somniloquence

Yeah -- you know, all funnin' aside, I actually do believe very seriously that it's long past time where those gender roles the include beautification (whatever that term might mean for people) could be open to both sexes. When you consider that humans are really the only ones where males aren't putting on a show to get females, it seems even lamer that a little eyeliner or a carefully shaped brow or great clothes aren't an option for most men. Though I was heartened by the comment above that in Japan, more and more young men are embracing that sort of thing.

So much effort is put forth in the animal kingdom to appear prettier, stronger, bigger, cleverer, build a more elaborate nest, what have you, so a male can win females for mating priveleges. And it's got nothing to do with evilness! It always seemed so strange to me that as Spike got nicer, for instance, he stopped wearing eyeliner and nail polish. As if the goodness didn't require an obvious physical sign. I do hope that someday, all kidding aside, anyone can do that without getting shunned. That's one reason I'm really looking forward to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy -- the TV Guide reviewer commented that he'd never had a facial, which the gay makeover guys *had* to correct, and he said later his skin glowed for days. I like that they're bringing these things out of the male closet, so to speak, and maybe giving guys something else to think about that following traditional guylike roles.