personal care market size should reach $75.8 billion by 2027, from about 47.5 billion in 2019.
In addition to normalizing men feeling good about their skin, The Guardian notes that the increase in interest in men wearing makeup also reflects a shakeup in the gender binary, and that younger generations are moving away from rigid gender roles. Benedict Cumberbatch told reporters at the 2015 Golden Globes that "makeup is a wonderful thing for men as well as women.” He admitted that he had only gotten off his flight an hour before the event and praised makeup for being able to hide signs of jet lag.
Hilary Coles, co-founder and vice president of merchandising at Hims & Hers, tells Yahoo Life that the brand is constantly working on how to help its customers take care of themselves.
"Men wearing makeup is possibly the worst kept secret out there — we know 50 percent of men today are using a facial cosmetic product to help cover everything from razor burn to dark circles," Coles explains. "And yet, when we looked at the market, most of what was out there was far below our expectations. Products with only 3 shades? Loud macho packaging that discreetly couldn’t fit in your pocket? We heard from men that they wanted something that seamlessly fit their lifestyle and skin, could promise to never sweat or look obvious, and didn’t take an expert to apply. Whether on Zoom or in real life, we believe it's never been more important to feel good in your skin."
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