Men : the new target of the make-up industry

Category: Make-Up / Men
Industry: Cosmetics
Location: Internet
Related to: Gender Theory
Reviewer: Kevin Hayoun – Parsons School of Strategic Design & Management
Company: Gemey Maybelline
Website: https://www.maybelline.com/

Are the gender borders falling in the historically very stigmatized cosmetics industry? According to the increasing number of male you-tubers breaking the beauty world, a revolution is on the move…

Their name is Manny Mua – recently chosen by the brand Gemmey Maybelline to become its new ambassador for a mascara campaign – James Charles, PatrickStarr, and all of them call loud and clear the right for males to wear make-up without being stigmatized by society, or defined in a gender they did not choose. “I am a boy wearing make-up, not a transgender, nor a drag-queen”, said the beauty blogger Alan Macias a.k.a Alannized to Mari-Claire magazine in its may 2016 edition.

As far as cosmetic brands are concerned, the phenomenon seems not to have reached the luxury market yet, where the paradigm is still the one of a fantasized feminine face. Nevertheless, some make-up industry giants have been interested in the the business potential of the trend. Anne-Marie Nelson Bogle, vice-president at Maybelline has recently declared to the English website Bustle: “they are real trend-makers on the social networks, and convey a message that inspires every day their millions of followers”.

Overall, make-up seems no longer to be just a cosmetic tool to enhance women’s beauty but tends to be more and more a way to affirm and express yourself the way you want.