http://groomingguru.co.uk/2011/09/28/aramis-back-to-the-future-with-all-a-man-is-campaign/
According to Grooming Guru, Aramis make wonderful ‘ferociously masculine’ fragrances. Ferociously masculine? You mean, like a LION? Remember, kids, some of the most ferocious beasts in our world are, actually female. But you know how I feel about gay grooming so let’s move swiftly on…
GG also makes an interesting point about the metrosexualisation of contemporary male fragrance adverts ( are we allowed to call male fragrance ‘perfume’? No? Fragrance sounds gay to me.)
Obviously influenced by the theories of Mark Simpson he writes:
‘What’s fascinating, though, is the absence of women from the majority of male fragrance print ads thesedays (a woman is nowhere to be seen in the Aramis print ad and she’s barely there in the TV one). Is it a sign, perhaps, that men no longer want to buy fragrances simply to get the girl but to be attractive and desirable for themselves? In today’s ads the man is the object. You want to be him, have a meaningful bromance with him, rather than have his power over women.’
I agree about the print ads, but as Simpson has said before it is not just the absence of women that is notable about men’s cosmetics and fashion ads, it is often also, the absence of other men. If a man was shown in a scene with another man, referring to something so ‘warm and sexy’ as a fragrance, it would look…gay. Metrosexual imagery and identity is, GG is right, about men being desirable to themselves. But this means men watching adverts need to be reassured that they are not homos for finding the men on the screen or on the posters attractive.
The TV ad still has a woman in, even if she has a small part. The man is clearly waiting to meet her and is wearing the ‘warm, sexy, ferociously masculine’ fragrance in order to seduce her. It’s not GAY! screams Aramis – there’s a WOMAN! HE IS HETEROSEXUAL!
And, again as GG points out, the ad is deliberately ‘retro’, and these days, anything retro is supposed to indicate a ‘retrosexual’, ‘ferociously masculine’ vibe. NOT GAY! RETROSEXUAL! The fagly stubble of the actor is a clear sign that Aramis are a little bit anxious about just how ferociously masculine their brand is.
One thing that Grooming Guru and other male grooming experts do not acknowledge, is that the way they talk about ‘male grooming’ is an attempt to deny the obvious homo-erotics of metrosexuality. Because, even in 2011, it is impossible for a gay man to be ‘ferociously masculine’ because homosexuality and bisexuality in men is still seen as somehow ‘feminine’. It is somehow feminine. Gender difference rears its ugly head when men get it on together, even in their imaginations. As someone from my novel about Foucault’s Daughter said, ‘somebody has to be the fairy’. And in this case, the flaming fairy in the room is Aramis.
Note: as I have said in the comments, I picked out Lee Kynaston, Grooming Guru, but he is by no means the only person working in this field who presents masculinity in certain ways and I do not intend to pick him out for particular criticism. His writing is very accessible and so is easy to quote! I will be looking at a range of male grooming experts in future. It’s a fascinating area.
Thank you for reading my post and for being interested enough in it to comment. However, I should point out the following:
* Aramis is ‘ferociously masculine’ in the sense that many of the notes it contains are traditionally associated with men’s fragrances and absent from women’s. This is an observation a ‘nose’ or professional perfumier would also give you. It wasn’t always this way, of course (men wore floral scents centuries ago too) but it reflects the vogue for men’s fragrances in the last fifty years. It may not come across in my writing but I use the word ‘ferociously’ with some irony too as the context of the ad is distinctly retro.
* You of all people should know better than to say I am ‘clearly influenced by Mark Simpson’s therories’. I mean, you spend most of you time telling me I am utterly at odds with them! Nor do I cherry pick the bits of like. My thoughts are my own thankyou!
* Why on earth would a fragrance ad, predominantly aimed at straight men (for they are the majority in the population) and at women (still huge purchasers of men’s fragrance on behalf of boyfriends/husbands etc) feature two men? You know the golden rule of advertising as well as me – know your market!
* The beard is purely there because stubble and beards are on trend – not to emphasise masculinity. If you were advertising to men and trying to make an established ‘classic’ brand appear contemporary you’d want to reflect such a trend right? The model merely mirrors the current consumer.
I am interested in masculinity and male grooming like I said is where masculinity is produced and reinforced so I read your columns with interest.
‘Is it a sign, perhaps, that men no longer want to buy fragrances simply to get the girl but to be attractive and desirable for themselves?’
You know that s Mark Simpson’s theory. You read that very line almost in his intro to Metrosexy, that has been widely published in the press.
You do cherry pick his ideas and miss out the ones that point out how ‘gay’ male grooming is. You quoted him at length in the Telegraph for example. But you didn’t quote this :
‘Yes, I agree, “metrosexual” is a terrible, ridiculous, annoying word. But then, so is “homosexual.” Or “heterosexual.” Though none of them are quite as awful as the creepy suits-you-sir! euphemism “male grooming.” Too many men’s magazines still seem to be terrified of putting the word “male” next to “beauty” in case someone thinks (or realizes) they’re gay. Or, even more pathetically, afraid their readers will think the magazine thinks they’re gay. Based on my own observations from the front-line of male aesthetics in rural England, I suspect most of their younger readers are already way ahead of these metropolitan sissies, and regard that kind of anxiety as, well,… gay.’ http://www.out.com/detail.asp?page=2&id=30526
Yes I know ads avoid putting two men together because it is ‘gay’. BUt it is also ‘gay’ to be attracted to a man in an ad on his own, and to want to be like him.
And if you want to know what beards mean, just read Mark Simpson
‘More generally, it’s always amusing to see moisturiser being sold by bearded men. After all, beards and moisturiser don’t really mix well — and one inexpensive way to look less ‘rough’ would be to shave the beard off. But instead we are supposed to tend our immaculate manly beards and the skin underneath them. ‘
‘manly beards’. Beards represent machismo.
http://www.marksimpson.com/blog/2011/01/03/loreal-targets-my-middle-aged-male-anxiety/
the word ‘ferocious’ was what I was critiquing. There is nothing ferocious about scent of cardamon or figs, or petrol or whatever else perfume smells like.
Sorry to disappoint but I haven’t actually read Metrosexy. I can assure you that my ideas about masculinity, in terms of grooming anyway, come from a decade of writing about the subject and talking to men about their opinions and requirements. As I’ve reminded you before, I am at coalface of what’s going on – I do not observe it from the wings. Believe it or not, it is possible for people to come to their own conclusions and have their own ideas!
Re: ferocity. You have clearly never smelt Vetiver in it’s raw state. It is ferocious. In a way that ylang ylang most certainly isn’t. And I’m not being gender specific there.
you are because you are saying ‘ferociously *masculine*’ . There is nothing masculine about a scent, except as you say, that it is a scent that is not marketed to women. That’s not masculinity that is marketing.
and you have read the intro to Metrosexy and Mark’s blog and chatted to him at length. I remember when you challenged Mark about his comments about male grooming being ‘gay’ when his intro was published in OUT.
and calling male grooming the ‘coalface’ is kind of gay in itself! Making it sound more manly than it is.
as for the ‘wings’ nobody is in the wings of metrosexual culture. we are all slap bang in the middle of it.
I hate to break the news to you but Mark’s comment about beards and moisturiser not mixing is actually technically incorrect. Any skincare expert will tell you that skin under a beard gets especially dry since facial hair wicks moisture away from skin. Because of this it needs to moisturised. There are even specialist moisturisers (Nivea do one) that are perfect for stubble and beards. What can I say? Each to their own specialist subject. *picks up shovel gets back to coalface*
I have no interest in the technicalities of gay grooming. I quoted Mark as he pointed out how beards are aimed to show how men are ‘manly’, they are not merely a ‘trend’ as you said. And as you are such an expert at the coalface of grooming, you will know better than I, that advertising impacts on what consumers do.
Hence, the ‘male grooming’ imdustry and its advertising have impacted on men and have encouraged men to groom, as you yourself have said countless times.
“I quoted Mark as he pointed out how beards are aimed to show how men are ‘manly’,…”
Well yes, in both senses of the word. That’s why the woman has to be included in the shot.
exactly.
Trust me, if you DID have an interest in the technicalities you’d have a much better understanding of ‘grooming’, in the same way that understanding how a car works can inform one’s driving.
But Lee, I am not a MAN. I don’t have a BEARD. I do not like ‘FEROCIOUSLY MASCULINE fragrances. What can ‘male grooming’ teach me, a woman?
and I like your ferociously masculine analogy with a car.
Trust me, if you DID actually take on board Simpson’s comments about ‘manliness’ you would understand much better how the male grooming industry sells its product: ‘masculinity’.
But I am actually despite my protestations quite interested in the details too. That wasn’t quite true what I said. And I respect your knowledge of the technical and indeed marketing side.
No, you are not a man and I’m sorry that you so clearly covet that which you cannot have.
I’ll say this for you though – you’re great at patronising people.
and you are great at making personal remarks about a person’s gender identity.
I respect you and your work, Lee. I just am keen to criticise the ‘male grooming’ and its versions of masculinity. I will try not to relate that critique so closely to you in future, as there are so many more examples to choose from. So sorry for picking you out. It is partly because you write well and accessibly, and you actually bring up the issue of ‘masculinity’ in culture.
Sorry to interrupt, but… Aramis make wonderful ‘ferociously masculine’ fragrances? I had no idea that ‘Sex Panther’ from Anchorman had real life counterparts Maybe Aramis is made with bits of real piranha (I’d have said ‘Venus Fly-Trap’ but the ‘Venus’ bit probably isn’t manly enough).
PS: There are even specialist moisturisers (Nivea do one) that are perfect for stubble and beards – waaay too niche.
haha that is very funny redpesto.
I think I can just about see how you may have special moisturisers for beards. But one does wonder if it is all a ploy to sell more product.
“Maybe Aramis is made with bits of real piranha…”
One fragrance is. It’s called Dentata.
Selling products is a key component. Nivea just got slammed with fines for misleading advertising for their slimming creams. I ate three jars full and did not lose a pound!
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20110908/nivea-silhouette-cream-beiersdorf-110908/
I do profess total ignorance on beard moisturizers though, though part of the tenderizing must be to push more product.
that is a bit of an outlandish claim by Nivea I am glad they got their wrists slapped there.