韓國男性變脂粉男去年護膚花5億美元

For S. Korean men, makeup a foundation for success

中國日報網 2012-09-19 08:10

In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 photo, Cho Won-Hyuk, a 24-year-old college student, uses a black eyebrow pencil to lengthen and accentuate his eyebrows at his home Anyang, South Korea. Cho's meticulous efforts to paint the perfect face are not unusual in South Korea. This socially conservative, male-dominated country, with a mandatory two-year military conscription for men, has become the male makeup capital of the world.

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Cho Won-hyuk stands in front of his bedroom mirror and spreads dollops of yellow-brown makeup over his forehead, nose, chin and cheeks until his skin is flawless. Then he goes to work with a black pencil, highlighting his eyebrows until they're thicker, bolder.

"Having a clean, neat face makes you look sophisticated and creates an image that you can handle yourself well," the 24-year-old college student said. "Your appearance matters, so when I wear makeup on special occasions, it makes me more confident."

Cho's meticulous efforts to paint the perfect face are not unusual in South Korea. This socially conservative, male-dominated country, with a mandatory two-year military conscription for men, has become the male makeup capital of the world.

South Korean men spent $495.5 million on skincare last year, accounting for nearly 21 percent of global sales, according to global market research firm Euromonitor International. That makes it the largest market for men's skincare in the world, even though there are only about 19 million men in South Korea. Amorepacific, South Korea's biggest cosmetics company, estimates the total sales of men's cosmetics in South Korea this year will be more than $885 million.

The metamorphosis of South Korean men from macho to makeup over the last decade or so can be partly explained by fierce competition for jobs, advancement and romance in a society where, as a popular catchphrase puts it, "appearance is power." Women also have a growing expectation that men will take the time and effort to pamper their skin.

Evidence of this new direction in South Korean masculinity is easy to find. In a crowded Seoul cafe, a young woman takes some lipstick out of her purse and casually applies it to her male companion's lips as they talk. At an upscale apartment building, a male security guard watches the lobby from behind a layer of makeup. Korean Air holds annual male makeup classes for its staff at Incheon International Airport.

"I can understand why girls don't like to go outside without makeup — it makes a big difference," said Cho Gil-nam, a tall,stocky 27-year-old insurance fraud investigator in Seoul who starts important days by dabbing on makeup after finishing his multistep morning cleansing and moisturizing routine. He carries a multicolored cosmetics pouch so he can touch up in public bathrooms throughout the day.

(Read by Rosie Tuck. Rosie Tuck is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)

趙元赫站在自己臥室的鏡子前，將一團團黃棕色的粉底均勻地涂抹在他的額頭、鼻子、下巴和臉頰上，直到自己的皮膚看上去沒有瑕疵。接著他用一只黑色的眉筆把自己的眉毛畫得更粗、更黑。

這位24歲的大學生說：“有一張干凈、整潔的臉會讓你顯得老練，給人一種你可以掌控自己的感覺。你的形象很重要，所以在出席特別場合時化妝，這會讓我更自信。”

像趙元赫這樣精心化妝打造完美臉蛋的男人在韓國并不罕見。在這個社會觀念保守的男權國家，男人要強制服兩年兵役，如今這個國家已經成了世界男性化妝之都。

根據全球市場調查機構歐睿信息咨詢公司的數據，韓國男性去年在皮膚護理上花費4.955億美元，占全球男士護膚品銷售額的近21%。這讓韓國成為世界上男性護膚用品最大的消費市場，盡管韓國只有1900萬名男性。韓國最大的化妝品公司愛茉莉的男士化妝品今年在韓國的總銷售額估計將突破8.85億美元。

韓國男性在過去十年里從大男子蛻變成脂粉男，一部分原因可能是在求職、晉升和情場競爭都很激烈的一個社會，就如一句流行語說的那樣：外表就是力量。女性也越來越多地期望男性可以花些時間和精力來保養他們的皮膚。

韓國男性特點的這一新趨勢很容易就能找到證據。在首爾的一個人頭攢動的咖啡廳，一個年輕女子從手提包里掏出一支唇膏，一邊和她的男伴聊天一邊很自然地把唇膏涂在男伴的嘴唇上。在高端公寓，男保安臉上也都施以脂粉。大韓航空公司每年都會在仁川國際機場給職工開男性化妝課。

首爾一名27歲的保險欺詐調查員趙吉南說：“我能理解為什么女孩子不愿意不化妝就出門——化完妝確實會有很大變化。”又高又壯的趙吉南在每個重要的日子開始時，在完成清晨潔面和保濕的多個步驟后，都會涂上粉底。他隨身帶著一個彩妝包，這樣他可以隨時在公共衛生間里補妝。