What is it to be a man? Apart from the obvious biological indicators, modern “man” has never had such a broad definition. Collectively we are husbands, sons, brothers, uncles, and much, much more. Individually we are all very different both inside and out. As the world’s number one electric shaving brand, few understand how men’s faces, identities and self-expression have changed over the decades like Philips. To celebrate this individuality, they launched their “Many Faces” campaign earlier this month, and I was lucky enough to be involved.
Commissioning a survey of more than 2,000 men in the U.K., Philips sought to explore the many faces that make a man. The findings certainly shed a lot of light on how British men view both themselves, and the expectations, of being a modern man. A few statistics that certainly show that the definition of being a man is broader now more than ever included:
63% of men view loyalty as a key trait in the modern man
The majority feel like that have multiple roles as a man, averaging four different personas
Societies expectations of men are to be strong, confident and loyal
More than half of those surveyed felt a pressure to live up to expectations
The aim of the “Many Faces” campaign is to challenge typically outdated views of masculinity (often the stereotypes of strength and confidence), and their launch of the campaign included the unveiling of a specially commissioned piece of artwork from artist Guglielmo Alfarone, who thrives on revealing depth and dimension in his portraiture. Featuring my very own “faces”, it was a beautiful piece that even challenged my own self-perception. Not just one portrait, but two with real depth. The Many Faces campaign really made me aware of the role I play as a husband, father (to a puppy), a son, and a brother. While I often have a smile on my face, Guglielmo also perfectly captured my tendency to take up the position of being a leader.
Philips have certainly made a real effort in helping men see the positive ways they impact the people around them in the many roles they hold. It is important to be confident about our own choices, because confidence is the very essence of feeling comfortable in our own skin. Speaking of skin, you can explore the entire Philips male grooming collection (including my favourite, the Multigroom Series 7000) here and, quite naturally, they have something for almost every man and every face.
To find out more about the Philips “Many Faces” campaign, click here.
