Sarah Sullivan

Course: English 102

Instructor: Heather O’Connell

Assignment: Argumentative

On February 20, 2011, I was approximately seventeen minutes late for church. In my church congregation, primarily composed of elderly ladies, this is considered a heinous offense and is punishable by intense stares and varying degrees of disdainful head shaking. My appearance did not help my case in the least, considering I had done my makeup while driving in stop—and—go traffic on the bumpy roads of downtown Ponchatoula and my hair was pulled back into something I hoped resembled a pony tail. As I slouched down into the ugly green pew to avoid the glare of the geezer to my left, I could not help but think a single thought—This was all my brother’s fault. I woke that morning at 8:00 am, and attempted to walk into the bathroom around 8:05, only to discover that it was apparently occupied due to the locked state of the door. Naturally, I jiggled the knob and yelled until my eighteen—year—old brother popped his head out and informed me that he would be done in five minutes. Forty-five minutes later, Tyler walked out of the bathroom, got into his truck and went to church. Later that afternoon, I asked him why in the world he was in the bathroom for an hour, and I was shocked by his response. He was plucking his eyebrows. In recent years, the male attitude toward personal physical appearance has changed. Beauty is no longer considered a primarily feminine concern. Surprisingly, men care about what they look like just as much as women.

Upon learning that my brother had spent the better part of a Sunday morning shaping up his unruly brows, I took it upon myself to conduct a study of the Sullivan men’s view on grooming. I started with my father, George Sullivan. When asked if he had ever plucked his eyebrows, his response was, “Do I look like I have ever plucked my eyebrows?” He then resumed watching ESPN, as I carefully observed the state of his brows. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that my father’s eyebrows could more appropriately be termed “a unibrow.” I then called my grandfather, Berty Sullivan, who is particularly famous for his rebellious nose hair. He informed me that, “Real men have facial hair.” I found this study to be especially informative. It was apparent that while my father and grandfather could care less about the state of their eyebrows, my brother had found it imperative to pluck his to perfection. This study alludes to the assumption that men of my brother’s generation have become more aware of their physical appearance and have developed a more potent desire to look their best.

To be sure that my brother was not the outlier of his generation, I searched the internet in hopes to find additional evidence to support my hypothesis. I spent the better part of a Monday afternoon perusing articles on male perceptions of beauty. My search yielded an abundance of information, ranging from studies done by male behavioral specialists to comical articles that had graced the pages of People magazine. All writers seemed to be as fascinated as I with the current onslaught of male beauty concern. In his article “More Grooming Please,” Mark Dolliver disclosed that sixty-six percent of men surveyed reported that they use more grooming products than men of their father’s generation, and eighty percent admitted that men of their generation spend more money on beauty products than men of their father’s generation. This study makes me wonder what is actually occurring behind the closed doors of male locker rooms. Have the communal showers after football practice been stocked with loofas and apricot body scrub? The male population has come a long way from the stoic complacency of their fathers by embracing a more refined set of principles for personal aesthetics, and there is no doubt that this new male proclivity for primping represents a sort of liberation for guys (Grimm).

The media idealizes well groomed men with lean bodies and impeccable fashion sense. Magazines and TV shows are brimming with images of “beautiful men.” Although they may be reluctant to admit it, men are under as much pressure from the media to look their best as women are. This pressure from the media to look younger, appear slimmer, and dress better has resulted not only in a female generation fixated on their physical appearance, but also a male fixation. After all, what is the difference between a woman spending two hours doing her hair and makeup and a man spending two hours at the gym? Both have the same motive, to look their best, and the beauty fixation does not stop there. Beauty companies are beginning to expound the range of their targeted customers to include men. Maxim has developed a male line of cologne, shower gel, and even hair dye. In her article “Here Come the Groomed,” Kate Wright states that “[t]he chasm that separates male and female perception of beauty is coming to a close. Keeping up appearances is not just for women anymore.” There is no arguing that it has become more acceptable for men to engage in beauty rituals that were previously viewed as feminine practices.

While I acknowledge that there are still many men out there who believe that lack of personal hygiene and grooming technique makes one all the more manly, it is hard to discredit the fact that many men are beginning to mutiny against the rugged male stereotype and frequent the cosmetic counter. The current male generation is becoming dominated by the metrosexual, a heterosexual male who takes pride in his physical appearance. While my father would undoubtedly deem these slightly more coiffed men as pansies, I beg to differ. Yes, these men may spend more time in the bathroom each morning, but the end result is not something to complain about. I appreciate a masculine demeanor as much as the next girl, but when that demeanor is accompanied by the bold scent of body odor, five o’clock shadow and arm pit stains, revulsion is my typical response. In my opinion, the men that argue that male beauty is for the pansies should take a lesson or two from the ones they are disparaging.

My brother tromps down the stairs dressed in his perfectly coordinated ensemble and breezes past me to stare at his reflection in the hall mirror. “How does my hair look?” he asks, not taking his eyes off the mirror as he brushes a piece of lint from his freshly ironed button down. My dad shakes his head as I reply, “Looks good.” Tyler takes one last look at his reflection and heads out the door. I peer through the window as he hops into his truck and drives down the road to pick up his girlfriend, who has undoubtedly spent the last hour primping just as my brother has. The gender gap is closing, and, personally, I think it is a good thing. Some men may stay true to the old-fashioned manly man stereotype and forgo waxing and plucking, but I think even the little old ladies at church enjoy a more refined view.

Works Cited

Dolliver, Mark. “More Grooming, Please.” Brandweek 51.28 (2010): 18. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Grimm, Matthew. “You’ve Come a Long Way, Buddy.” American Demographics 25.2 (2003): 42. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Wright, Katie, et al. “Here Come The Groomed.” People 59.10 (2003): 82. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Instructor Comments: Sarah Sullivan’s essay “Man vs. Monobrow” is an exemplary essay because it is informative and entertaining. I remember I laughed out loud when Sarah read it to me the first time.  What I found the most striking about the essay was Sarah’s attention to detail when describing her brother’s beauty routine.  I thought she did an excellent job combining her personal experience with information from sources to write an interesting and informative commentary on men’s changing attitudes of beauty.