GENDER-FREE BEAUTY Why lipstick, eyeshadow and blush are transcending stereotypes By Adriana Ermter
Between women wearing boyfriend jeans and button-down shirts, and men using women’s face creams and salon-style shampoos, when haven’t we borrowed from one another? With androgyny firmly entrenched in the style conversation, men applying cosmetics is rapidly becoming the latest, albeit not new, gender-free trend to transcend stereotypes—flash back to Little Richard in the ’50s; Mick Jagger in the ‘60s; Kiss in the ’70s; David Bowie, Prince, Billy Idol, Nick Rhodes and anybody who could rock a beat in the ’80s; and Marilyn Manson in the ’90s. “Singers and actors have always influenced this,” affirms Veronica Chu, the CoverGirl Makeup Pro for Canada. “But more recently, because of social media and the younger generation, we are seeing [men wearing makeup] everywhere.”
JULY / AUGUST 2017
All it takes is a double tap on the iPad to watch the growing influx of male beauty vloggers guide their Instagram and YouTube followers in applying Kardashian-worthy false lashes, embracing sparkle and creating a contoured cheek. Predominantly driving consumption are Millennials and Generation Z’ers. Not only are they creating their own style-reality through video, their quadruple-digit ‘Likes’ have captured—and held—the attention of bigwig beauty labels.
Fearless from the start, M.A.C Cosmetics was one of the first beauty brands to break down makeup barriers. Launched in 1985 by Canadian co-founders Frank Angelo and Frank Toskan, the brand was initially created for professional makeup artists to use on both male and female models. But with a tagline boasting “all ages/all races/all sexes,” the label was too good of a beauty secret to remain backstage at fashion shows. By 1994, M.A.C had developed a cult following for its Twig lipstick and Spice lipliner, and for its six-foot-three supermodel and drag queen, RuPaul—the face of the original Viva Glam lipstick (complete with a comeback in 2013), supporting the company’s AIDS Fund. “They opened the door,” says Chu. “Now, other brands are acknowledging that the male audience is real and there is an appetite and need for makeup for men.” Evidence that large consumer goods companies like L’Oréal and Coty (which owns cosmetic brands Maybelline and CoverGirl) are absorbing the male makeup market as part of their DNA is the unlimited exposure they’re giving their products. It’s no longer just a “guyliner” industry: everything from mascara, lipstick and blush to foundation, concealer and eyeshadow is up for grabs and being touted by the once unknown web celebs, who are happily sharing the spotlight with pop culture icons Gigi Hadid, Rihanna and Katy Perry, to name a few.
Last year, 17-year-old makeup artist and YouTube star James Charles was named CoverGirl’s first male beauty spokesperson. This year, 26-year-old, California-born Manny Gutierrez became Maybelline’s premier male ambassador and 25-year-old Jake-Jamie According to the Financial Times, it’s all simply an extension of the (a.k.a. The Beauty Boy) was named as a spokesmodel for L’Oréal ever-growing male grooming industry, which, by the way, pulled Paris. Combined, the three have nearly 6.5 million followers on in $50 billion in sales last year alone. And having left its indelible Instagram and four million subscribers on YouTube—and all of mark, gender-free makeup is seemingly one transcendent trend them are empowering men and women with an equal and new sense that’s predicted to stay. of freedom and acceptance in exploring and wearing cosmetics. “Social media is giving everyone a platform to express themselves,” “It’s a very exciting time for the cosmetics industry,” adds Chu, explains Chu. “People are being more fearless in showing their true who believes that now more than ever, makeup is being seen as a selves and breaking conventional norms from the past.” form of self-expression and art. “Have fun with it and experiment!”
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