SA men are 'narcissists with Adonis complex'

South African men are world leaders in believing they are good-looking - and are the most committed to their shaving mirrors, a global survey shows.

A full 78 percent said they believed they were sexy. And their motive for looking good was to please themselves, said market intelligence company Synovate.

This was well above the world average - out of the 5 000 men surveyed in 12 countries worldwide, less than half (49 percent) believed they were sexy.

Only Greeks (81 percent) and Russians (80 percent) topped what the researchers labelled the "Adonis complex" of the South African male.

Malaysian, Chinese and French men thought less of themselves.

About 78 percent of Malaysian men believed they were not sexy, while 66 percent of both Chinese and French men did not think they were good-looking.

The results originate from 10 000 interviews of men and women conducted in October in 12 countries - South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Though Italy was not included in the survey, Italian men were rated the best looking in the world.

South African men were the "most committed to shaving mirrors", with 90 percent saying they preferred a clean-shaven face, followed by China (88 percent) and Spain (84 percent).

"Most likely to embrace the beard were men from Greece (just 34 percent said they preferred to be clean-shaven), Australia and Brazil (both 25 percent) and Canada (24 percent)," the researchers said. Ninety-two percent of South African women preferred clean-shaven faces - the most among the 12 countries surveyed.

About two-thirds of South African men used beauty products designed for men.

"However, 36 percent of South African men believe men who use beauty products are not as masculine as those who don't," the researchers said. "A substantial 33 percent of women also believe this."

The top three most used products by all men were deodorant (72 percent), whitening toothpaste (61 percent) and cologne or aftershave (58 percent).

Four-fifths of South African men stated that their looks were very or quite important to them.

South African women were loyal to their men - 63 percent voted for their own men as the most good-looking in the world and 51 percent of local men agreed.

The survey also had good news for bald men: "Only 1 percent of respondents said that a full head of hair was necessary for someone to be handsome."

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