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.
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.
However, Maybelline’s latest partnership with a makeup-wearing man comes amid a broader backlash to companies that appear to be pushing transgenderism in the wake of Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman.
Bud Light Backlash
The latest industry figures show that Bud Light’s sales slump deepened into July as the fallout from the brand’s engagement with Mr. Mulvaney continues to strain the brand’s bottom line.By contrast, sales of Coors Light increased by 30.2 percent, Miller Lite jumped by 25.2 percent, and Modelo Especial was up by 20.7 percent, the data show.
The latest data show a deepening sales slump that was triggered when the brand rolled out a personalized beer can featuring the face of Mr. Mulvaney.
“This month, I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever—a can with my face on it,” he said on April Fool’s Day.
Mr. Mulvaney, who has more than 10 million followers on TikTok, posted a series of videos plugging Bud Light and showing off the personalized can.
His engagement with Bud Light sparked outrage among many conservatives, some of whom accused the brand of promoting a transgender agenda and called for a boycott.
Boycott Calls
A number of prominent conservative figures have called for a boycott over Mr. Mulvaney’s marketing engagement with Bud Light.Former President Donald Trump also weighed in on the controversy, suggesting boycotts can be an effective way to send a message to brands that critics say are pushing a leftist agenda.
Mr. Doukeris insisted that Mr. Mulvaney’s involvement wasn’t part of an official Bud Light marketing campaign.
“It was one post. It was not an advertisement,” he told the outlet.
