The male of the species on full show
Time was when Chinese men could survive for a few days without looking at themselves in the mirror. In the selfie generation that has all changed, Zhang Lei reports.
The Boston Consulting Group report says that in first-tier cities the average time a male aged 20 to 35 spends on grooming each day is about 24 minutes, and they pay attention to their health and often go to fitness clubs. Eighty-eight percent of them say they pay attention to online beauty and fashion information, and 83 percent say they consider the use of skin care products a necessity.
Social media has pushed men to attend more to their appearance and dressing than before. The likes of Lin Qingze cater to such men by uploading videos of professional clothing advice on social media platforms including Bilibili, where Lin has more than 100,000 followers.
One of the interesting facts about the change is highlighted in the degree of men's concern about their face. It used to be that men could easily get through several days without looking at themselves in a mirror, but now all kinds of apps require avatars, and the circle of friends section of WeChat almost demands at least a few selfies. For some it is like gaining a second face.
"Making fashion content aimed at straight men is different to that for women," Lin says.
"I focus more on the functional aspect of a particular brand of clothes or shoes. My earliest videos are essentially to tell them what types of basic shirts, pants, coats and down jackets are proper for guys, and how to choose and how to match them. This kind of content is very popular. Guys buy them more for their practical use."
