Phenomenology of Male Identity in Beauty Centers: From Identity Construction to Fashionable Hegemony

In today’s society, according to experts, men are the secret customers of the beauty industry and beauty centers with which they manage and build their identity. For this purpose, the present study is a qualitative study on the construction of identity and identity management strategies of men in Yazd in beauty centers. The data of this study were collected through in-depth interviews and Hermeneutic phenomenological method was used to analyze them. Using theoretical and purposeful sampling method, 25 Yazdi men were interviewed and finally, the collected data were coded and analyzed in the form of 11 themes. The results show that the participating men believe that beauty is a good tool for managing and achieving the desired identity. Their understanding and interpretation of attending beauty salons are shown in three themes: sexual competition, coping style and metacognitive strategy. To this end, men have introduced their new identities to everyone through self-efficacy, self-ideal, self-perfection, and self-worth. Finally, they have managed their identities using empathy, character building, modelling, and art strategies.