The Men Who Wear Make Up

Turns out men's style bible, GQ finally discovered that men wear makeup. Revolutionary, right?⁣ ⁣ In the outlet's November "Masculinity Issue," dedicated to men across the masculinity spectrum, GQ attempts to highlight what they believe to be 21st-century trends surrounding masculinity.⁣ ⁣ At face value, this is powerful. For GQ, a publication that has been a major voice of hypermasculinity, promoting overt machismo, sexism, and chauvinism throughout its history, it's as if in this singular issue, they're looking to right some of the cultural wrongs they've had a hand in creating via toxic masculinity.⁣ ⁣ It's no surprise, as most who hold the keys to power at the pub are cisgender, straight men, viewing this movement of "new masculinity" through a very narrow lens. ⁣ In our editor's note, David Yi, Arienne Thompson-Plourde and Garrett Munce write about how disappointing this men's beauty editorial is, from the headline: "One day we'll look back on the era when makeup was only for women," to the actual celebrities in makeup. "Their insistence on gendering makeup reductive and sexist, it fails to acknowledge the millions of men who already use," they write. "Makeup isn't just dragged, performative, it isn't solely for women, it isn't an act of 'bravery.' ⁣ What's more curious is that GQ interviewed our very own David Yi back in July for this issue. He was notified only weeks before publishing that editors wanted to omit his voice after his interview was transcribed. In any case, we hope this promotes their audience to understand that male-identifying persons can be anything they want to be. And the expression isn't gendered. Makeup has no sexuality. We can all be free to, well, be free! GQ

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