European men used to be vain about their legs – to the point where they knew which leg was the best looking. These men would place their “best foot forward.”
More On Male Vanity
1. The Louis XIV Heel Revolution
High-heeled shoes were originally invented for male aristocrats in Persia for horseback riding, but King Louis XIV of France popularized them as the ultimate symbol of royal male vanity. He restricted red-heeled shoes strictly to his inner circle of noble men to display elevated status.
2. 18th-Century “Macaronis”
In 1770s England, young wealthy men known as “Macaronis” took male grooming and fashion vanity to extreme heights. They wore towering, oversized powdered wigs, tight colorful silk clothing, and carried delicate perfume bottles, sparking saturated satirical cartoons of the era.
3. The “Brotox” Surge
Cosmetic procedures among men have surged dramatically over the past decade, leading to the coining of terms like “Brotox” (male botulinum toxin injections). According to plastic surgery associations, male Botox treatments have grown by over 400% since 2000.
4. Beard Oil in Ancient Mesopotamia
Male vanity regarding facial hair is thousands of years old. Ancient Assyrian and Babylonian men spent hours daily curling, braiding, and oiling their beards with gold dust, scented oils, and intricate ringlets to signal wealth and high military rank.
5. George “Beau” Brummell’s 5-Hour Routine
Beau Brummell, the 19th-century British dandy who reshaped modern male suits, spent upwards of five hours every single day dressing and grooming. His vanity routine included polishing his leather boots with champagne to achieve a perfect shine.
6. The Symmetrical Face Bias
Evolutionary psychologists note that male vanity often centers heavily on jawlines and facial symmetry. Studies show men with highly symmetrical facial features and pronounced jawlines subconsciously receive higher social perception scores regarding leadership and physical competence.
7. The Roman “Calvities” Panic
Julius Caesar was notoriously insecure about his receding hairline (calvities). To conceal his baldness, he famously used the ancient equivalent of a “comb-over” and pushed hard for the Roman Senate to grant him the privilege of wearing a laurel wreath at all times.
8. Makeup as War Paint in Ancient Egypt
Egyptian men of all social classes wore heavy black eye makeup (kohl) and green copper pigments. While partly functional against harsh desert sun and eye infections, it was equally driven by vanity, as cosmetic aesthetics were linked directly to divine beauty and status.
9. The Rise of “Bigorexia”
Male body image vanity has a documented clinical counterpart known as Muscle Dysmorphia (or “Bigorexia”). Individuals affected by this condition view themselves as small or insufficiently muscular regardless of how massive or lean their physique actually is.
10. Codpiece Fashion Inflation
In 16th-century Europe, male vanity focused on the groin area via the “codpiece.” Originally a functional flap on trousers, men began padding, embroidering, and inflating codpieces to absurd proportions to project virility, social dominance, and power.
