The Men's Beauty Site Redefining Masculinity: Very Good Light

With James Charles being named the first male CoverGirl and male beauty bloggers proving that makeup is anything but gender specific, a men's beauty website was inevitable. Very Good Light: the ultimate destination for those on the forefront of redefining masculinity, Generation Z. Here, guys born in the late 1990s and on, like Jayden Smith, can find tips on parting their hair correctly, finding the right BB cream, and making a hickey look like it never even happened. There's never been a platform for men like this before, and I'm so glad it finally exists. Today's teens know a whole lot more than I ever did at their age (in their phrase of the moment, they are woke AF), and they deserve a place like Very Good Light that echoes their sentiments on gender fluidity and what it truly means to be masculine or feminine in 2016.

And David Yi, the website's founder, built the site off just that. Yi says he was inspired by the progressive young men of that age group. "After interviewing hundreds of teen and young men from around the world, I found they were more progressive in their thinking than any previous generation," he adds. "They are more gender and sexually fluid than any others before them and completely own who they are. More so, they are accepting of diversity and embrace social good." To bring them tailored content, Yi says Very Good Light will publish essays and stories written by them and for them. Plus, he's working with a Gen Z consultancy group called JUV. Yes, that exists, and its CEO is, naturally, a teen.

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Watch guys put the man in manicure:

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Yi previously worked as a writer and editor for publications such as WWD, GQ, and Mashable. After writing men's lifestyle content for almost a decade, he realized there was a gap in the market for guys who wanted beauty tips on topics like face masks or everyday makeup. Of course, there was plenty of great tutorials on YouTube and Instagram, but he couldn't find one place specifically for men. He started to ask himself, "What if you didn't have to ask your girlfriends or sister or mom for their tips? What if there were guides catered to a guy like you from guys like you? A flashbulb went off, and I was like yes, I need to do this," Yi tells Allure. So began Very Good Light.

My favorite story on the site right now is about six men who are completely redefining masculinity. Yi is one of them. "I truly believe that if you consider yourself a man—a good man—you are already masculine," he says. "Masculinity is how you define it from person to person and I hope that beauty allows someone to completely own and love their own identity."

I can't wait to see what other stories Very Good Light has coming up. My fingers are crossed for a profile on A$AP Rocky and his beauty routine. That guy has the best skin I've ever seen.

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