DESPITE the dominance of women and gender stereotypes in the makeup industry, Sasha Magosha has not been dissuaded from pursuing a career as a male makeup artist.
Magosha says his mother was the first person to believe sex has nothing to do with one’s abilities.
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style, Magosha said: “My mother recognised my talent in drawing. She then encouraged me to learn make-up on her face and bought my first make-up kit,” he said.
Magosha, who now works at Space Images, a company offering music video shoots for artistes, said he offers his make-up services to the artistes and has so far worked with popular artistes such as Anita Jaxson, Enzo Ishall and Shashl.
Although Magosha is immersed with the make-up business, he said he is only doing it to raise money to pursue another passion.
“Makeup is rewarding and I can get money from it to earn a living, but it is not what I really want to do. I need the money to finance music which is my passion. I have performed on stage with Trevor Dongo a couple of times,” Magosha said.
Magosha, however, voiced concern over the limitations imposed by gender stereotypes that men or women are incapable of doing certain tasks.
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“It is unbelievable for some people to accept me as a makeup artist because of my sex. I have had people who have asked me if I am homosexual because I do make-up, but I am not gay. There are some women especially elderly, who have refused to have their faces touched by a man applying make-up as if it’s a taboo,” he said, noting that those who do not mind a man doing their make-up have expressed satisfaction with his abilities.
Magosha hopes that one day make-up artists be treated the same regardless of their sex.
He added: “Some people still hold the opinion that certain things are exclusively performed by a particular gender and they have established boundaries that men or women are not allowed to cross. There are some people who do not take me serious when I say I am a makeup artist, they think I would be joking until I show them the work I have done.”