Maybelline Bud Light has been criticized by conservatives for using a bearded LGBTQ influencer in a makeup advertisement, something the company has been doing for years.
TOPLINE Maybelline, the newest in a long line of companies dubbed “Maybelline Bud Light ” for progressive marketing, is under fire from conservative media figures and social media users for posting a makeup advertisement with a bearded model and LGBTQ influencer applying lipstick. However, the company has used men and LGBTQ models in promotional materials for Maybelline Bud Light , first launching a male-led marketing campaign in 2017.
Table of Contents
Maybelline Bud Light – February 2019 – Day 4 of the Shows at New York Fashion Week
The company has a history of working with guys and LGBTQ models. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Manny Carabel)AGORA IMAGES
TOPIC Maybelline Bud Light
The host of Blaze TV, Lauren Chen, shared a clip of a Maybelline commercial showing lipstick being applied by Ryan Vita, a popular figure on social media with 1.2 million followers who posts about skincare and beauty.
Chen said, “Another day, another disturbing make-up ad,” which infuriated her supporters and other conservatives who also shared the video along with criticisms of the business as “woke” and virtue signaling.
PROMOTED
But Maybelline has long employed men (Maybelline Bud Light ) and members of the LGBTQ community to market its goods. Most notably, in 2017, it hired Manny Gutierrez, known for his well-liked “Manny Mua” YouTube channel, as the face of one of its advertising campaigns.
According to Glamour, Maybelline Bud Light , who was in charge of Maybelline’s Big Shot Mascara by Colossal campaign, was one of several male-oriented beauty advertising campaigns that were running at the time, including Giorgio Armani’s Her/Him lipcare line and CoverGirl’s hiring of influencer James Charles as its first male model in October 2016.
Other LGBTQ celebrities who have appeared in Maybelline’s marketing include drag queen Trixie Mattel, transgender makeup artist Nikkie de Jager (better known by her YouTube channel name NikkieTutorials), and trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Mulvaney has been the focus of anti-trans backlash this year due to his numerous brand partnerships, most notably one with Maybelline Bud Light that has resulted in beer boycotts.
Forbes Daily: Every daily, receive our top articles, in-depth research, and critical analysis of the day’s news in your inbox.
Inbox address
Join Now
You acknowledge and agree to our Terms of Service (including the clauses relating to class action waiver and arbitration) and Privacy Statement by signing up.
Some objections to LGBTQ-inclusive beauty advertising predate the boycott of Maybelline Bud Light , such as Mulvaney’s partnership with Ulta in 2022, which sparked boycotts and online ire. Ulta responded by saying, “We believe that beauty has no boundaries, and we want to create an environment where all expressions of beauty are welcome.”
CHIEF REVIEWERS
The commercial was also reposted by Paul Golding, the head of the extreme-right British political organization Britain First, who said Maybelline had “learned nothing from the Maybelline Bud Light /Target” boycotts that were started online by conservatives in opposition to transgender-inclusive marketing initiatives. Angry comments rapidly flooded Maybelline’s Instagram and Twitter comment areas, with several people threatening to unfollow or boycott the cosmetics company. Maybelline already came under fire for its association with Mulvaney earlier this year: in a video that was posted to his YouTube channel in April, right-wing commentator Ben Shaprio criticized the brand association and Mulvaney’s transgender status.
CONTRA
Under Maybelline’s Instagram post, some people praised the advertisement and Vita. “So gorgeous! We adore you, @ryanvitabeauty (inside and out),” one person said. Another defended Vita’s use of cosmetics as creative expression while criticizing the irate commenters. The LGBTQ community has also received support from Maybelline in the past, with the company claiming that its objective is to “empower all Babellines through accessible, inclusive makeup.”
IMPORTANT Maybelline Bud Light
This year, the right-wing reaction against businesses that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion or target the LGBTQ community has multiplied. It also gained momentum after irate conservatives started a boycott of Maybelline Bud Light in April due to the company’s brief association with Mulvaney. Sales of the beer brand declined as a result of the boycott, and Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Maybelline Bud Light , attracted ire from both political extremes: the right for the marketing effort and the left for supposedly failing to support Mulvaney after criticism. The so-called anti-woke backlash increased during Pride month in June and included boycotts of transgender-inclusive products from retailers like Target and Kohl’s, pro sports leagues like Major League Baseball and Nascar, and celebrities like Mark Cuban and Garth Brooks who refused to participate in boycotts.
TANGENT
Following another successful viral marketing campaign for the company, Maybelline Bud Light advertisement has drawn criticism from the right. Maybelline Bud Light covered buses and Tube trains in massive false eyelashes to advertise its mascara products in London. One tweet that went popular said, “This marketing is genius.”
