'Baby, do I look fat?'

CHANGING TRENDS: Men around the world are are spending more time on grooming.

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New Delhi: ‘I am in shape, round is a shape’ has been the standard line for many men when it comes to their bodies. While much like women, men have been talking about their beer bellies; unlike women, it has always been very fondly. However, with little fits and coughs, men seem to be waking up to a truth: Homer Simpson might be great fun on TV, but in real life, you need more than a balding head and an expanding gut for things to work for you. Especially when unlike a genetically receding hairline, you CAN do something about the gut.

Thanks to meterosexuality, pink shirts, ‘sensitive’ characters like Chandler and Ross (F.R.I.E.N.D.S.) on prime time television or whatever else, from 18-year-olds to those in their late 30s, men want to look good and are not shying away from saying it out loud either. You only have to look as far as the next movie poster to see how the changes have manifested: From the rugged Vinod Khanna-Feroze Khan to the chocolate-meets-beefcake boys, Salman Khan-Sanjay Dutt, men in India have often emulated what the stars do on screen; and we don’t just mean Bollywood. Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham, Ajay Devgan or Saif Ali Khan, or internationally, Daniel Craig, Brad Pitt and David Beckham: the right amount of bulk with agility and cuts is being idolised by men and women alike.

And it’s not just us, the figures speak for a change as well:

• Market analysts Datamonitor, in their research on the male grooming market in the UK found that the average man spends 3.1 hours a week on grooming as opposed to women who spend 2.5 hours.

• Men visiting salons and grooming spas has also seen a rise by 28 per cent annually.

• Looking beyond the West, Singapore has male grooming products contributing to up to 20 per cent of the country’s more than $100 million revenue from grooming products.

• In the Middle East, the beauty sector is experiencing an unprecedented growth in sales, with men beginning to buy cosmetics and related products in the UAE and Gulf countries.

As the image of the Ideal Body Type changes on screen, the persona of the Indian man is changing too. The boys are ready to try a whole lot of things – a la women – to get back in shape. But is it just movie stars who prompted this sudden awakening? Maxim editor, Anup Kutty, does not think so and in fact points to women for this men-tal shift… and even gives some insight into a man’s mind. “Since women are getting too bothered about their appearance, men have been left with no choice but to do the same. Every man likes a well-groomed, well-dressed, nice-smelling lady by his side. Unfortunately, women have figured it out too and will offer the same for a price, which is usually pretty much the same: Neatly trimmed hair, great clothes, good habits. Never trust a woman who says “I don't like men who take care of themselves”. They do. The deal is simple: If you want that hot, slim girl at the bar, you’ve got to shape up to her. Unless of course, you are witty, in which case, none of this applies.”