The hashtag “self-care” has 21.9 billion views on TikTok. Under the tag is a great mix of content, although many of the videos feature the daily routines of app users. From shower and skincare routines to morning/night routines and weekend “refreshment” routines, these videos often depict an idealized but highly sought-after version of life through short, edited clips of moments from the day of an user.
A pristine apartment with natural lighting is often the backdrop for most of these videos. The creators, both male and female, are shown making their beds with clean sheets, making coffee and breakfast before heading to the gym (their workouts are also documented), and then getting ready for the day, which usually begins with washing their faces and detailing their skin care routines. .
Once again, the likelihood of these users living an aesthetically pleasing 24/7 life is low. This type of content has rightly been criticized for being unattainable and unrealistic, yet many viewers would probably agree: seeing other people having their stuff together (or at least supposedly having their stuff together) inherently makes you want to fix things. yours too
“It might give people the idea that they don’t have any margin for error. Which could be harmful,” admits Daniel Duku, who posts lifestyle and wellness content for his 403,000 TikTok followers under the username @mrduku. “But I also think that for me, particularly as a man, there is a stigma around men and grooming themselves.”
Duku is one of many men posting lifestyle content and daily routine vlogs with a sizeable following on the video-sharing platform. Other creators like @alex.sless and @lifewithnt3, who have 432,000 and 32,000 followers respectively, post similar content to Duku: “GRWM” (meaning “get ready with me”), gym regimens, and skin care products. the skin they wear every day. . However, compared to female users posting similar content, these male TikTok creators are definitely in the minority. Still, they are having an impact on viewers.
Duku tells InsideHook that he started posting to TikTok in 2020, but in the summer of 2021 he started taking his account more seriously. However, he notes that he still enjoys posting daily self-care videos and believes he has been successful on TikTok.
“The reason I know [my account’s] been very successful is that now I have people who approach me,” he says. “A lot of guys will reach out to me on Instagram. They’re like, ‘Hey, I really love your stuff.’ I want to be able to start doing these things, but I don’t know how to start. I don’t know which face wash to buy. Things like that.”
“So while I still do TikTok for fun, it has allowed me to inspire other guys to embrace self-care as well,” he adds. “I don’t want to sit here and act like I’m the personal care coach or whatever. I just think [TikTok] It has allowed other men and people who were afraid to do these things or worried about being labeled ‘feminine’ to participate in skin care and other types of personal care routines.”
Norms around men, particularly cis-het men, and personal grooming have evolved in the last two decades. More men are taking an interest in their appearance, whether it’s getting Botox or just washing their faces at night. The same goes for having a space that smells good and clean sheets.
However, stigmas around men who take care of themselves still persist, as evidenced by some of the comments left on Duku’s account. He says that he will continue to receive comments calling him “gay” or “girly” for washing his face or having candles in his room. But he doesn’t necessarily blame those users.
“It starts from childhood, it stems from social norms,” he offers, adding that many men aren’t taught proper hygiene or grooming practices like women in adolescence.
“You’d be surprised at the kind of messages I get from [teenage boys] who say, ‘My parents never taught me to brush my teeth,’” he says. “Someone told me it’s because it’s not ingrained in his brain. They wake up and then go about their day. They don’t see brushing their teeth as something that should be done.”
For Duku, having a proper self-care routine that you stick to is more than just fodder for content; It’s about personal responsibility.
“As a grown man, if I am not able to take care of myself, my skin, and set that standard for myself, in the future if I ever have the responsibility of a family, how do I expect me to take care of my family? And that has been my motivation,” she explains. “Brushing your teeth and washing your face eventually becomes a habit. Then you understand yourself better, you understand how to take care of yourself. So you have an idea of what it would feel like to take care of another person. I’m not saying it’s exactly the same, but you know what that responsibility feels like.”
Still, it makes for engaging content, and judging by the success of lifestyle and daily routine content on TikTok, creators like Duku may well inspire other male users to adopt and post their own self-care videos.
At the very least, though, men-specific lifestyle content is helping to normalize and promote male self-care and hopefully help eradicate those tired, outdated norms.
“I’ve seen a lot of videos on TikTok of guys engaging in self-care and I really love it,” adds Duku. “I think more men will be exposed to that and eventually I think my generation will probably have a different impact on our kids in terms of parenting and morals, so I’m excited.”
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Source: www.insidehook.com