Maybelline has featured its first gay male, brand advocate (Manny Gutierrez), as well as selectively representing a female person of colour (Shayla Mitchell). They are both ‘influencers’ who post beauty content online.
“a gay YouTube star has become the first male model for international cosmetic giant Maybelline.”
This representation was a spark for change within the beauty industry. Not only was it one of the first representation of a homosexual male in the forefront of a makeup advertisement, it included many features of diversity such a race, social class (lifestyle), gender and sexuality.
The representation of Manny’s sexuality is quite exaggerated and definitely plays to the social stereotype. Linking to Gauntlet’s theory on identity and the way in which social groups are often categorized based on a constructed reality and stereotype. The decriminalisation of homosexuality creates a contrast to representation in ‘Score’, meaning that brands now have more freedom to selectively represent those of diverse identities.
The advert itself is on the borderline of being ‘cringe’ and ‘annoying’, however, this sparks conversation on representation and Maybelline as a brand, therefore subtly promotes sales. Another advertising strategy used in the advert, is the iconic sound effect of a ‘magic wand’ which is a way of saying that using the product can transform your appearance and make you look like ‘a boss’, to quote the campaign.