Page 84 - Sharp Summer 2021

Face Off
Meet Generation G: a new wave of grooming-obsessed guys here to remind you that your face is your fortune by Greta Rainbow
“TO ME, SKINCARE IS ONE of the most important things
you can do for yourself on this planet,” says Chicago-based content creator Nicholas Bailey. He’s smiling straight into the camera, sporting a fresh fade, trimmed beard, and Helmut Lang hoodie. He looks nothing like the porcelain-skinned women in white
wearing cucumbers on their eyes, the socially accepted stock image of beauty and wellness. But there he is, telling guys that “there’s nothing better than taking care of your face.” Bailey, 30, is part of a new wave of men’s grooming.
“I grew up with mostly women, so I saw my mom and two sisters getting their hair taken care of, getting their
skin and their nails done, whenever
they could afford that luxury — because it’s not cheap. But it wasn’t ever talked about from a male perspective. I never saw the men in my life put anything on their face other than soap and water and lotion,” says Bailey. “That was just the norm.” When he got to college, he’d have the occasional locker room conversation
84 SHARPMAGAZINE.COM SUMMER 2021
Illustration by cnythzl / Getty