Maybelline, the world’s biggest cosmetic brand, is facing a deluge of boycott calls over its marketing partnership with a bearded makeup artist who was featured in an ad trying on lipstick.
The advertisement, which was posted on Maybelline’s Instagram account on July 12 to coincide with Amazon Prime Day, shows social media influencer Ryan Vita promoting the brand’s makeup.
Sporting a bald head, bushy beard, and long fingernails, Mr. Vita applies bright pink lipstick, before pouting, blowing kisses, and talking up the product’s attributes.
The ad, which identifies Mr. Vita as a Maybelline partner, sparked a series of almost universally critical comments on Instagram, with one user writing that “this is unacceptable and very disturbing,” and another saying the ad should come with a warning.
“Maybe it’s mental illness, maybe it’s Maybelline,” another user quipped, playing off the famous Maybelline slogan, “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline.”
“Adding Maybelline to the growing list of companies I won’t buy from anymore,” another user wrote, adding to a growing torrent of calls to boycott the brand over its partnership with Mr. Vita, who has about 1.2 million followers on TikTok.
The clip was posted on Twitter, where it sparked an intense torrent of critical takes, including many calling for a boycott.
Lauren Chen, host of the conservative network BlazeTV, shared the video, with the caption, “Another day, another disturbing make-up ad.”
The post garnered a number of comments, including some making reference to the “go woke, go broke” slogan that has become a hallmark of boycott calls by conservatives who are opposed to corporations pushing what they see as extreme leftist agendas, including transgenderism.
“Maybelline, another ‘Go Woke & Go Broke’ company to add to the ‘Not to sponsor list’! Women, they are taking your place and you are letting them do it!” a Twitter user wrote in a comment.
Maybelline didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
This isn’t the first time that Maybelline has used men to market its makeup products; the brand used Manny Gutierrez in an ad campaign for mascara in 2017.
