The use of sunscreen products among teenage males and females differ. While most females feel the need to apply sunscreen products to protect their skin from Ultra-Violet rays, most males do not. But as I began using sunscreen for a while, although forced to swallow my manly pride, I eventually became comfortable with it. Even though I was able to overcome my personal reasons for not putting it on, other teenage males are still in a constant battle with society's masculine and feminine portrayals. Females tend to be more articulate about using sunscreen.
Teenage males tend to view sunscreen products as being 'sissy,' Goldhar explains.
According to Goldhar, females more than males go to see dermatologists because they tend to be more concerned with their skin. Michelle Pariah, a 17 year-old Brampton student, says that males are not 'touched' by the hazardous effects that not using sunscreen brings about. Males feel odd about having a daily routine, whereas women are conditioned to 'cleanse and tone'. To level the playing field for males who are neglecting to use sunscreen, Pariah suggests that there should be some form of male-oriented sunscreen. Using a male target audience in advertisments may make teenage males more flexible with the sunscreen ideology.