Beardos vs. boyzilians

Does the rise of manscaping mark the end of the beard craze? Boyzilians hit themainstream

As the beard reigns supreme in male grooming habits, one would think the "natural look" was making a comeback, right? Well, not according to a recent article in The Daily Beast.

Manscaping — the full-on removal of male body hair — has worked its way from the adult entertainment industry into the bi-weekly routines of a growing number of young men across America.

That's right, the boyzilian, also known as the BSC, has gone mainstream. Even former New York state congressman Anthony Weiner is doing it. (Ahead of the curve, CultureMap's own Steven Thomson brought out the shears as early as spring 2010).

The Daily Beast's Lizzie Crocker looked to Cosmo for data on the new trend, examining 50 profiles of twenty-something men entered in the magazine's 2011 Bachelor of the Year contest.

Each entrant was subject to series of brief inquiries, ranging from "favorite female body part" to "hottest sext a woman could send." Towards the end of the list was the million-dollar question: "Do you manscape?"

Of the eligible men — for the record, Tennessee had twins listed and Washington state was replaced with Washington, D.C. — 27 proudly answered yes, while 22 managed to evade the question altogether.

Manscaping has worked its way from the adult entertainment industry into the bi-weekly routines of a growing number of young men across America.

More than half had their shirts undone and, aside from one or two people, none showed any signs of chest hair. Surely those waxing their upper bodies might be more willing to, um, take it to the next level. But the degree of enthusiasm about the new grooming fad was noteworthy.

Only one delegate dared to take the road less traveled, Will from Maine, the lone soul who declared "No, never!" to manscaping. There's something that sets this Portland resident apart from the competition, however; Will is the only bachelor with a beard. That's just two percent of Cosmo's worthy candidates.

But beards are still popular, right? One can't open a magazine or browse a clothing website without seeing a dude with some type of fashionable facial hair. A quick visit to several popular websites shows us a world of stately and stubbly male faces:

GQ: Beards
Men's Health: Beards
Land's End Canvas: Beards
J. Crew: Beards
American Apparel: Beards (and a handlebar moustache)

But one click into the Abercrombie/Hollister empire and it's all waxed chests and beardless faces. The general public is getting a lot of mixed messages here.

Phew, men's grooming hasn't been this divided since the late 60s. Tell us: What do you think of manscaping?

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Dior and More

3 major luxury fashion brands move into famous North Austin mall

Zimmermann/Instagram

Zimmermann is one of the new stores at The Domain.

Three major luxury brands are now open at The Domain: Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and Zimmermann. The famous Austin mall has been angling more toward luxury in the past few years.

Although it is common for The Domain to add multiple shops at once, these are unusually big names to be packaged together. This is also a significant development because although items from these brands may have been available around town, these three stores appear to be the only standalone stores for their respective brands in Austin.

A press release announcing the openings gives the most information about the Balenciaga store, which is 6,137 square feet and will carry men's and women's styles, shoes, bags, accessories, eyewear, and jewelry. The façade is made of a composite material combining glass, porcelain, and quartz, and the release says "the store’s construction is careful to respect existing elements," which is to say they did not completely rebuild the storefront. This store is located at Century Oaks Terrace and Agave Lane.

Dior will also feature collections for women and men, as envisioned by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones, respectively. Dior emphasizes timelessness and is located next to Agave Park.

Finally, the store fewer Austinites might be familiar with: Zimmermann. The Australian brand is known for flouncy dresses, often in pastels and florals. Its ready-to-wear items are usually priced lower than ready-to-wear by Balenciaga or Dior, but it is still a luxury brand with luxury prices. It is located on Century Oaks Terrace.

Despite a stated interest in attracting luxury brands, the most talked-about development for The Domain in 2024 was a new location for Loro, the casual "Asian Smokehouse" by Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue and Tyson Cole of Uchi. The mall is also welcomed a smaller Ikea store last year.