http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/19/arts/design/those-lips-those-eyes-that-stubble-the-transformative-power-of-men-in-makeup.html 2016-10-18 23:02:15 Those Lips! Those Eyes! That Stubble! The Transformative Power of Men in Makeup A handful of “beauty boys” have primped and preened their way into the female-centric world of Instagram and YouTube makeup artistry — and the cosmetics industry wants in. === My favorite person on Instagram these days is a guy who matches his makeup to his snacks. His name is Tim Owens, but online he goes by Watching Skelotim at work is mesmerizing. He slickly sets his makeup routine to pounding pop music, transforming from a regular dude into a sparkling vision of the fabulously strange. It’s just like Cinderella twirling around and around until she finds herself wearing a poufy blue ball gown, except Skelotim is changing into a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto. In the age of the selfie, what more appropriate canvas is there for an internet artist than his own face? Skelotim is one of a handful of young men who have primped and preened their way into the female-centric world of Instagram and YouTube makeup artistry. Angel Merino ( And all of a sudden, the cosmetics industry wants in. Last week, CoverGirl named its These “beauty boys,” as they’re sometimes called, are not just being accepted into the mainstream beauty world. They are helping to give the cosmetics industry a much-needed modern makeover. Maybelline’s mantra — “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” — called on women to fix their flaws with makeup tricks and to present as natural beauties. Male beauty gurus deconstruct that illusion. They recast makeup not as a supplement for natural deficiencies, but as a form of joyful creation. Much of the appeal of the beauty boy lies in his embrace of makeup’s playful artifice. Ben J. Pierce, who As these men cake on the makeup, they’re unpacking gender norms, too. The male beauty experts of YouTube and Instagram are not drag queens, performers who use makeup to transform themselves into a heady mirage of feminine excess. Many of them embrace their traditionally masculine features — stubble, beards, bald heads. As Patrick Starrr says in one of his videos: “I am a man. I am a man in makeup. And I love makeup so much.” In the comments that unspool under their videos, Male beauty experts endure online harassment — trolls routinely After Mr. Pierce ran into an acquaintance who told him that men aren’t supposed to wear makeup, he As Mr. Starrr said in a The female makeup experts who have built an online community around beauty, like Still, a woman’s relationship to makeup is weighted with cultural baggage. While watching female beauty gurus do their thing, it can be hard to turn off that destructive part of my brain that is always poking at me to compare myself physically with other women. And it’s tricky to untangle genuine enthusiasm for the art of makeup from the toxic beauty standards that encourage women to spend tons of money on their looks. But as a woman, watching men transform themselves through makeup has felt transformative for me, too. These men and boys make the subversive power of makeup crystal clear. When they slick on lipstick, the image is the opposite of conforming. Their example is one that I’ll carry back to my own makeup mirror, where I can use cosmetics to look amazingly weird instead of appropriately feminine. Both women and men can rejoice: Makeup is no longer just a girl thing.