A male model living in Ennis is advocating for self-acceptance and to embrace the process of getting older as incidences of male botox are noted as being “on the rise” in Ireland.
Timmie Murphy (39) re-entered the world of modelling in his 30s following a short hiatus in his 20s, where he took the time to gain his confidence in a profession that “puts a lot of pressure on young men.” Being one of only a handful of mature male models in the country, the former skincare worker secured paid campaigns working with hotels and doing groom work.
“In modelling you are put forward solely based on your looks, with your pictures being sent from an agency to a particular brand. If you are rejected, you can’t take it to heart. Every brand has a particular look and you may not be what they are looking for,” the podcaster stated.
A societal shift in the perceived male body image standards are being shaped considerably by popular culture. Timmie believes that this is “having a massive effect.” An increase in male botox, which involves a series of facial injections to decrease wrinkles produced by ageing is a response to remote working and the rise in popularity of Instagram filters, he believed.
“We have all been working at home recently and have been seeing ourselves more clearly on work calls and meetings. Maybe we are noticing things that we didn’t before. With reality shows, we feel like we have to compete with this youthful image. We need to filter out the Love Islands and the trap of Instagram. These are just popular shows, with normal people and they are killing us.”
On a personal note, the Ennis native who spent 15 years living in Dublin before the pandemic brought him home, has admitted that he “hasn’t completely ruled out male botox” and “is open to the possibility.” He is also a proponent for others to go for it, however, his main message for men is to push for self-acceptance, highlighting that “beauty comes from within.” Accepting who you are, whilst working on yourself builds confidence and it’s not all physical, it’s about being able to hold conversations with people from all walks of life. That is what’s attractive, he added.
“We need to talk more. I’ve had men contacting me saying that they were getting botox for months but were afraid to tell their friends for fear of being slagged. People are bashing men left, right and centre. I get it all the time, but I let it over my head. It’s not as easy for other guys to do that. That’s one of the downfalls of our culture here in Ireland. We have a blaming and bashing culture. Let people be whatever way they want to be,” he concluded.
