The makeup brand Maybelline used a biological male with a visible beard as part of its most recent marketing push to sell lipstick. The company’s effort comes as a number of other major brands have faced increased public scrutiny for what many conservatives deem ‘woke’ marketing.
The company advertised its “Super Stay” liquid lipstick on Instagram, showing influencer Ryan Vita applying the product.
The advertisement appeared to be tied to Amazon Prime Day promotions. It included the hashtag “#maybellinepartner.”
This is a new ad from makeup brand @Maybelline. Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇🏻pic.twitter.com/M8cfDn13pV
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 13, 2023
Maybelline would not be the only recent brand to face consumer backlash for such unconventional marketing.
The retail giant Target faced significant consumer boycotting after launching a number of displays and products tied to its Pride Collection. Target sold a number of controversial items, including an outwardly-female bathing suit with space for male genitalia.
The company was also criticized for partnering with a British-based company that sells satanic and occult-themed merchandise.
The company, Abprallen, sells a number of items with taglines such as “heteronormativity is a plague” and “burn down the cis-tem.”
Abprallen’s designer Eric Carnell created many of the Satanist-themed items, stating that the devil is often used “as a symbol of passion, pride and liberty. He means to you what you need him to me.”
“So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality and love,” the designer said. “So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people.”
Carnell then implied that the devil was non-binary.
The controversy surrounding Target’s marketing decision has been dwarfed by the widespread boycott of Bud Light, which up until recently, had been the nation’s best-selling beer brand.
The company’s April decision to partner with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney sparked one of the largest instances of public backlash against a common brand in recent memory.
Mulvaney’s social media post of drinking the beverage out of a custom-made can displaying the influencer’s visage received considerable negative attention which shows no sign of slowing down.
Maybelline also partnered with Mulvaney to promote concealer in March.
