Girly Goods for Men Selling Well
Korean men in their 20s and 30s are becoming more feminine, not only by paying more attention to grooming but by wearing girdles, waxing their arms and legs, and crimping or straightening their hair.
Lotte Department Store sales records show that the proportion of men in their 20s among customers of hair curlers or irons rose from 10 percent last year to 35 percent this year. In Hyundai Department Store, the number of male customers in their 20s who bought waxing items for legs and arms increased by 34 percent since last year. And each branch of the department sells a monthly average of 50 girdles for men since their launch in October last year. Even the number of 20-something men who bought lip gloss went up 16 percent from a year ago.
In fashion, scarves now also seem to appeal to men. "A lot of male customers buy scarves because they are versatile -- you can put them around your neck like a cravat and wear them with a shirt, or you can tie it like a necktie," a Lotte spokesman said. Colorful skinny jeans, made popular among women by a girl group Girls' Generation, are also popular among men. The imported stock for men completely sold out just four months after they were launched.
"This is more than just a desire to copy celebrities," said Kim Ran-do, a professor of consumer behavior at Seoul National University. "It's a global trend that comes from the dismantlement of traditional gender distinctions that emphasize masculinity, and the emergence of feminine values."
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