For a country which still hasn't been able to wrap its head around men getting facials, manicures and eyebrows done, it's quite amusing that Varun Dhawan's latest look went unnoticed from the eagle-eyed Twitter.
Varun walked the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week for friend and fashion designer Kunal Rawal on Saturday and right from the choice of the colour of his outfit to his accessories and make-up - Varun was a gender-fluid dream come true.
The designer gave Varun a light pink suit, some kohl for the eyes, a few rings, chains, an anklette and yes, black nail paint. This is the second time that Varun walked for Kunal and in the designer's own words, "it was bigger and grander." And, we cannot agree more.
Here are a few pics -
Kohl has ofcourse been identified and accepted as a male make-up item thanks to Bollywood but nail paints are still very much a taboo among the patriarchal Indian crowd. Be it India or the West, society has always attached unfair stigmas to men who wear nail polish. People tend to assume that men wearing nail paints are either gay or transgender. A lot of this stigma has to do with the idea that men aren't supposed to care too much about their appearances.
But things are surely changing for the better with stars like Johnny Depp, Zac Efron, Brad Pitt adapting gender-neutral fashion trends. Call it the rise of the 'metrosexual' or the growing acceptance of gender fluidity - a few nail polish brands have also started catering to men.
And, you would be surprised to know that men have been wearing nail paints since 3,200 B.C. Yes! A few research papers suggest that most men in China and Egypt, during that era, wore nail paints made of flower extracts and egg whites to signify different classes.
Many are saying that Varun's latest avatar is an extension of his 'Kalank' look. You would remember that DNA had earlier done a story on how Varun is most likely to sport kohled-eyes in the film. But, even if it was for his film, Varun painting his nails has just showed his fans that men wearing nail polish isn't really a taboo. And, that in itself is a huge feat!
We are so on board for this gender-neutral clothing trend. How about you?
