The $85 Billion Taboo, How We Still Panic When Men Wear Makeup
Sales for men’s grooming and makeup are expected to reach over $85 billion by 2032, as data from CNBC suggests, yet the stigma over men’s makeup still lingers. The idea of men wearing makeup still makes people uncomfortable.
The taboo is not really about cosmetics themselves. It is about what those cosmetics are seen to represent. Often, it can be argued that people are fine with men trying to improve their appearance, as long as it doesn’t visibly change or impact their perceived masculinity. There is a strict distinction between men’s grooming, which is more normalised, and the idea of putting on makeup, such as eyeliner, blush, and other products, which are seen as more feminine. No one accuses a man of 'trying to be a woman' when he shaves his beard or uses lotion. Those acts are seen as maintenance. Makeup, however, is classified as a performance, to be more specific, a feminine performance. And to embrace this femininity and perform it with a male body is treated as a kind of betrayal. The issue runs deeper than appearance. At its core, it was equating makeup with femininity and femininity with weakness. “The word ‘makeup’ has such feminine connotations,” Stéphane Marais, a makeup artist, told Vogue Homme last year. “No man wants to admit he’s wearing makeup, as that would necessarily imply that he’s becoming more feminine.” From this, it is clear that toxic masculinity hasn’t released its grip on society just yet. It stems from internalised sexism. That's why we see 'makeup for men' marketed separately from women’s, rather than just making all makeup gender neutral. Madonna captured it perfectly: 'For a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think being a girl is degrading.'"
This coding of makeup being feminine also leads to homophobia, where men wearing makeup became associated with homosexuality. The issue is not makeup alone, but what makeup symbolizes in cultures where masculinity is still partly defined through the rejection of femininity. When a man wears makeup, especially makeup that is obvious, he is often read as stepping outside the boundaries of what heterosexual masculinity is supposed to look like. The assumption, then, is less about sexuality itself and more about how narrowly masculinity is still understood. This stereotype also survives because people often confuse gender expression with sexuality. A man’s sexuality concerns who he is attracted to; his gender expression concerns how he presents himself — through clothing, grooming, mannerisms, or style. But socially, those two things are still constantly collapsed into one another.
However, in 2026, we can see how social media has helped normalise and make men’s makeup more visible. Magazines such as Vogue argue that due to social media, the stigma surrounding men’s makeup has reduced, and tentative steps are being taken in the right direction. Yet online visibility is often limited to niche spaces. In everyday life, wearing makeup is still treated as a statement rather than a normal choice, and is frowned upon in workspaces and schools. Online forums like Reddit reveal, offering more insight into daily life than a glossed-over view from a magazine. Men who wear makeup in the workplace are still viewed as highly 'unusual' — and often face quiet judgment, passive comments, or outright hostility. What social media offers is visibility without consequence, likes and comments from strangers, not sideways glances from coworkers. It is much easier to be bold online. In contrast, waking into a Monday morning meeting wearing the same face you posted on Instagram is difficult. Visibility online hasn't yet translated into acceptance on the ground. And until it does, the taboo isn't really fading.
Real change won’t come from more products or more visibility online; the only thing that can make an impact comes from unlearning what makeup means in the first place. Makeup is not inherently feminine, and a man's face, like anyone's face, should not be a political statement.
Written by: Coco (Leyi) Shao
