Once most men start figuring how to dress well in their primary environment (work, the gym, weekends, etc.) they often quit there.
But having real style comes from being able to dress well in all your environments – not just those in which you spend the majority of your time.
I’ve changed the name of the YouTube channel and my other social media accounts from Masculine Style to Tanner Guzy. In this video, I explain why.
It’s time for me to get in the best shape of my life and destroy this dad bod I’ve developed over the years. This series will show my workouts, my meal plan, and all the mistakes I’ll inevitably make along the way.
No expertise on my part here. Just a chance to get better like I expect all of you men to get better too!
This post is sponsored by Tiege Hanley. Go check out their stuff and use the code “Masculine5” for $5 off your first order.
Skin care is one of those topics we, as men, would prefer to never even think about, let alone discuss. Even saying words like “lotion” and “eye cream” makes us uncomfortable (me included).
This is largely because we’ve been conditioned to believe that caring for one’s skin – especially the face – is solely in the realm of women and metrosexuals.
But today, I want to make a case for why a simple, private, inexpensive skin care regimen is something every man will benefit from.
Watch the YouTube Video: Why Men Should Care About Skin Care
Watch the YouTube Video: Why Men Should Care About Skin Care
To illustrate the relationship most men have with our skin, I want to tell you a story.
An old farmer and his new farm hand spent an entire day at a dealership purchasing a new truck. The old one the farmer had been using for decades had gotten to the point where it needed to be replaced.
They test drove multiple vehicle, finalized the paper work, and headed back to the farm in the early evening.
As is typical on a farm, there was still work that needed to be done that evening. So the farmer and his farm hand promptly started loading wooden palettes into the bed of the new truck.
The farmer immediately set to work and, within a matter of a few minutes, the top of the bed was covered in scratches and scrapes. Each new dent and divot made the farm hand cringe.
Eventually he decided to voice his concerns. He turned to the farmer and said,
“How can you do this to your brand new truck?! It was so clean and new, and you’ve already started to ruin its appeal!”
The grizzled old farmer didn’t say a word. After a moment’s pause he picked up a shovel and proceeded to beat the passenger side of the vehicle half a dozen times.
Each strike of the shovel created dents and scratches that would never buff out.
Finally, the farmer turned to his farm hand and said,
“Now it’s not new anymore. This truck’s job isn’t to look nice, it’s to move equipment and help around the farm.”
It’s a good story and one I’ve heard often to illustrate the importance of function over form.
However, there’s one problem with the story.
It starts off with the farmer purchasing a new truck.
Let’s imagine a universe in which each person is assigned a new car at birth.
For me, it would be a ’65 Mustang
But, there’s one catch.
That vehicle is the only one I’ll ever be able to own. No matter what happens, I’ll never be able to replace it. Maintain and repair? Sure – but never fully replace.
How much more do you think I would care for that car than what I currently own?
How much better would I be about regular maintenance, washes, detailing, and element protection?
Well that’s how it is with your face. What you’re born with is what you have for the rest of your life. So you need to take care of it.
It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between a vintage vehicle that has been taken care of – driven a lot – but taken care of, vs one that was just pulled off of the scrap heap.
The distinction doesn’t lie with the original condition of the parts, the standards each one was held to as it was created, or the materials used.
The difference between the two is found in how well they’re taken care of.
Now, just because I’m in favor of taking care of my skin, doesn’t mean I want to take it as far as we see body-dysmorphic metrosexuals or aging men in Hollywood.
Doing so is a conflation of a man’s aesthetic value. Rather than trying to appear younger (like women do), men are better off trying to appear ageless and accomplished.
There is a huge spectrum between the man who looks like his face has been attacked with a cheese grater, and the ultra-fake, hyper-feminine divas who go under the knife or plug their faces with botox.
Once you’ve decided you want to take proper care of your skin, it can become complicated, time-consuming, and super expensive. But it doesn’t have to be.
The best way to do so is a simple morning routine that comes as part of your daily shower and morning prep, and then a quick regimen to help you wind down your evening.
From my perspective, the best brand to help accomplish this is Tiege Hanley
Siege is relatively new on the men’s skincare scene, and they’re going to do for the industry what brands like Dollar Shave Club and other subscriptions services have done for other aspects of men’s grooming.
They offer three different versions of a monthly box. And each one can be compared to a level of care you’d give your one-and-only car.
Level 1 – Basic wash and vacuum. Keeps things clean and dirt free and requires the least investment – both in time and finances.
Level 2 – Wash and vacuum, plus a wax and leather conditioning. This is where things shift from reactive to proactive. There’s a bit more added to the mix to keep things looking like they’re actually taken care of.
Level 3 – Detailing. This allows you to embrace the age and aesthetics that come from no longer being a brand new vehicle, while maintaining the integrity, appearance, and appeal as if that car had just come out of the factory.
Not only does Tiege have a great price on their own, but I have a discount for you guys.
Just type in the coupon code “Masculine5” at checkout to save $5 off your first order.
Just because you decide to start taking care of your face doesn’t mean you need to make a big deal out of it. It doesn’t have to be a part of your regular discussion with friends, you don’t need to invest as much time or money as the women in your life, nor do you have to constantly or consistently think about it.
Pick yourself up a box, use it for 30 days, and see how much better you both look and feel. It’s pretty easy to get converted at that point.
I just finished listening to “On Killing” by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman. It was a fascinating read and really opened up my eyes to the relationship men have with violence.
You may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with clothing and why is this guy writing about it on a style site?”
Good question.
As you can imagine, given what I do for a living, my mind is always looking for the application of any principle to a context of appearance, style, and aesthetics.
Watch the YouTube Video: What Killing & Clothing Have in Common Here
Watch the YouTube Video: What Killing & Clothing Have in Common Here
Well, here’s a copy of one of the notes I took as I was listening.
The primary reasons soldiers kill are pressure from the other men in their group, respect for their leaders, desire to not lose face with either, and a desire to contribute to the common goals of the group – not ideology, fear, or hatred. Tell me again that men don’t care what anyone thinks of them.
You see, the most common response I get from men who are resistant to what I do and a man’s general concern for his appearance goes something along the lines of:
A real man doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of him.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before. You’ve probably even said it to yourself a time or two – especially after feeling a particular sting in an embarrassing situation or social faux pas.
We develop a sour-grapes attitude in an attempt to convince ourselves that the shame we feel is wrong, not the action that led to shame.
The problem is that men both always have and should be concerned what other people think of them.
However, the difference is in caring what the right people think.
Because no, a man shouldn’t be so overly concerned with the opinions of the general population that it affects his day-to-day life.
Instead, he should be concerned with the honor, respect, and esteem of the men in his group.
Men will kill for those they love, respect, and admire – not because they hate “them” but because they love “us.”
This is a good and essential thing. It’s what ties human societies and cultures together and allows us to thrive.
Because human beings are social creatures and we need each other.
If you’ve seen me speak at a conference or have purchased my Style as Storytelling Course, you know that what I’m saying here is that men need to dress to their tribe.
Because doing so well improve your life.
If I were to show up at a Beckett & Robb shop wearing cutoff shorts and a tank top, I’d be hurting my own standing within the tribe, along with affecting the way our group is perceived and interacted with by clients or others who are “outsiders”
And if I were to show up at Burning Man with a three-piece B&R suit, I’d be hurting my standing within that group but wouldn’t care about how it’s perceived by outsiders, because the crowd that attends the event isn’t my tribe.
Any man who tells you he doesn’t care what others think of him is either a liar or a sociopath.
The key is to stop pretending that what everyone thinks matters. Focus on the people who are important and use your appearance to improve your relationship within that group and help the tribe accomplish its goals.
