Genderless beauty

Happy New Year 2017 to all of you!

I hope you had wonderful celebrations and that you are full of hopes and exciting challenges for this new year!

While I was on holiday in France, talking with a friend about LGBT community increasing in visibility and awareness, gender and sexuality, I came to think about the universalization of beauty.

Following the international trend on the runway of genderless fashion, that started a couple of years ago, we have been seeing more and more the rise of genderless boys in Japan.

Genderless boys in Japan: sophistication of diversity

What’s a genderless look:

Genderless boys wear a mixture of male and female fashion items. The additional use of makeup and nail polish conducts to an overall androgynous look. They may or may not be gay: genderless boys are not associated with any sexual preferences.

They have developed a unique sense of beauty and fashion. In Japan, this development got certainly amplified by also the Kawaii culture or the so specific Japanese pop culture in general.

人に優しくしたら優しさが帰ってくることがわかった😊 うじうじしないようにしたらハッピーが待っててた😊 少しずつだけど変わってみようと心がけたらすぐにも結果がでた😊 笑う門には福来たるですね😊 ひとりで後悔しないように毎日過ごそう😊

A photo posted by XOX とまん (@_sweatm) on May 31, 2016 at 8:38am PDT

 

Genderless identity: more than a trend

In fact, I think we are witnessing something which is beyond just a fashion trend; it’s a new style, a new genre, or even a new way of being, in other words, a new cultural identity that transcends one’s sexual preferences; it’s evolution and sophistication of human civilization.

The increase of “hafu” or mixed-blood people who are ethnically half Asian and half caucasian is something we have been seeing only for the past 20-30 years, here in Japan in opposite to the West. This late start of diversity in Japan introduced new values and new personalities. I see the genderless boys’ movement as an extension of this diversity. People are not bounded by countries, cultures, nor by sexual separation anymore. We are and exist as unique individuals.

ROLA❤️KIKO #FRaUmagazine

A photo posted by ROLA (@rolaofficial) on Feb 23, 2016 at 6:06pm PST

Rola and Kiko Mizuhara, 2 famous mixed-blood models.

Universalization of beauty

In this context, beauty practices, such as skincare, makeup, or nails, that traditionally used to be tied to women, are no longer female-limited topics. Genderless boys are not trying to become women by wearing makeup, they just do so because they find it beautiful and they like it.

I just do what I want to do. And I choose to live so in a cool way, whatever people may say. That’s my own way of being a real man.

Nobody set a rule that says makeup and nailart are just for girls and it’s boring if it was so.

People are people and I am who I am.

says Toman, Japanese model and artist who wears makeup, nails, false eyelashes or high heals, on his official blog.

Genderless boys’ beauty trend

Now let’s look at the hottest genderless boys in Japan and how exactly they care about their beauty.

Ryucheru

27時間テレビの僕💖💖I'm PINK BOY💖💖

A photo posted by r⃣y⃣u⃣c⃣h⃣e⃣l⃣l⃣ (@ryuzi33world929) on Jul 28, 2016 at 3:44am PDT

With more than 1 million followers on Twitter, Ryucheru is, right now, the fastest rising genderless model born from Harajuku culture. He often appears on TV and increased incredibly in popularity in just one year.

His makeup is quite a trademark with a lot of blush under the eyes, which has been a trend since last year. Reading his official blog, he goes through the entire makeup process: base, foundation, concealer, contouring, eyebrows, eyeshadows, mascara, cheek and lips!

Ryucheru just got married to Peco, a Japanese model.

ブログを更新しました。
「２０１６ありがとうううう〜〜👏🏾🌈」https://t.co/6ABSBJm9fm pic.twitter.com/yPTeJUeEnF

— ☀️りゅうちぇる☀️ (@RYUZi33WORLD929) December 31, 2016

Yohdi Kondo

DING (@ding_official )の新作ロンTは 袖にも花が刺繍されてたり すごくかわいいのでオススメです。 フロントの刺繍がお気に入り。 ホワイトタイガー❤️

A photo posted by こんどうようぢ (@kondoyohdi) on Nov 4, 2016 at 5:43am PDT

Yohdi Kondo is a Japanese model, singer and designer who got noticed and rose from SNS by posting about his very special fashion.

He just posted a daily makeup tutorial on Youtube. Like Ryucheru, it’s a full makeup. However, he focuses more on creating a beautiful and smooth skin texture.

Toman

XOX待望の個人インタビュー！『XOX COLLECTION』への想いを語る。第一弾はとまん #XOX #とまん

XOX COLLECTION直前特集！～とまんが語る今後《コメント動画あり》https://t.co/gK7mW2Iudv pic.twitter.com/K9SuBTeaNS

— MEETIA (@meetia_music) December 12, 2016

Toman is a Japanese artist and model. He’s a leader of a music band called XOX.

163cm tall and 40kg,  with his avant-garde fashion, Toman is the symbol of a very unique world.

In beauty, according to his blog, he seems to particularly care about his skin that he likes to keep white, by applying whitening products even on the body. He’s often seen with color contact lenses and on Instagram, he explains wearing eyelash extensions as well. Looking at the pictures, he seems to wear different makeup according to the fashion or mood.

今回はさくらピンクに目がたくさん👁👁👁👁👁 いつもありがとうございます😽!! #Repost @homeharajuku with @repostapp. ・・・ XOXのとまん君がNailで来てくれました💅🏻💕 Pinkがとってもお似合いでした☺️💓 いつもありがとうございます❣❣❣❣ #nail #nails #xox #Pink Nails by @misamisa0317

A photo posted by XOX とまん (@_sweatm) on Apr 11, 2016 at 8:29pm PDT

 

I hope you found it as fascinating and inspiring as me, that people evolve in a genderless way. It invites us to be more creative and expresses freedom. Without any categories and boundaries, one can completely thrive in his/her own and unique identity.