One of my favorite stories, “My Father’s Fashion Tips,” was first published in a 1996 issue of GQ. The author, Tom Junod, details the intricacies, or what he calls the “secrets,” of his father’s grooming regimen: baby oil to the face, witch hazel in the navel. “He has always been zealous in his hygiene,” Junod writes, “and if you want to know what I learned from him, what he taught me, we might as well start there, with what he never had to say: that fashion begins with the body, and has as much to do with your nakedness as it does with your clothes.”
For years I’ve thought about those words, though, like Junod himself, I don’t always identify with them. I don’t believe the measure of a man is weighed against his cabinet of toiletries, or that “the better you look, the more money you make.” You don’t need an ice pack to cover your eyes when they’re puffy (a la Patrick Bateman). And whatever a man chooses to put in his navel is his own damn business. Yet there’s something to be said about the person who cares about appearances, about their appearance. People who, like Junod’s father, construct a credo, without shame, and stick by it — people who try every day to offer their best face for the world around them.
There’s a middle ground somewhere between extremes, though most days, admittedly, I find myself searching rather than decided. So far, I’ve settled on this much: your grooming regimen doesn’t make you. But it makes part of you. Look your best, as often as you can, and don’t worry about the occasional pimple, bad hair day or stray stubble. Brush your teeth, trim your beard and don’t forget to wash behind your ears. But there are always better habits to be made. So invest in tools that help. Here’s your starter pack.
Electric Toothbrush
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Sonic Electric Toothbrush: The alpha toothbrush from Philips’s Sonicare line, the DiamondClean’s internal motor provides 31,000 brush strokes per minute for a gentle but efficient clean, removing up to seven times more plaque than a manual toothbrush, Philips claims. Available in white or black, the handle charges in a sleek, easy-to-store glass receptacle.
Budget Option: Quip ($25+)
