A Man Wearing Make-Up? OH MY GOD!

James Charles CoverGirl new fa

A man wearing make-up?! OH MY GOD, THE WORLD IS ENDING!ce

I was scanning Facebook this week and learned that the new face of CoverGirl is 17-year-old YouTube sensation, James Charles— a male.

This made me smile, truthfully. There are men on Instagram that I follow who have some pretty badass make-up tutorials like Angel Merino, Mario Dedivanovic, Patrick Ta, and of course, the new face of CoverGirl, James Charles on YouTube.

They are not only talented, but unbelievably beautiful. The skill and devotion to their craft is truly mind boggling. I only wish I could do something so creative with the hundreds of beauty products in my bathroom, half of which I have no idea how to use.

As I was scrolling through Facebook, I ran into a slew of nasty comments about the news of James Charles CoverGirl debut.

Of course.

There were many aversions to the new CoverGirl, an article even, titled: Perversion Watch: CoverGirl Marketing Makeup to Teenage Boys  where the author, Jennifer LeClaire, says CoverGirl is “pushing an identity-blurring agenda” and the last line of her piece read “God help us. Let’s pray against this tsunami of perversion rising for the sake of the next generation.”

GOOD LORD. These people make me embarrassed to be a Christian; as though a male as the face of CoverGirl would MAKE a teenage male who follows traditional gender roles want to wear make-up. Jesus.

God forbid we celebrate a seventeen-year-old kid for accomplishing something that many people will only dream about. Do you know how many celebrities would give their left kidney to land a gig like this? James Charles is SEVENTEEN. Can you image how elated you’d be, at age seventeen, to be asked to be the face of CoverGirl— doing something that you not only LOVE, but something you are incredibly gifted at? How many people can say that about themselves at such a young age? Not many.

Do you know how many celebrities would give a kidney for a gig like this? #JamesCharles #CoverGirl Click To Tweet

I ask the people who have a problem with this to imagine THEIR child for a moment; imagine that their passion and aspirations were met with an offer to be part of something they truly love, to be the face of a brand that encourages, as CoverGirl says: “role models and boundary-breakers, fearlessly expressing themselves, standing up for what they believe, and redefining what it means to be beautiful”?

Per CoverGirl’s description, what else could you wish or want for your child?

As James Charles said in his post to Instagram where he announced his CoverGirl debut:

“I am so beyond excited and overwhelmed and happy and astonished and of course, SHOOK, to announce that I am the newest face of @covergirl. First ever male ambassador for the brand and I am so honored and excited to be working with such an iconic brand. I started my Instagram one year ago to inspire others and as an artistic outlet to challenge myself creatively. I truly hope that this shows that anyone and everyone can wear makeup and can do anything if you work hard. I can’t wait to share with you all what we have in store, but trust me when I say it’s gonna be real good. ?? make sure you check out @covergirl‘s page for more info coming soon, and my new bff @katyperry as well for a cute pic! ? Thank you all so much. This would not be possible without all of you.”

You know what you’d be if your child was selected for something like this? DAMN PROUD. Not just for the mere fact that your child was chosen for such an incredible opportunity, but also because your child’s identify, beliefs, passion, skill and devotion are what lead him/her to this opportunity in the first place.

I applaud CoverGirl for breaking the mold, for changing something that has seemed to work well for them in the past with celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Katy Perry, etc. CoverGirl has not only earned my business, but it’s worth pointing out that they’ve connected their brand to a group of people that are often pushed down and left out- people that have faced oppression in some of the worst ways, and they’ve started a conversation–continued a conversation— that is so worth having. The younger members of the LGBTQ community who see this young man as the face of CoverGirl have another person to look up to; another person who isn’t afraid to live with their stripes exposed— freely. CoverGirl is just one more company who’s normalizing a magnificent group of people who deserve to be seen and heard–who SHOULD be seen and heard.

You know what I say? BRAVO, James Charles! Good for you. I am happy that your hard work, dedication, and fearlessness to be who you are has paid off in such a magnificent way. While there will always be haters when it comes to expressing your true self, I must say, you have a lot of people rooting for you and cheering you on— and I, myself, am one of those people. Good for you, and I wish you much continued success!

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