WEOWETHEORIGINSofFather’sDaytoAmericanpoet,
SonoraSmartDodd,whosefatherwaslefttoraisesix
childrenafterhiswifediedduringchildbirth.Thestory
goesthat,whilelisteningtoa Mother’sDaysermonather
localMethodistchurchin1909,Sonorawasbothered
thattherewasn’tanofficialdaytohonourherfather.
Thefollowingyear,Father’sDaywascelebratedlocally
inWashington.Ittookdecadestoreally gain momentum,
butFather’sDaywentglobalafter
PresidentNixonofficiallywroteit
intohistoryin1972.
PreciselywhyFather’sDayis
celebratedinSeptemberherewhen
mostcountriesmarktheoccasion
inJuneisn’tentirelyclear.What’s
crystallinethoughisthatwearedoing
morethanbreakfastinbedfordads
DownUnder—researchshows
a considerableupwardtrendin
spendingforFather’sDay.
Timehonouredthankyougiftsfordadsontheirbigday
includeshavingproducts,deodorant,socksandjocks,but
luxuryitemssuchasnichefragrancesoffernoshortageof
optionsandgainingpopularity.
“Therearethreemajorolfactivefamiliesformen,”
explainsKilianHennessy,creatorofKilianfragrances(and
a descendentoftheoriginalHennessycognacfounder),
whichoffera contemporarymasculinetwistontraditional
scents.“Thesearefresh,woodsy,andoriental.Depending
onthescentthatyourfatherwearsyoushouldchooseinthe
sameolfactivefamilytoavoidgivinghima scenthewillnot
becomfortablewearing.”
Skincareisbecomingincreasinglypopularasa Father’s
Daygiftoption,fuelledbya generalgrowinginterestin
men’sgrooming.“Ithasbecomemuchlessaboutbeing
perceivedasbeingfeminineandmoreaboutmaintenance
andself-care,”saysChristinaSchroder,NationalTraining
andEducationManagerforNatio.“Lookingafteryourself
showsthatyouhaverespectforyourselfandtakepridein
yourappearance.”
Gentlemenwhodocareabouttheircomplexionhave,
perhapsunsurprisingly,similarskinconcernstowomen
— pigmentation, texture and oil control are top of the listFORGETSOCKSFORDADTHISFATHER’SDAYWHYNOT
SURPRISEHIMWITHAGROOMINGGIFT?JULIETTEWINTER
SHARES WHICH PRODUCTS WILL BE SURE TO IMPRESS.WELL GROOMED
accordingtotheexperts.“Anti-ageingisanincreasingfocus
forAussiemenofallages,”saysScottJohnson,Kiehl’s
NationalEducationManager.“Menarebecomingmore
comfortablewithproductsthatstretchbeyondtheboundsof
‘men’s’skincareandareexploringoils,serums,tonersand
othertargetedskincaresolutionstoaddressspecificneeds.”
Menwhodabbleincomplicatedskincareroutinesarestill
in the minority though.OneAmericanstudyrevealedthat
themajorityofmendon’tusea facial
skincareproduct,butalmosthalfare
happytoslathersomethingontheir
bodyandalmostthree-quarterslavish
attentionontheirhair.
Giventhataround 50 percentof
middle-agedmalesarebattling
baldnessandthefactthathairloss
tendstobeginmuchearlierthanthe
onsetofwrinkles,thegreaterfocus
onfolliclesratherthanskincare
isunderstandable.“Therateatwhichmen’sskinshows
signsofageingisdifferenttowomenduetoitscomposition,”
saysScott.“Althoughthereisvariability,adultmales
produceabout 10 timesasmuchtestosteroneaswomen,
anda man’sskinisabout 25 percentthickerthana woman.
Menalsotypicallyhavelargeroilglands.”
Inotherwords,theirskinistougherandlessproneto
dehydration.Guysalsohavea greatercollagendensity(the
buildingblockoffirm,youthfulskin)thanwomen,andtheir
collagenlevelsdon’tdropsodramaticallyinmiddleage
(femaleslosetwiceasmuchcollageneachyearasmalesonce
theyhitmenopause,whichvisiblyaffectsskinfirmness).
However,ifthey’renotsunsavvy,thatgenomicadvantage
formaleswillcometonixbecauseUVdamageisoneofthe
mostsignificantfactorsinprematureageing.“Ithinkmen
havebeenputoffsunscreeninpreviousyearsassunscreens
werethick,greasyandmadetheskinfeelsticky,”says
Christina.“Menwillputonalmostanythingthat’sinthe
bathroom,wejustneedtomakesureit’sSPF.”
“It’sexcitingtoseemoreandmoremenbecoming
educated,evenexperimental,whenitcomestolookingafter
themselves,”saysScott.“Menarestartingtobecomea lot
moreproactiveaboutpreventingageingratherthan just
waiting until it’s starting to become obvious.”“Lookingafteryourself
showsthatyouhave
respectforyourself
andtakepridein
your appearance.”
128 COU NTRY ST Y LESEPTEMBER 2019
HEALTH AND BEAUTY