Men . . . Is There Pancake Make-Up In Your Future?

Posted on April 14, 2007
Filed Under Media Advice |

Want to see a grown man blush, without make-up,that is? Just ask whether he wants a touch of make-up before doing a local television interview or even speaking before a large group of people.

And yet, if you examine just about every major (and some minor) politician, many CEOs and others who may find themselves in a public speaking arena, you’ll often see a “secret” revealed:They are all wearing makeup. I don’t mean that bronzer crap you pick up at the drug counter, the one that turns you the color of a burnt autumn leaf. I mean actual foundation and powder.

The fact is, if you are planning to be interviewed on television, especially in smaller markets where there will probably not be a professional make-up person on staff (the on camera “talent” quickly learn to do their own…men and women!) you will be at an instant cosmetic disadvantage because the person doing the interview WILL be wearing makeup.

Now, if you think that is not all that important, take a short trip back into American history.

The year: 1960

The event: The presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon (produced and directed, by the way, by the same man who went on to create “60 Minutes,” Don Hewitt.

Kennedy, who had a natural cosmestic advantage over Nixon to begin with, did wear make-up. Nixon, still recovering from a bout of the flu and looking like death warmed over, decided NOT to wear make-up.

Know what? Surveys taken at the time showed that people who listened to the debate on radio (sorry, no Internet) gave the debate to Nixon, while those who watched on television thought it was J.F.K who won the debate.

Look, unless you have the DNA of a Greek God, most people are not exactly flattered by the television lens..especially now with HD TV.

That is why smart male politicians,television performers,public speakers and others are not afraid to reach for the compact. And, they are no powder puffs!

Coming–How to buy and use television make-up for Men

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