Its a boy girl thing! | The evolution of the makeup industry

Benefit Babes! Patrick Starr, Kathleen Lights and Manny MUA (left to right)

Finally! The conventional and outdated stereotypes of mean and women within the beauty industry are being pushed aside thanks to the younger generation changing the way things are done by celebrating self expression and individuality.  After decades of it only being acceptable in society for females to wear makeup, the beauty standards are shifting with more and more males entering the makeup industry.

Now, more than ever, the beauty industry is a positive space that people are finding it a lot easier to express themselves and get involved. In 2016 especially, the rise of men entering has reached new heights. This generation of male makeup artists social media are stepping up the makeup game and taking cosmetics just as seriously as their female counterparts.

Wayne Goss clown contouring tutorial for beginners

Male makeup artists aren't new news. There have been male makeup artists for over a decade that have worked on counters,photoshoots, as well as made a name for themselves on social media. Examples include the likes of Wayne Goss and Alex Faction who became popular for their amazing makeup artistry skills and tips. However there wasn't that much of an uproar and extreme reaction to these artists as they only applied makeup to themselves to demonstrate a technique  (which Goss is known for) or do a special effects or halloween tutorials (which Faction is known for). Therefore viewers saw them as teachers rather than 'men in makeup'. 

Alex Faction Halloween/SFX Tutorial

 However, it was in 2016 when people really began to notice an increase of men wearing makeup not just to demonstrate, but because they saw it as a way of self expression and a boost of confidence. Not only were they wearing makeup, but they had full beat faces including sharp winged eyeliner, false lashes and blinding highlights. All of these things are conventionally recognised as a female thing, therefore these men were helping more and more people realise that makeup is gender neutral. 

Beauty bloggers Patrick Starr (Patrick Simondac), Manny MUA (Manny Gutierrez) and James Charles are three of the main male beauty influencers. Each of these men share tutorials involving extravagant and vibrant makeup looks that don't differ to the content that female beauty bloggers post. Within the last year, each of these beauty bloggers have reached over one million instagram followers and over 30 million views each on YouTube!

As if they couldn't achieve anymore, James Charles has become the first ever male covergirl at the young age of 17 and Manny has just recently become the first male ambassador for Maybeline.

James Charles aged 17 in the first cover girl male campaign

MakeupShayla (popular female beauty blogger) and Manny MUA in the new Maybeline campaign 

Male run beauty companies
Not only have men been taking social media by storm with all of the glam and incredible skill set, more and more men have gained the confidence through this to begin their own makeup companies. 

Angel Merino, who mainly goes as the name of Mac Daddy on social media, has over 1 million Instagram followers and is famous for his intense highlight. He actually made his highlighters himself and followers were constantly asking what he was using. So Merino saw this as an opportunity to start his own makeup company called 'Artist Couture' where he sells makeup artist standard products so that the everyday consumer can have quality at a decent price. His business is booming with over 200,000 followers on his brands Instagram page.

The Flawless man himself Mac Daddy (Angel Merino)

Overall, I think that there shouldn't be anything stopping men from wearing makeup and joining the makeup industry. As a makeup obsessed person myself, I think that the more people that can contribute new and fresh ideas into the community the more chance it has to grow and evolve. It is a huge double standard in society and it shouldn't only be women that are able to purchase these beauty products. Luckily, it looks like we are disregarding outdated stereotypes and embracing the positivity of change. 

Thanks for reading.