Cover story | |Cover story ove Island returned to ITV2 With Love Island promoting this week, with Meath I would very scientist Yewande Biala “ the perfect, groomed body, Land Manchester boxer Tommy Fury among the 12 singletons set much take care Deirdre Reynolds looks at to crack on and mug off over the next seven weeks. of my the growing pressure on men Behind the scenes of the sun- drenched Majorcan villa, however, appearance. I to look their Instagram best it’s the hard-working waxists and tanning technicians who could Karl Bowe: Auditioned once more prove the true stars of for the latest series of get the odd the ‘constructed reality’ TV show Love Island. — and that’s just the male contes- facial to mind tants. Despite criticism over the lack of the skin. I get the body diversity among the contes- tants on the BAFTA-winning series, which also features Danc- hair done every ing with the Stars professional Curtis Pritchard, already the Love two weeks Island effect has trickled down to male grooming salons here. “In terms of treatments and Foundation found 24% of 18-24 trends, at the moment the eye- year-olds thought more negatively brows seem to be a huge thing,” about their body after bingeing on says Stephen McEvoy, owner of reality TV. Stephen Thomas Male Grooming Love Island bosses this year in Dublin. “And I think a lot of that vowed greater psychological after- stems from social media. care for contestants after series “I had a guy actually come in the three star Mike Thalassitis tragi- other day and ask me to do his eye- cally took his life in March aged 26, brows like Chris [Hughes] from just nine months after series two Love Island. star Sophie Gradon died by suicide “Straight off the bat I said, ‘You aged 30. don’t have eyebrows like his — “There has been an enormous they’re nothing like his, so unless amount of discussion in the news you’re willing to go through a over the last year or two around whole process of getting your eye- aftercare and mental health care brows tattooed, forget about it’.” of contestants taking part in these Being less Love Island than programmes,” says Jennifer Grif- Craggy Island is unlikely to stop be interested in for sure. It’s about cosmetic enhancements to achieve frown lines. The second complaint fin of Turn2Me.org, a free online more image-conscious Irish men playing the waiting game.” her curvy appearance made fa- would be under-eye shadows or mental health service for adults from rivalling their girlfriends in Regular workouts, a bi-monthly mous on last year’s show. hollows, and for that we use non- funded by the HSE’s National Of- the defuzzing stakes as the mer- trip to the barbers and self-tanning At Venus Medical in Dundrum, permanent filler, so hyaluronic fice for Suicide Prevention. “And cury rises this summer. are just some of the measures the anti-ageing injectable (starting acid fillers that last about a year to that’s actually for a very under- A male Hollywood wax (€70), taken by the 30-year-old to ensure from €290) and ‘man boob’ removal a year and a half. standable reason in terms of the Speedo-line wax (€40) and full he’s reality TV-ready should the (starting from €4,000) are also the “For the body, the number one pressure that they had been feel- body wax (€200) are just some of text come. most sought-after procedures by far is the male chest reduction, TOP SHAPE: Love Island series five con- ing and put under.” the other hair removal treatments “I would very much take care of among men aged 30-55. or ‘man boobs’. When we start to put all of our testants Joe Garratt, Michael currently in hot demand at the my appearance,” admits Karl, who “It was always maybe 10% “It’s either gynecomastia, which sense of identity and our sense of Griffiths and Curtis Pritchard. Dame Street salon. spends up to €60 a month on main- (men),” says Dr Peter Prendergast is male breast tissue, or it’s some- worth and value in how we look, McEvoy has offered the same taining his photogenicity. “I get of his clientele at the award-win- thing called pseudogynecomastia, who we’re in a relationship with or waxing service since he opened his the odd facial just to mind the skin. ning south Dublin clinic. “Now it’s which is more fat than breast tis- what we’re eating or how much business 15 years ago but has no- “I get the hair done every two probably 15% men and 85% sue, or it’s a combination of both — we’re exercising, she says “we’re ticed that customers are now weeks and get the eyebrows done women. either way, you have to surgically missing the vast majority of as- “more open about it”. once a month maybe. “The number one treatment still remove it. pects of who we are as a person.” “Also, I’m having people come “I’d have no problem waxing the for men would be Botox for Gynecomastia is very common, in to me now who are much chest as well — I’d be very hairy, smoothing away crow’s feet and Dr Prendergast says of the hor- elationships and sexuality, younger — most of my demo- but it’s good to just give your body monal imbalance, typically start- and by association body graphic over the last 10-15 years that little bit of fresh air. I used to ing in puberty. “Probably one in image, are among the most has been 30-plus because of the do a lot of sunbeds, but then ob- three men have some degree of it. Rcommon themes raised by young cost of treatments. The majority of viously you hear stories about “Some of them are suffering for male users of the service, accord- my new clients only get waxing sunbeds and what they can do to years with it — they won’t go to the ing to the psychotherapist, who Hair we go again done if they’re going away on holi- you, so now I’m more into spray beach or take their top off because says she’s not surprised by the re- day,” adds Stephen, who has a tanning, just to be on the safe side. they’re embarrassed. It could be search on how watching Love Is- strict over-21s policy on intimate I’d only do it if there was a job years before they pluck up the land can heighten body anxiety. waxing. coming up or something. courage to actually come in. “It would be completely natural “Then you’ve got lifestyle “I used to be very clean shaven,” “We use Vaser (liposuction), and normal for them to be affected waxers who are just people who he adds, “but as I’ve gotten a bit which melts the fat and tissue, in that way because actually prefer their body without hair, and older, I’m letting the beard grow. combined with a small incision or there’s a huge amount of research they make up the bulk of the wax- Sometimes I actually use a little bit surgically remove the glands to demonstrate the impact on pro- ing that I do here.” of mascara just to go over a few through a tiny incision around the grammes of this kind and imagery But for men who want to keep little patchy bits just to enhance it. nipple. It’s done under local anaes- of this kind on our sense of self. Es- their facial hair in check, there is a “I never had any Botox done — I thetic and takes about an hour, so pecially as a young man, their growing demand for getting don’t think I would, but if down the you can walk out.” identities are still in development beards defined with wax. “You get line I felt unhappy with something, Ahead of International Men’s and still forming. a lot of men with beards who want who knows.” Health Week starting on Monday, And if men are feeling just not you to remove any hair on the Love Island runner-up Megan meanwhile, experts are reminding quite themselves, then it’s import- upper cheek that’s not quite full — Barton-Hanson isn’t the only one young men to focus on self-care ant, she says, that they take proac- if there’s any hair just underneath to get a little help after reportedly Dr Peter Prendergast: The most popu- and not just skincare, after a lar treatment for men is Botox. tive steps. the hairline, they get that waxed as spending more than €28,000 on survey by the UK’s Mental Health “Come forwards either anony- well.” mously online, or you can go to Buff, bronzed and bearded, Karl face-to-face services as well. Bowe certainly has the Love Island Groom to improve “The advice that we always give look down to a fine art. is for all of us to take a balanced Catching up with Feelgood, the view of what is meaningful in life, ■ Love Island’s Anton Danyluk isn’t - is the top choice for men mortified about €250. former Mr Ireland revealed how and what gives us a sense of pur- the only one with brows on fleek this by hyperhidrosis. ■ No need to hide the Fake Bake, as he tried out for the fifth season of pose and a sense of wellbeing and summer, with waxing, threading and ■ At 28, Love Island elder Callum Irish men are instead turning to the dating show, presented by Ca- joy in life, and of course, physical- tinting, typically starting from €10, Mcleod probably doesn’t have more gradual ‘glow’ skincare prod- roline Flack, but was unfortu- ity and being healthy and sexually among the most in-demand ‘guy too many wrinkles, but ucts such as Decléor Green MAN APPEAL: Sherif Lanre, nately not selected.