Motivations to Male Grooming: The New & the Old Masculinity

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to explore influence of the newer concept of masculinity along with its the traditionally held notions in the contemporary yet changing world that motivate the consumption of grooming products for metrosexual men. The usage of grooming products is previously perceived as a concern of feminine indulgence in a country like India, historically known to be a patriarchal society. The study is conducted through one-to-one discussion with ten metrosexual men, who are the active users of grooming products to explore the degree of impact of previously held notions in motivating them to groom, to see if the qualities are still desirable along with investigating the newer socio-cultural factors around them reinforcing the use of male grooming products. In the methodology, the interviewees were asked questions based on grooming products & brand preference and their usage along with discussions around masculinity & society. The study finds a remarkable degree of influence of traditional notions in addition to the societal pressures retaining them. However, the new definition of masculinity seems to have enforced new socio-cultural factors such as profession, self-care & the usage of social media that significantly galvanize the usage of grooming products in men.