Maybelline is facing boycott calls over the cosmetics brand's social media partnership with a makeup artist who is a biological male.
In the advertisement, which was posted to Maybelline's Instagram account on July 12 to coincide with Amazon Prime Day, influencer Ryan Vita was shown sporting a full face of makeup as he promote the world's largest cosmetics brand's products.
Vita, whose Instagram profile indicates that he goes by the pronouns "she/he/they," started off the video by saying: "It's Prime Day on Amazon, so why not see if Maybelline has any deals going on."
The influencer then applied vibrant pink shades of Maybelline's "Super Stay" liquid lipstick. "Baby, check out this color and shine," he said after applying the product. "It's so comfortable and it will not budge or smudge for 16 hours."
The video ended with Vita applying the product to the palm of his hand before blowing a kiss at the camera.
Copies of the clip were posted on Twitter, where it was met with outrage from a number of detractors who called for Maybelline, a subsidiary of cosmetics industry leader L'Oreal, to be boycotted.
"Ladies, please do me a favor Boycott Maybelline, let's put these sickos out of business," wrote one Twitter user who shared the video of Vita.
Commented another: "#BOYCOTTMAYBELLINE Since @Maybelline went WOKE & hired a man to demonstrate a woman's product, let's boycott them, and they can sell their lipsticks to men! They know very well we are the ones who spend our money buying their products. Sell them to men! Let's [Bud Light] them."
"Might be time to boycott Maybelline," said another detractor. "I don't wear make-up, but for those who do, this is something to consider."
"I just showed this to my wife," another chimed in of the video. "She threw away her @Maybelline products and showed it to her mom who had a bit more and did the same. Quick response. Wow. #BoycottMaybelline #MaybellineBoycott."
A number of Twitter users pushed back at the outrage, with one stating: "Conservative men calling to boycott Maybelline, like sir you're not even the target audience. Anyway the lipgloss looks nice idc [I don't care] if a man models it."
"So, MAGA lemmings want to boycott Maybelline because they understand that inclusivity and representation matter," quipped another.
Meanwhile, one Maybelline detractor pointed to the outrage that had been directed at the cosmetics giant over another partnership earlier this year.
"A failure to boycott Maybelline products when they used Dylan Mulvaney, the TikTok [influencer] who identifies as a trans-woman, has empowered them to go a step further," they wrote. "This is the chance for women to have their Bud Light moment and push back #GoWokeGoBroke."
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Maybelline via email for comment.
Since the start of April, Bud Light has been subjected to a relentless backlash for a partnership it had with transgender activist and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In a video posted to Instagram on April 1, Mulvaney said the beer brand had sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate her 365 days living as a woman.
Mulvaney's partnership with Bud Light drew condemnation and boycott calls, led by conservative figures, including Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican. Musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich were also among those who expressed aversions to the beer brand after the collaboration. Meanwhile, some in the LGBTQ+ community have also slammed the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.
Since the calls for a boycott began three months ago, Bud Light has seen a drop-off in domestic sales. Revenue remains consistently below what it was the same time in 2022. The company has also lost its crown as America's most popular beer, with Mexican rival Modelo Especial now in the top spot.
The boycott calls also led to increased scrutiny of Mulvaney's other partnerships, leading to criticism of Maybelline when it was discovered that she had shared a short sponsored video post in March promoting one of the company's products.
Maybelline parent L'Oreal has also worked with transgender women in the past in much more in-depth capacities than it recently did with Mulvaney, including a 2017 ad campaign featuring model Hari Nef.
A range of other brands, including Target, Nike, Adidas and Barstool Sports, have also been at the center of a furor over LGBTQ+ marketing. This comes at a time when anti-transgender sentiment appears to be growing in the United States, with bills targeting transgender people sweeping through Republican state legislatures.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
