Gay beauty
#TheLIST: Big Gay Beauty Icons
RuPaul
Long before Rihanna and Fifth Agreement were singing about it, the ultimate drag icon coined the phrase "you better work" while teaching us how to make admire to the camera and walk the runway.
Ziggy Stardust
An electric alter ego, from the sound to the hair to the iconic lightening bolt encounter paint.
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Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz
There’s a silent menace looming among queer men: the pressure surrounding beauty standards, body image, and consequences that follow.
What Is Body Image?
Body image relates to the relationship you have with your physical appearance. It captures the convictions, feelings, and conduct you have surrounding your body.
We often hold a positive or neutral body image. Societal pressure could negatively switch our image. A negative body image takes control of our lives by impacting socialization, habits, and self-talk. In turn, these changes can have downstream mental and physical health consequences.
People of all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic standings are vulnerable to body image issues – each layer of intersectional identity impacts body image differently. This article examines distinct body image pressures impacting gay men.
Body Image Pressures Outside The Gay Community
Our external world sets the rules for beauty. We witness beauty norms and measure it against ourselves; we may internalize these.
Minority Stress
The term describes additional stress marginalized people experience due to stigmatization. Each level of intersection
Welcome to this thing that I’m doing now called Gay Your Makeup, where I teach you how to turn your confront into a sexy magic trick! I’m excited about the command of this column, and hopefully you’ll come out of this experience knowing how to wear glitter on your face in millions of different combinations. But today we’re starting with a very simple, natural look for people who want to trick everyone into thinking that they’re not wearing makeup. This see will make people think: I can’t believe it’s makeup (and not just naturally good skin)!
Primer
Behold, internet: my face without makeup. This is an inside exclusive, you’ve seen it here first. Seriously though, I’ve worn full-on makeup every day for most of my life (due to acne, boo). And even after Accutane cleared my skin once and for all, I still have scars on my cheeks that I’m uncomfortable showing to the general public. So if you’ve seen me in the light of day, you’ve seen me with makeup on. Which means I’ve gotten the hook of makeup not through skill per se, but through great ole’ repetition, day in and day out.
And I’m not
Holloway on Toxic Male Beauty Standards in Gay Culture
In a GQ article, associate professor of social welfare Ian Holloway commented on oppressive male beauty standards that are detrimental to body image, particularly within the gay collective. The article highlighted the absurdity of societal expectations for six-pack abs, which have become a barometer for male attractiveness. As a result, even the fittest men struggle with body image. Holloway, who runs a private apply in West Hollywood operational with gay individuals and couples, explained, “The expansive majority of my clients, despite what their external appearance might be, whether they have a six-pack or not, wrestle with this ideal image of themselves. Body-image issues are at the top of the list of things they struggle with.” Holloway recommends, “It’s important for guys to get a clear idea of what’s attainable and realistic and work towards that, as opposed to trying to achieve the impossible utopian we’re bombarded with.”
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