Sippel sees his Botox as part of a wider regime of self-care. “I spend time improving myself through personal development,martial arts and living a healthy lifestyle,” he says. “So capitalising on easy,affordable access to beauty and cosmetic treatments helps me feel great on the outside,as a complement to the other work I’m doing.”
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The influence of his wife has,he admits,played a large role. “The old me would never have invested in these sorts of treatments but now that I’ve tried them – thanks to the persistence of my wife – I’m far more open to trying new things as they become available as I age,” he says. “Being complimented on how great and youthful I look is also a nice bonus.”
So,does this mean the constant,unfair pressure on women to look youthful is spreading to men?
Registered psychologist Donna Cameron says it comes down to a shift in the psychology of ageing. “With clients I see in therapy,I haven’t noticed an increase in the fear of dying but have noticed an increase in the fear of ageing and looking old.”
Cameron says the expectation to look a certain way is now something men feel,almost as much as women. “The pressure is there for all genders these days.”
“...In therapy,I haven’t noticed an increase in the fear of dying but have noticed an increase in the fear of ageing and looking old.”
Psychologist Donna Cameron
Partner pressure is something she has also noted. “Men don’t want to be left behind and look like the ‘old man’ next to their freshly Botoxed female partner,” she says,adding that many women are encouraging their male partners to “join them in the battle” to look younger. “For some couples,Botox appointments are now their date days.”
Ange Monitto,31,from St Kilda,gets Botox every six months and has done since he was 27,when he started noticing forehead and frown lines.
“At first,it made me pretty nervous,” he says. “I didn’t want to look fake or lose the ability to express myself through facial movements.”
His initial consultation allayed such fears;he gets fewer units for a more subtle,free-moving look.
For Monitto, Botox isn’t about trying to look younger – he’s already young. “It’s about being proactive and keeping myself looking fresh now,so I don’t have to deal with deep lines later on,” he says. “The old notion that only women should get Botox is changing,and that’s a good thing. I’m all for looking after myself while still looking natural. It preserves my confidence.”
Cameron believes men’s self-esteem has eroded over the years. “Many of the male clients who present for therapy are very concerned about what others – both men and women – think about them,” she says. “They have a lot of insecurities about their looks and bodies.”
Social media also plays a part,as men want to look in the mirror and see the same face they post in filtered selfies,Cameron says. This ups the stakes in the dating world. “People are more critical of what they want men to look like and are swiping left for the smallest dislikes – wrinkles being one,” she says.
Some of this is about changing gender roles,as well as a fear of ageing. Men have traditionally been timid about admitting to Botox use and remained hidden from good or bad news stories about it. Now they’re more comfortable speaking out about getting cosmetic tweaks,especially when couched in the language of “remaining competitive”.
“Men are comparing themselves with their younger peers and now have an acceptable way to make these changes to their appearance,” Cameron says. “It once would’ve been very embarrassing for a man to book a Botox appointment. Now men are featured in ad campaigns for this beauty treatment.”
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