Male Aesthetics

Thank you.

Hello, and welcome to Japanology Plus.
I'm Peter Barakan.

Every time we have a shoot,

the first thing I do is go
into the makeup room at NHK.

When I started working
in television back in the day,

doing makeup made me feel
really self-conscious,

but like anything else,
you do get used to it.

Having said that,

when I'm not doing television,
makeup is not something I do.

But recently,
especially in big cities like Tokyo,

it's become quite common to see young men

wearing makeup, plucking their eyebrows,
doing all sorts of things.

Until recently,

makeup was seen in Japan as generally
something that only women did,

but attitudes are changing now,

and on today's program

we'll look at the latest
developments in male aesthetics.

We'll start at a cosmetics shop
in Tokyo run by an online retailer.

In the past, it was unusual
to see men in shops like this.

But that's no longer the case.

The growth in demand
for men's cosmetic products

was a big boost for a market
that seemed to be past its peak.

The market has grown
by 50 percent in 15 years,

and generates annual sales
of over 150 billion yen.

But skincare products are far
from the whole story.

I think that people's attitudes
are changing.

The way they see beauty is diversifying.

And at the same time, we're seeing
a change in what young men want.

What they aspire to.

It's gradually evolving.

Recently, K-pop idols
have become widely admired,

and many men want to look like them.

They want to emulate them.

It's creating a growing awareness
of beauty and aesthetics.

Male cosmetic products
were previously a niche market,

but rising sales have
boosted the entire industry.

Men using cosmetics is actually
not a new phenomenon in Japan.

For over a thousand years, it was normal
for Japanese men to wear makeup.

8th-century aristocrats used face powder.

They also pulled out their own eyebrows.

They then drew replacement eyebrows
higher up on the forehead.

Why did they do that?

One theory is that eyebrows
that did not convey changing emotions

projected an image of serene authority.

This style of makeup came to represent
the high status of the nobility.

Later in history,

when the samurai class emerged,
men used makeup in new ways.

It helped them to look brave
and undaunted on the battlefield.

If they were killed,

makeup signified their high status,

preserving their honor and
dignity in death.

A one thousand-year tradition
of male cosmetics came to a sudden end

during Japan's 20th-century economic boom.

But why?

Hiramatsu-san.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Thanks for having me.

Our guest this time actually has a PhD
in cosmetics.

Hiramatsu Ryuen specializes
in psychology and culture.

He has published his research
on cosmetics and appearance,

and his work illuminates aspects
of Japanese society in a new way.

You do see a lot more young men
using makeup than you used to, don't you?

It's said that the COVID-19 pandemic
led to an increase in men using cosmetics.

People spent more time at home,

and women started using makeup less often.

But strangely, it seems the number
of men using it went up.

Yeah, I understand the bit
that women don't do makeup,

because they don't need to;
they're not going out of the house.

But why would guys do it
as a result of that?

At the workplace,
it was difficult for men to wear makeup.

Their colleagues would notice,
and call them out for it.

But at home,

they could wear makeup
and no-one would say anything.

Also, online meetings became more common.

People wanted to look good on screen,
so they applied makeup.

I think that was another reason.

When I first came here,
which is admittedly almost 50 years ago,

you did not see men in makeup at all,
as far as I can remember.

Apart from maybe one or two
entertainers on television.

In the 1960s and then the '70s,

which is when you arrived,

Japanese men stopped using makeup.

But they had been using it for centuries.

All through history?

Absolutely.

Really?

That's really surprising.

I mean, for example,
during the years of militarism,

just before the war and maybe
during the war...what about that period?

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries,

skincare and facial beauty treatment
was common

for male students, soldiers,
and other groups.

In fact, men used makeup
more commonly than women.

Really?

Yes.

And during the war,

makeup played a key role for soldiers
and sailors when they went into battle.

Why?

Well, there was a book in the 18th century
that laid out guidelines for samurai.

It was called Hagakure.

It stated that samurai should wear makeup.

"They must always keep blusher
on their person."

That was one of the rules.

Similarly,

soldiers in the Second World War were told
to consider their appearance.

Enemies might interpret
a pale complexion as fear,

and fellow fighters might see it
as a loss of morale.

To prevent that, they wore makeup.

So why does that change so dramatically
in the 60s and the 70s?

Japan moved from wartime
to a period of rapid economic growth.

Men put all of their focus on work;

they didn't have time to think
about beauty, or their appearance.

From Monday to Friday,
businessmen would simply wear a suit.

And at weekends,
they'd switch to golf attire.

That was it.

Actually I'm remembering back
to the 70s now.

I mean, guys weren't wearing makeup
in the way that they do now,

but on television you used to see ads for,
I suppose, male cosmetics of a sort.

And people like Charles Bronson
were advertising them.

The advertising for those products
would emphasize traits

that were seen as typically masculine.

Physically strong, for example,
drenched in perspiration.

But Japanese men didn't want
to be like that.

They felt they were being shoehorned
into that look,

but for a time, they didn't wear makeup.

Then came David Beckham.

He was part of my generation.

Previously, we saw athletes
as sweaty and dirty.

That was the image.

But Beckham was different.

He was a sportsman, but he was stylish;

he cared about his appearance.

Just after he came on the scene,

the word "metrosexual" started
to appear in the media.

It was used a lot.

It carried a sense of caring about your
looks, being knowledgeable about wine.

Choosy about food.

It was a brand-new vision of masculinity,

and it became very popular.

Yes, "metrosexual."

It's a word that one does hear.

It's not a word in my
active vocabulary, I think.

But definitely things have changed.

We're now accustomed
to thinking about our appearance.

Young men of today don't think
it's strange to use makeup,

and I think that's a plus.

Something positive.

Japan has a hairstyle that was a feature
of male identity for over 800 years.

The chonmage topknot is familiar to anyone
who's seen a samurai movie.

To create this style,
the top of the head is shaved.

Then hair at the back is put
into a ponytail,

and rested on the exposed scalp.

How did this
distinctive hairstyle develop?

It can be traced back to the nobility
in the 8th to 12th centuries.

Back then,
aristocrats wore hats called eboshi.

When doing so,

they would tie their hair together,
and secure it on top of their head.

That way,
it would fit neatly inside the hat.

Later in history,
samurai imitated that style.

From the 12th century,

samurai fought countless battles across
Japan, in efforts to expand territory.

Standard battlefield attire consisted
of a helmet and armor.

But the helmets presented a problem.

In Japan's summer heat and humidity,

they'd make the head hot and sweaty.

Shaving was the solution.

Samurai shaved the tops of their heads.

It was the hair equivalent of switching
to light clothing in summer.

In the 17th century
Japan entered a period of peace,

but the chonmage persisted.

The chonmage gave a man sex appeal,

and the hairstyle became a hallmark
of Japanese culture.

Men began evolving the hairstyle,

and competed to develop new,
ever more stylish forms.

A book introducing men's fashion
was released in 1773.

Much like a modern fashion magazine,

it featured pictures and descriptions
of recommended outfits.

At the time,

publications like this were one of the few
ways to keep track of current trends.

The chonmage was a defining feature of
Japanese male identity for over 800 years,

but in the 19th century,
as Japan Westernized,

it finally disappeared.

Wow. Look at these!

And all different styles, too.

And the topknots are kind of...
this one curls over,

and others go back and then forward.

It's interesting though
that there are all these variations

of different hairstyles,

and all of these go back
to the Edo period, right?

Well, before the Edo period began
in the 17th century,

I think there was probably only one style.

The chonmage
was just a utilitarian solution.

But in subsequent years,
it became more about fashion.

It evolved as people sought
to become more stylish.

Variations started to appear.

A book from the Edo period shows
eight trending hairstyles for men.

There were various publications like that.

Ah, OK. It's like fashion magazines.

Yes.

And were men generally conscious
of how they looked?

I believe they were.

I would say that the desire
to look stylish

was similar to how things are now.

Just about the same.

People wanted to look good,
so they came up with hairstyles like this.

And after the Meiji Restoration
in the middle of the 19th century,

basically the samurai
as a social class ceased to exist.

So what happens, then...do these
hairstyles just disappear immediately?

There was official guidance
that the chonmage was not compulsory.

That was the way the wind was blowing,

but people were so accustomed
to the chonmage, it was hard to switch.

Then, Emperor Meiji and other
public figures changed their hairstyle,

and so others quickly followed suit.

Coming into the modern era,
when I first came to Japan in 1974,

I remember being surprised that
on television, especially in the evenings,

a lot of the commercials you would see
would be for wigs and for hair implants,

and even now you see them,
not quite as much, perhaps,

but evidently Japanese men were very
self-conscious about losing their hair.

For some reason, many Japanese men
are terrified of losing their hair.

But it seems to me that men
in Europe and North America

can see baldness as a big plus.

Would you agree?

I mean, there are some iconic people...

when I was a kid there
were people like Yul Brynner,

and then later on there were people
like Michael Jordan and Brian Eno.

I mean, there's lots of examples,
probably.

But an absence of hair
can actually be very cool.

In Japan, men who could no longer grow
a topknot were seen as no longer young.

They were ready to retire.

It was time for them
to withdraw from society.

It's like the sumo wrestlers.

Yes, when they retire.

Losing your hair means
that you've served your purpose.

You're surplus to requirements.

That idea is really scary.

And that still is something
that people feel today, you think?

Well, these days,

people who lose their hair aren't expected
to withdraw from public duty.

But the customs and ways
of thinking we have inherited

certainly do have a lingering effect.

Hello there, and welcome to Plus One.
I'm Kyle Card.

Now today's theme is male aesthetics,

but there's so many men, myself included,

that don't even know where to start
when it comes to fashion and styling.

So today we're going
to explore a unique service

that offers full
personalized coordination,

including hair, makeup and fashion,

to get you off on the right foot,
aesthetically.

Let's check it out.

Welcome.

Oh, hello.

Please come in.

This is Hiroki, a hair and makeup artist,
and a photographer.

What sort of style would you like
to go for today?

Well, I do a lot of television work,
and because of that work,

I usually have to wear a lot of
simple clothing,

and be very conservative,

so I want to try something like,

kind of wild and playful,
something I'm not used to,

but I'm not exactly confident
that it will look good on me.

In that case, let's start with the outfit.

Just this way.

Oh, so we'll start from the clothing? OK.

Oh wow.

You've got a lot of clothes in there.

So what are you looking for when you're
thinking about a fashion coordination?

The color.

What might go with a client's skin tone?

That's what I look for.

Oh wow.

It's kind of like a wizard robe.

That's cool.

Can you try it on?

OK.

Alright, here we go. I'll be back.

What do you think?

I chose something
you wouldn't normally wear.

Yeah, I can't say I've worn anything
like this before.

So...

I'm curious to see
where you're going to take it.

The next step is makeup.

Makeup?

Wow. We're going to do makeup. OK.

Can I trim your eyebrows?

Please try out whatever
you feel is necessary.

How much of them are you cutting,
actually?

I'm making them half as long.

So what types of people use this service?

People going on a date, or app users.

They take photos of themselves
for use in dating apps.

Wow.

My face looks so intense.

Kyle's transformation
has taken two hours so far.

The final step is his hair.

Wild.

What do you think, does it look good?

Perfect.

Oh, great.

Here's what Kyle looked like at the start.

And here's his new look.

He's achieved the wild,
playful style he was looking for.

Next, Hiroki uses his photography skills
to capture Kyle in his new guise.

You allowed me to meet
a different version of myself

that I had not previously knew existed,
so thank you very much.

I craft people's hair and makeup,
and match that to various outfits.

I think it's fun for the customer.

Thank you so much for today.

You're very welcome.

Another treatment that's booming among
Japanese men is permanent hair removal.

Removing the hair on my arms and legs
means I don't get hair all over the house.

Cleaning is much easier.

And I can wear shorts—
it's a form of etiquette, I suppose.

It makes me feel a lot cleaner.

This salon offers hair removal services

for every part of the body, including
the legs, chest and pubic region.

But the most popular service
is removal of facial hair.

This 20-something is having facial hair
removed for the first time.

My wife prefers no facial hair.

So here I am.

OK, let's get started.

Aagh!

I'm sorry.

OK, now this part.

Yeow – this is torture!

The users of this service
must endure a painful procedure.

For this man,
the full course will take two years.

The hair removal trend isn't limited
to younger men.

I'm 55.

I have hair removed in delicate areas.

In the future,

I may need caring for, and I want
to make it easier for the caregivers.

My aim is to help them keep me clean.

I'm getting older, and so I'm thinking
about what happens next.

That's why I'm getting this treatment.

Having the hair removed.

It seems that one element
of Japanese male aesthetics is

to be clean for the sake of others.

It's not just about self-image.

The idea that hair removal makes you kind
of cleaner is a little weird to me.

I mean the idea that not having hair
is cleaner than having hair

really doesn't make very much sense.

I suppose it's indicative of a kind of

androgynous thing happening
in Japanese society.

Perhaps elsewhere as well, I don't know.

I wonder what you think about that.

If you look at Japanese history,

you see that Japanese men have
never pursued the classic Western image

of a muscular body covered in hair.

Most people in Japan don't aspire
to that type of masculinity.

This goes back a long way.

Records reveal a time when,
to avoid looking intimidating,

men meeting the Emperor had
to shave off any facial hair.

If you wanted to grow facial hair,

you had to have special permission
from the Emperor.

Really? Interesting.

And do you think that sensibility
still applies in modern-day Japan?

It's less of a historical influence,

and more of a fundamental difference
between Japan's view of masculinity,

and the Western view.

They're not the same.

So we're not seeing a new phenomenon.

We're seeing the reemergence of a mindset
that has always been present in Japan.

I guess the images that we have of gender,

and this is not just Japan
but all over the world,

have changed fairly rapidly
over the last 20, 30 years,

and presumably those images
will continue to change as well.

Well, consider kabuki.
A traditional performing art.

At the very beginning it
was performed by women.

Then young men replaced them,

and now the roles
are performed only by men.

They make themselves look like women,
with costumes and so on.

Right.

I think Japanese have always been
more comfortable than Westerners

with the concept of transcending gender.

And in fact,

I mean people like David Bowie
were highly influenced by kabuki as well.

In the West,

David Bowie was seen
as androgynous, or feminine.

He presented a different version
of masculinity.

But in Japan,

people who dressed like David Bowie—
people who looked like him—

were much more part of everyday life.

And that made him easy to accept here.

People are moving away
from masculinity or femininity;

that's happening around the world.

But basically,
Japan is fairly flexible about gender.

It's true that after the Second World War,

Japan was influenced by
Western notions of

"men are men, and women are women."

But originally,
Japan was pretty relaxed about gender.

I think somebody needs to explain
that to the Japanese government.

Perhaps.

By applying makeup, people
can present themselves as they wish.

These days, men can once again be true
to what they see as their identity.

You know,
at the very beginning of the show,

I said that makeup is something
that's quite foreign to me.

And that won't change, I'm sure.

But then I've kind of realized in
the process of talking to you today that

my values and images and concepts
are probably getting a bit out of date.

Which is hardly surprising, given my age.

But it's been quite illuminating,
I must say,

just to realize that this stuff
has all been around in Japan

for hundreds and hundreds of years,
and I just didn't know about it.

So thank you very much.

My pleasure.