Bach Buquen is the latest guy to normalize makeup for men
The 19-year-old TikToker quietly braves public gaze by normalizing makeup for men, in the loudest way possible
The half-Vietnamese content creator went viral for putting on makeup while waiting for the train.
Photo illustration by Ryan Quan
Words by Ray Liu
At only 19 years old, Bach Buquen extends the renewed legacy of makeup for men. Truth is, men have been wearing makeup for centuries, dating back to ancient Egyptians. Our favorite K-pop and J-pop idols all appear to have flawless, poreless skin on and off stage. And do you think Manny Jacinto would be on screen without makeup? Whether you like it or not, there are men among us who can wield the power of a brush and lipstick. Buquen is doing all of that on TikTok—and yes, he’s having fun!
Born to Vietnamese and French parents, Buquen was just your average kid, making goofy videos for fun. That is until his “meme-worthy shoulder dance video to Modern Talking’s ‘Brother Louie,’” as Robert Cordero writes for Business of Fashion, gave him his first taste of social media stardom. The video, currently sitting at a comfortable 107.2 million views on TiKTok, was surely Buquen’s ticket to building a mega platform for himself. But he’s choosing to use his platform for good: to uplift and normalize makeup for men.
In a series of videos, which he dubs “normalizing makeup for men,” Buquen is seen applying makeup in a metro station as people walk behind him. Some fellow riders stop and glare at him as he gently dabs concealer under his eyes, while others happily wave to the camera or make heart signs with their hands. The latter is ultimately what inspires Buquen to continue with this series on his TikTok.
Buquen’s makeup is not at all dramatic—oftentimes subtle and more of an everyday look. Think, the no-makeup makeup look. The products he uses in his videos are quite minimal, from a liquid foundation to creamy blushes—and the occasional lip gloss. But he also surprised his followers on Halloween this year with a new installment of his “Normalizing Makeup for Men” series, in which he pulls off a Joker look from the Batman franchise. Being that this was meant to be a Halloween costume, the makeup matches the requirements of the assignment. With dark, smoky eyeshadows, a full face of white face paint, an overdose of hairspray, and the iconic, overdrawn, messy red lip, Buquen gives his audience quite the show.
Buquen’s videos are making more of an impact than we initially thought but we should also acknowledge those who have been at the forefront of normalizing beauty practices—such as makeup—for men as a form of self-care and self-love. Sexuality, sexual identities, and gender identities are never quite defined by any hard-lined rules, but what Buquen is doing helps us pinpoint the privilege that straight men have when experimenting with makeup, which openly queer men do not, thanks to the homophobic gaze.
Once someone establishes in their mind that someone like Buquen is straight and wears makeup, there is less of a strain on him to justify his cause. But gay and queer men who wear makeup continually face backlash and ridicule from the supposed normative society—and worse, are sometimes violently assaulted in public. Forget justifying themselves, gay and queer men oftentimes flinch at the slightest action from people around them if they are seen as “too flamboyant” or “too feminine.” We see similar judgment from people in Buquen’s videos, but never to the extent that his life is in danger.
As someone with Vietnamese heritage, Buquen’s large platform offers us another portal into the world of Asian men in beauty and makeup, which had been—up until this point—led by Korean men. A solid 13 percent of global beauty products for men are consumed by Koreans. Kkotminam, or “flower handsome men” in Korean, were first commercialized as a concept in South Korea through the popular Japanese manga genre shoujo. These flower men are often depicted as having soft skin and features, without losing that masculine flair. We still see this concept blossoming across K-pop and J-pop, which is how East Asia has been normalizing makeup for men. Similarly, Buquen’s efforts in normalizing makeup for men, though not original nor the first, are extending what’s been done for decades, beyond East Asian men.
With the boom of social media in the early 2010s, and the current landscape of fast media consumption, many Asian men have been leading the conversation in makeup. For instance, Filipino American beauty YouTuber Edward Avila has gone through all forms of beauty experiments: from trying dramatic eyeshadows to openly talking about his cosmetic procedures. There is also Korean makeup artist Aiden Park, who has revolutionized cushion foundations for men with quick tutorials across his social media platforms, garnering four million views across his YouTube videos. Jung Ho-seok, who goes by Shawn online, is a former AmorePacific makeup artist and now teaches makeup at Yeonsung University in South Korea, while maintaining a collective six million views on his YouTube channel.
Makeup and men have been operating in harmony for centuries. There are unsung heroes among us, like the aforementioned makeup gurus, who have been quietly perfecting their art with their own platforms. And then there is Buquen, who boldly and loudly puts homophobes on blast without saying a word. Though his allyship with men in makeup is still fresh and new, he’s nonetheless contributed massively to an important cause in normalizing makeup for men.
Published on December 3, 2024
Words by Ray Liu
Ray Liu is a New York-based entertainment and culture writer and K-beauty content creator. With a master’s degree in English, he finds purpose in analyzing fictional works with a cultural lens that centers marginalized communities. When he’s not writing, he’s making K-beauty content and reviews on YouTube (rayliur). Feel free to tweet him at @rayliur on Twitter.
Art by Ryan Quan
Ryan Quan is the Social Media Editor for JoySauce. This queer, half-Chinese, half-Filipino writer and graphic designer loves everything related to music, creative nonfiction, and art. Based in Brooklyn, he spends most of his time dancing to hyperpop and accidentally falling asleep on the subway. Follow him on Instagram at @ryanquans.