Has advertising helped to make men more self conscious about their Essay

Has advertising helped to make men more self conscious about their appearance Evaluate whether this might be a good or a bad thing - Essay Example The main reason for this is the amount of influence advertisements have on the society. There is no scope for doubt in the fact ‘advertising helped to make men more self conscious about their appearance’. When we go through the sales data of male oriented products world wide, we find a rapid shoot up in the business in the recent years. â€Å"In the United States, sales of male-specific cosmetics and toiletries went up 37.3 percent between 1998 and 2003, according to Euro monitor’s 2004 study, with total sales of such products hitting $3.8 billion in 2003†(as cited in http://www.naturalnews.com/005132.html). These sales would have multiplied many times by now. Many developing countries like India where men were least concerned about beauty matters have a men’s beauty parlor in every nook and corner offering the most modern beauty treatments. Metrosexuals are seen on all four sides and at least for some, feminity is substituting his macho man appearance. All pinks and bright oranges on a man are seen awkward though the guys are least co ncerned. He is too much conscious of how he looks and he is in front of the mirror whenever he can. It is still a debate if it is fair for the man to behave like a typical woman in his personal appearance matters. Not only does he takes care of his looks too much but also spends a huge amount of his earning on the same. For instance, let us check the sale details of Loreal Paris, the international cosmetic brand. â€Å"Together male perfumes and deodorant made up about two thirds of LOreals male cosmetic sales in 2007. The usage of male cosmetics has grown considerably over the last two decades. From 1990 to 2001, mens skincare usage increased from 4.5% to 21%. In addition, men skincare usage in Western Europe has increased about 28% between 2001 and 2005. Cosmetics companies have even began to penetrate the over-40 market, which is not as saturated as the