Beauty salons not exclusive domain of women
Beauty salons not exclusive domain of women
By Aloysius Unditu and I. Christianto
JAKARTA (JP): The adage that beauty parlors are women's
territory no longer holds. Today, men from all walks of life --
from blue collar workers to business executives -- frequent
parlors for a myriad of reasons.
They share one thing in common: they want to look better, an
attribute they seek to boost their self-confidence in their
everyday activities.
Some head-hunting companies make it a basic requirement that
prospective (male) business executives have a good physical
appearance, neat attire, and are handsome.
And there are many more external factors that drive men to
beauty parlors.
An American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery survey found that the
number of American men going to beauty parlors almost tripled
from only 10 percent in the early 1980s to 26 percent in 1994.
The credibility of the survey results is debatable but it
revealed one thing for sure: going to beauty parlors is not an
exclusively female pastime.
Nowadays, more and more male executives visit beauty salons on
a regular basis for hair, facial and skin care. Some even use
them as places to socialize.
Says famous hairstylist Johnny Andrean, "As far as physical
appearance is concerned, men and women are the same. They want to
appear better looking. Coming out neat tells much about one's
personality. It is just fine for men to visit beauty salons."
Johnny believes men-only salons have a bright future catering
to the growing needs of male executives.
"I'd like to run a specialized beauty salon like that
someday," he says.
The president of Timor Distributor Nasional, Soemitro
Soerachmad, reckons it is okay for men to go to beauty salons.
"It's important that I appear fresh at work."
Since 1990 the 59-year-old Soerachmad has been one of the
regular customers at the Rudy salon in the smart Permata Hijau
housing complex, in South Jakarta.
"I usually go to Rudy twice a month to have my hair trimmed.
The parlor is near my home," he said.
Some people use beauty parlors as rendezvous for socializing,
where they can meet and gossip.
Many parlor owners are well aware of this and offer more than
just facilities where people get their hair cut or facial
treatment.
"Salons are not just facilities where people look for beauty
but for good health as well, and are open to both men and women,"
Tika Bisono, a psychologist, argues.
Mohammad Idwan Ganie, founding partner of the Lubis, Ganie,
Surowidojo law firm, says he would not go to a beauty parlor for
facial or skin care treatment because he can handle it himself.
The graduate of the University of Indonesia's school of law
and the University of Hamburg, Germany, says that rather than
spending time at beauty parlors, he will hunt around for hand-
made European shoes, shirts, bags and ties.
Ganie, lawyer and legal consultant to many business
conglomerates in Indonesia, is well-known for his legendary
expensive taste.
He bought his Berluti and John Locke shoes in France and
Norton and Rose ties in London.
"I don't mean to boost my self-confidence with them. I just
find it comfortable wearing them," he says.
Born in Amsterdam in the late 1950s, Ganie understands five
languages; English, German, Dutch, Latin and Indonesian,
underlining why he has become such a successful lawyer.
In fact, men pursuing physical beauty dates back about five
centuries. Ancient Greek men were very serious about their
pursuit of physical perfection. They considered physical
appearance as important as spiritual well-being. Male Greeks
often had manicures, pedicures and had their hair cut at
barbershops.
It was Heroditus who in the fifth century BC advised the
Egyptian goddess Atsositou about a beauty mask of apricot pulp,
and coconut milk.
Not only is this one of our earliest extant beauty tips but it
was given by a man.
Male executives and businessmen visiting beauty parlors are
just modern-day versions of Heroditus.