CoverGirl: Breaking Boundaries in Beauty Industry

CoverGirl is demonstrating how the beauty industry doesn’t need to be gender exclusive. A few weeks ago, the makeup brand announced their new ambassador named James Charles, a 17-year-old senior in high school and a makeup artist from Bethlehem, N.Y. He creates iridescent makeup looks and epic transformations on his YouTube channel.

Announced on Twitter on October 11, Charles is the first male face for CoverGirl in the brands nearly 60-year history. CoverGirl is creating space for males in the fashion and beauty industry by rejecting traditional gender stereotypes. Prior to having the opportunity to be a CoverGirl, Charles has gained popularity amongst Internet users. He has a little over 143,000 subscribers on YouTube and he has 826,000 people following him on his Instagram –jcharlesbeauty. Male makeup artists on YouTube have gained popularity over the past year. Other famous YouTubers include Patrick Starrr, Manny Mua, and Jeffrey Star who are breaking gender boundaries.

The makeup lover gained attention in early September when he posted a picture on Twitter about retaking his senior photos. His highlighter on his cheekbones wasn’t as blinding as he wanted it to be. According to his tweet on Twitter, Charles wrote, “So I retook my senior photos and brought my own ring light with me so my highlight would be poppin.” This was serious business for him. He wasn’t playing any games.

CoverGirl also recently announced another new brand ambassador named Nura Afia, a Muslim beauty blogger/YouTuber from Denver, C.O.. She will be the first CoverGirl to represent the brand wearing a hijab. In an interview with Glamour magazine, Afia said, "I never thought I would see Muslim women represented on such a large scale." She is also a mother and wife, and is all about expressing her authentic self in life. Afia wants to show individuals the transformation and power of makeup.

Since launching her YouTube career in 2011, the beauty guru has acquired a little over 213,000 subscribers and has over 300,000 followers on her Instagram account. She shares makeup tutorials and stylish ways to tie a hijab. Whether it might be a sparkly pink eye to go with a bright pink hijab or a beautiful golden look to match a yellow one, the YouTuber likes to match her hijab to her eye makeup look.

Both Charles and Afia will be featured in CoverGirl’s upcoming campaign titled, #LashEquality and will accompany other CoverGirl ambassadors such as Sofia Vergara. They will appear in a commercial and on a billboard in Time Square in New York City. In the brands caption on Instagram, it wrote, “At COVERGIRL, we’ve always stood for inclusive beauty that supports any and all types — from skin types to lash types.”

Once again, CoverGirl is showcasing that many different faces represent beauty. Previous CoverGirl spokespeople for the brand included a diverse group of women such as Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Latifah, Katy Perry, Zendaya, Pink, and many more.

CoverGirl demonstrates that “easy, breezy, beautiful” is attainable for anyone and everyone. Keep striving CoverGirl!