For the first time since the company was founded in 1961, CoverGirl’s new representative will be a 17 year-old male.
The Washington Post is reporting on the appointment of James Charles, a self-taught make-up articles from New York who has become a YouTube and Instagram sensation for his skills at teaching both men and women to apply make-up.
Always drawn to the beauty industry, Charles says his first job was in hair styling, but that all changed one day when a friend asked him to do her makeup for a school dance.
“It actually turned out awesome, and she posted a picture,” he told Cosmopolitan. “People loved it, so I invested in a starter set of makeup to practice on friends and slowly began to build clientele. It wasn’t until a few weeks after that I tried makeup on myself, and the rest is history!”
He launched a YouTube channel on December 1, 2015 which now has 75,000 followers. His Instagram has almost a half million followers.
Normally sporting a backward leather baseball cap, thick painted eyebrows and nail extensions, he posts instructions on applying makeup not just for women, but for men too.
The company is bragging about its choice. “All CoverGirls “are role models and boundary-breakers, fearlessly expressing themselves, standing up for what they believe, and redefining what it means to be beautiful […] James Charles is no exception,” the company said in a statement. “One year ago, he boldly chose to launch his Instagram to the world, using transformative, dynamic makeup looks to showcase the many facets of his personality, serving as an inspiration to anyone who might have been afraid to do the same.”
Charles will follow in the footsteps of models such as Christie Brinkley, Cybill Shepherd and the brand’s first representative in 1963, Jennifer O’Neill.
The new CoverBoy claims that anyone who thinks it’s strange for a man to be promoting and wearing makeup lacks personal confidence.
“Breaking gender norms just comes instantly as soon as a boy is comfortable and confident enough to put on makeup. I think it’s so important to love who you are and be comfortable in your own skin,” Charles told BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/augustafalletta/covergirl-james-charles?bftw&utm_term=.ifvOOxJ04v#.dulRRamw0j
Not everyone shares his “progressive” view of men in makeup, however. “My comment section used to be a mess to say the least, he told Cosmopolitan. “Now [Instagram] has added filters, so I’ve removed the classic hate comments, but people still manage to get through every once in a while. They really don’t bother me. I have a thick skin, and I’m definitely not willing to let someone without anything better to do than hate on someone else behind a keyboard get into my head.”
He claims the industry has been tailored toward women for so long that he thinks the only way men will start to become more comfortable in makeup is when “stereotypes” are removed.
“Every guy who is comfortable doing so, however, is setting an amazing example and hopefully inspiring those around him.”
Not all guys are on board. “That is way scarier than Killer Clowns, and much more disgusting,” comments Michael Burns on the Washington Post article.
If his career with CoverGirl lasts longer than their marketing department deems him relevant, I’ll be surprised,” writes another commenter, Killian Goetowski. “Here’s hoping he doesn’t ditch school, and has a backup plan.”
