‘There is no shame in being vain’: the relentless rise of impossible male beauty standards

‘There is no shame in being vain’: the relentless rise of impossible male beauty standards Men’s faces are under scrutiny as never before, with more opting for cosmetic procedures than ever. What is behind this sudden and significant shift? T he images are familiar: square-jawed white men, faces set hard, barking the language of strength and command. Over the past week, as the United States has pressed its military campaign in the Middle East, the face of defense secretary Pete Hegseth has appeared on screen after screen delivering the rhetoric of the warrior-patriarch . It is a face already known for other performances: posing in the gym alongside Robert F Kennedy Jr for the Department of War YouTube channel; lecturing the military about “fat generals”; hosting a weekend show on Fox News. But here, borrowing the glory of the troops, Hegseth presented the general’s mask – the jutting jaw, the unflinching gaze – albeit without, some critics would suggest, the military experience or strategic judgment it usually signifies. Donald Trump, too, has offered his own version of the strongman face; the commanding presence, white and unyielding, though recently people have been rather more distracted by the new rash on his neck . Trump and his cabinet are performing militaristic power at the precise moment when the white male face has become its own theatre of authority. Other icons of the Maga (Make America Great Again) movement, like Elon Musk, have also had public “glow ups”. Even JD Vance politically rebranded with a beard during his 2022 Senate bid to emphasise his blue-collar ruggedness. He is now known on Chinese TikTok as the “eyeliner man”. Men’s faces are under scrutiny as never before, in positions of cultural as well as political power: on red carpets, in tabloid closeups, across social media feeds, and in movies, TV shows and adverts. Their features are pored over, speculated about and dissected. Has Bradley Cooper had fillers? Does Brad Pitt have a new jawline? ...