Selling clean shaven chests to metrosexuals...

Through the years, the ideal man has looked different in every decade of advertising. Raymond sold us the 'complete man', Jackie Shroff and Akshay Kumar smouldered in cigarette ads (hairy chests, et al) and Imran Khan's Thums Up ads were unmissable.

This decade’s 'ideal' man is one who's well groomed, has a well-maintained physique and no body hair. Veet's latest ad film for their newly launched men's hair removal product features brand ambassador Kartik Aaryan playing the role of Harry, who comes from a hairy family. Aaryan looks visibly disconcerted with his body hair and Veet positions its product as the solution to that.

Experts Speak

Tathagata Chatterjee, vice-president and strategic planning director at GTB India, observes, “Metrosexuality is a trend that has become mainstream in India — straight, sensitive and well-educated urbanite in touch with his feminine self. He goes for a weekly mani-pedi and facial and visits a stylist rather than a barber. The concept of pampering oneself is an “in” thing — and it cuts across both genders. Therefore, the conventional definition of masculinity — associated with unkempt hair and dishevelled, carefully careless looks — are passé. This new trend could also be fuelled by male grooming content overflowing in men’s magazines, websites and Instagram pages."

“There are two practical reasons why men want to remove body hair,” Chatterjeee continues, “firstly, physical exhaustion — this includes daily travel plus physically exhausting activities that result in body odour. Next, a sizeable portion of today’s young men are fitness fanatics and body hair prevents them from showing their six pack abs and well sculpted chests. Veet offers a painless functional solution,” he mentions.

Chatterjee referenced yesteryear film actors such as Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar who used to bear their chest hair with pride in movies; and ultimately became the subject of satirical memes in today’s digital age. “In Veet’s case, the space between a style statement and a heightened sense of appreciation is where the sweet spot lies, and translates into the line: Find your sexy,” he says. Chatterjee liked the visual treatment of the film, but feels it could have been more racy and exciting.

On the subject of facial hair, he points out that facial hair has no societal barriers as it’s always been a part of culture, religion, and a form of expression. “They are also considered cool when sported by influencers . There are multiple brands of face wash, beard waxes, etc. available and people continuously clean their mouths and faces after eating so maintaining a beard of normal length is not a problem,” Chatterjee states.

He opines that Veet has taken a bold move, to lead the category and spark conversations; allowing them to talk about the issue in a ‘problem-solution’ perspective. “Coming to the film, Kartik Aaryan is a good fit with today’s idea of a cool dude. His personality is something straight out of the pages of male-oriented magazines, Instagram pages and websites,” he concludes.

Hari Krishnan, executive director, TBWA\India, says, “With style icons such as Virat Kohli leading sports, Ranvir Singh heating up films, Arijit and Badshah rocking the music scene, what else does one expect in male aesthetics and grooming? Beards are here to stay. This year, for the first time in several decades Gillette has taken a write-down of eight billion dollars. People are shaving less frequently and cultural movements like 'No Shave November' are influencing trends in a significant way.”

He adds, “It’s not that facial hair, per se, is unacceptable. Men, however, aspire to have well-groomed beards. Scruffy, unkempt beards and stubbles are still uncool. It is not that having hair is attractive. Well-groomed beards help sculpt and shape faces; shaven chests help accentuate six packs. What we are dealing with is a trend called 'Manscaping' — the removal or trimming of hair on a man's body for cosmetic purposes. So, well-manicured beards are acceptable and so are clean chests. The rise of serious fitness and gymming adds to this trend," he explains. Krishnan calls the ad 'old wine in a new bottle', concluding that the ad itself is a regular one, and that using comparative techniques is not new, but makes the point effectively.

Views expressed by Chatterjee are personal and do not reflect the views of GTB India.