Journalist, editor and author Zahra Hankir wants to make it clear that eyeliner isn’t just about women and beautification. Eyeliner “transcends borders and eras,” she writes in a November essay for The Guardian. But it also challenges our understanding of gender and identity, especially as more men are now incorporating eye makeup into their everyday look.
On TikTok, Gen Z influencers are at the forefront of a new trend centered on countering toxic masculinity, in which 20-something-year-old men partake in fashion and beauty fads that have historically been considered feminine. That includes wearing more ruffles, notably in tops, undershirts or formal wear. That includes wearing body-con silhouettes, like skin-tight flared trousers. And that includes putting on eyeliner. Videos of conventionally attractive men meticulously applying eyeliner to their water lines have already garnered their own category on TikTok: “Men Eyeliner.” These same men caption their content with proud declarations like, “real men wear eyeliner” and “proof all guys should wear eyeliner,” much to the amusement of their fans.
