Men Wearing Makeup For The First Time Is Surprisingly Emotional

When this BuzzFeed video portraying men wearing makeup for the first time landed in my inbox, I honestly didn't want to watch it. Sometimes it's just hard to care what people who don't wear makeup think about it, you know? However, at the urging of my enthusiastic colleagues, I begrudgingly put my headphones on and watched these men get half of their faces professionally done up in high-femme drag. I was worried it would be transphobic, but I actually didn't find it offensive. On the contrary, it was surprisingly tender.

Throughout the application process, the subjects expressed dismay at the discomfort involved: Eyeliner application is compared to a game of chicken, one man wonders why he can't stop opening his mouth when he looks up to have eyeshadow applied, and a mascara wand is compared to a "mini rake." Bro, we feel you.

They also come up with some universal conclusions: "Beauty is gendered," one man thoughtfully remarks, to which I reply in my head, "Yes, duh." They also realize that when it comes to self-expression through makeup, "Everyone should be allowed to do everything," which is pretty close to our own beauty mantra. But, this isn't some overwrought thesis project — it's silly, mostly because people look funny when they have makeup on only half their faces. And, because it's entertaining to watch men go outside of their comfort zones and whine about the things we don't think twice about.