Break the Stigma: Reconstructing the Negative Stigma of Gender Bias through Skin Care Inclusivity for All Genders

The response from netizens on social media regarding the men embracing skin care might often appear. Despite societal norms allowing men to take care of their skin, and it is a practice that should be available to all regardless of gender, the belief that skin care is primarily for women persists, fueled by negative stereotypes like 'toxic masculinity. This study aims to propose strategies to eliminate these society's negative stigma and harmful stereotypes surrounding men's skin care, through the various solutions from researchers and from the community. Researchers utilized descriptive qualitative methods with a gender theory and social reality approach. Purposive sampling interview techniques and Forum Group Discussion (FGD) were conducted in collecting data to explore and discover the strategies that have been carried out. Next, the data was processed and analyzed based on gender theory and social reality approach. The research results showed that the solution to deal with negative stigma in society comes from community aspirations, such as educational movements about skin care inclusivity for all genders and voicing gender equality in social media and advertising. This movement supported the concept of gender theory which believed that negative stigma stemmed from societal assumptions that had influenced each other. Therefore, strategies that came from the community could eliminate the prevailing negative stereotypes