NOT MY INFLUENCER: Dylan Mulvaney's old collab clips with Maybelline and MAC fuel new round of boycotts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Maybelline and MAC, two of the biggest cosmetics brands, are facing a delayed backlash as calls to boycott the brands began trending on social media after their old collaborations with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney resurfaced.
Mulvaney, 26, has been dominating the news cycle of late. The trans star became one of the most notorious faces on the Internet after her brand partnership with Bud Light went viral for all the wrong reasons earlier this month. The collaboration sparked outrage among the beermaker's conservative customer base that called Anheuser-Busch’s inclusion efforts “gender propaganda." After the Bud Light controversy, Nike and Olay also caught flak for working with Dylan. Maybelline and MAC Cosmetics are now the latest targets over their earlier partnerships with the TikTok sensation.
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Maybelline x Mulvaney
Mulvaney's critics dug up a Maybelline-sponsored video that she put out in March this year. The clip, dated March 14, 2023, saw the influencer transform her look using one of the company's products. “Getting glam for my Day 365 show @maybelline #maybellinepartner," she wrote in the caption, referring to her yearlong social media journal of being a woman. In the video, Mulvaney flaunted the popular Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind concealer and also dabbed some lipstick at the end to complete the look.
The marketing campaign drew the ire of conservative social media users, many of whom felt the makeup brand was "mocking women" by sponsoring Mulvaney. "Just because you put makeup on. Doesn’t make you a woman," one commented. "So if I buy Maybelline I get really nice biceps?" another quipped. "I wonder if all the women that cheer this overdramatization of how women act is really him just making a mockery of us. It's weird how much we love being mocked," someone else offered.
Collab with Mac Cosmetics
Aside from her Maybelline partnership, Mulvaney also collaborated with MAC Cosmetics. A resurfaced video showed the trans influencer promoting the brand's Viva Glam campaign on World AIDS Day 2022. The old clip saw Mulvaney put on a full face of makeup using MAC products while discussing the impact of HIV AIDS on the trans community.
Introducing the new face of MAC Makeup… pic.twitter.com/M6j8jVKfxa
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 24, 2023
While the marketing campaign had a positive message overall, it did not sit well with conservatives online. "Boycott @MACcosmetics if you are a biological woman," one tweeted. "Bye @MACcosmetics. Keep my points..." another added. "I’m so glad I don’t own anything MAC," someone else wrote
Boycott @MACcosmetics if you are a biological woman.
— Héctor R Fernández🇺🇸🇵🇷✈🖤💙 (@TheCCornerStore) April 24, 2023
It's worth noting that Mulvaney has a staggering 10.8 million followers and over 440 million likes on TikTok, the platform where she first went viral for chronicling her transition journey. Meanwhile, the LGBTQ+ star has a following of 1.8 million on Instagram. Mulvaney also has become friends with several Hollywood A-listers, having been photographed with Paris Hilton, and Drew Barrymore, among others, HITC reported.