Opinion Men, Listen To A$AP Rocky: Moisturizing Isn’t a Gendered Activity

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Men, Listen To A$AP Rocky: Moisturizing Isn’t a Gendered Activity​

Unless it’s called “Cool Metal,” “Sports Blast,” or “Anarchy” (and yes those are actual Axe body spray names), a large portion of straight cis men seem to feel it’s unmanly to have clean skin, silky hair, and chap-free lips. Enter A$AP Rocky.

The rapper has come out with a lip balm under Rihanna’s famed beauty line Fenty Beauty, aiming to end the plague of men with dry lips who cannot be bothered with putting on a little smudge of something healing. Whether it’s because they genuinely feel skin hydration and smooth lips undercut their masculinity or because male skin care has simply never been on their radar as a possibility, a lot of men don’t have even a basic skincare regimen, and don’t know where to start with one.

Thankfully, A$AP and Rihanna are here to help.

The balm, called Lux Balm, retails for a whopping $16! The product description on the Fenty Beauty site reads:
“Keep talkin’ your s***—just make sure you do it with soft, smooth lips. This juicy, Barbados Cherry-powered lip balm brings dry, chapped lips back to life with instant hydration. Sleek and discreet, it’s mess-free and slips effortlessly into any pocket.”
To announce the collab, Fenty released a short video featuring the rapper which is now making the rounds on TikTok.

Though it’s great that we are getting more marketing for male lip care, the short rap still includes the gender-binary-reinforcing line, “Nah b***h this ain’t lip gloss, lip balm up in my palm.” Gloss is just a step too far for them at this point.

Regardless, based on some of the TikToks that have been appearing since its release, it appears that men have been running to the stores to get their hands on some balm and some balm on their lips.

This TikTok user points out just how easily men have been influenced by A$AP Rocky, crying out, “For years we’ve been telling men to ‘go moisturize your lips, it’s not that bad.'” A$AP drops one video and “that’s all it took.”

Another user asks, “Why did it take A$AP Rocky jumping on a Fenty ad for men to decide they don’t want to have chapped lips anymore?”

This user’s take makes out that perhaps Rihanna was dropping a subtle hint to her partner A$AP by inviting him to collab on the lip balm. Honestly, if that’s true then well done Rihanna, well done you devious queen. We have you to thank for all the people out there kissing men with now wonderfully hydrated lips.

Another user wonders why anyone would pay $16 for the product when you can steal your significant other’s (*sigh* just like mine does).

However you want to go about getting those men so averse to self-care to actually start taking care of themselves, I am all for it.
 
Unless it’s called “Cool Metal,” “Sports Blast,” or “Anarchy” (and yes those are actual Axe body spray names), a large portion of straight cis men seem to feel it’s unmanly to have clean skin, silky hair, and chap-free lips. Enter A$AP Rocky.

Maybe yes, maybe no, but a bitter journo from Mary Sue can only do the opposite of changing their minds.
 
You haven't lived in a dry midwest winter it seems.
I have to otherwise my knuckles will crack and bleed.
I've seen working men's hand balms and whatnot, so I know white men moisturize to some extent, especially in cold and dry climates. Which is part of why this whole "rapper convinces men to finally moisturize" thing is so goofy. They're pointing to a black man being the one to convince people, when skin moisturization was already a big part of black culture, for both the women and the men. White men will do it when they need to without saying anything, and then move on afterwards, but black men will write lines in songs directly referencing shea butter and coconut oil.

Like, Idk, it's like the "men don't wash their assholes" thing, where Internet weirdos overplay an issue among a minority of men who are so insecure about appearing homosexual, that they act like literal retards that need personal caregivers. But most men are normal and wash themselves properly and use lip balm and whatnot. It's just that it's not a big thing for them like it is for women, because women will go even further in order to make themselves look pretty and maintain the youthful condition of their skin, whereas (non-dark) men just need their skin to function without cracking and bleeding.


I'm pretty sure I'm just being autistic af about this, though.
 
the short rap still includes the gender-binary-reinforcing line, “Nah b***h this ain’t lip gloss, lip balm up in my palm.” Gloss is just a step too far for them at this point.
Putting aside the fact that men are supposed to listen to some NewSpeak urnalist and embrace gay-ghetto fashion advice, it is funny how she can't resist hinting at the forever slippery slope. I look forward to her next article, "top 5 dick-sucking lip glosses for 60IQ mumble rappers smashing the patriarchal gender binary!!"
 
Heh I got no problem moisturizing certain parts of me right fellas (I'm talking about dicks here people!!)!

Any man that uses Axe is a faggot.
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I am white my skin does not get dry
The only reason I use lotion at all is bc of ink but if i didnt have shit blasted on me I wouldn't bother

Lotion is gross and faggy and niggers love it becasue niggers are faggy because they have no fathers 14/88 white power
 
You haven't lived in a dry midwest winter it seems.
I have to otherwise my knuckles will crack and bleed.
Be a man - let them bleed. Your skin will toughen up in a few weeks.

I hate touching greasy shit left behind by serial moisturizers almost as much as moisturizer itself.

Besides not being a pussy, there's other benefits too - like not destroying all your keyboards and steering wheels year after year. Wherever you see a keyboard missing all the letters or a fucked up steering wheel on a 2 year old car, you'll find a bottle of moisturizer nearby - guaranteed.
 
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