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Who owns Ulta? Company accused of 'womanface' after it uses trans influencer to promote 'girlhood'

The company faced immediate backlash and threats of a boycott after it featured trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney on its hit podcast titled 'The Joy Of Girlhood'

BOLINGBROOK, ILLINOIS: A popular beauty chain is under fire for inviting a transgender influencer on a podcast about girlhood, which is hosted by a man. The company's attempt to broadcast the diversity of their consumers by including a controversial TikTok star did not go well as people were quick to call out everyone involved in the podcast and also called it 'womanface'.  The brand under the microscope is Ulta Beauty. 

With over 1200 salons across the country, Ulta Beauty has been going strong in the beauty business, with a wide consumer range and a distinctive online presence. However, the company faced immediate backlash and threats of a boycott after it featured Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, on their hit podcast titled 'The Joy Of Girlhood' which was hosted by gender-fluid celeb hairstylist David Lopez. Mulvaney was accused by feminists of "womanface" and for playing the parts of a woman she enjoys and skipping over the misogyny faced by women on a daily basis. The 25-year-old influencer said that she "wants to be a mom one day and I absolutely can," adding, "The narrative still has a long way to go." Mulvaney said, "Now I know I can find love. I know I can still be a performer. I know that I can have a family. I want to be a mom one day and I absolutely can. And that's why the narrative still has a long way to go because when I was grieving Boy Dylan, I didn't know those things were even accessible to me."

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Who owns Ulta?

Previously known as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc and before 2000 as Ulta3, Ulta Beauty was founded by Richard E. George, the former President of Osco Drug, Inc, and Terry Hanson. George's entire plan of action was to curate a plan for a retailer that would offer beauty products at different price levels so he quit his job at Osco in 1989. George left Ulta3 in 1995 and Hanson became the CEO. Four years later, Lyn Kirby became the President and Chief Executive Officer and Charles 'Rick' Weber became Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. The two ran the business together until Weber left in September 2006. On October 25, 2007, the company became publicly traded on the NASDAQ. By 2019, Ulta Beauty had stores in 48 states. 

The TikTok sensation continued, "There much shame, so much stigma. I had this idea of trans people and it was weird because I knew I was trans yet had transphobia of myself. I was still judging the community and I've had to get over that. We gotta change it."

The clip was heavily criticized with people slamming the whole idea of bringing a transgender on the 'Girlhood' podcast. After the controversy, Ulta Beauty's stock price dropped down by 1.17%. 

Internet slams Ultra Beauty for inviting transgender on 'girlhood' podcast

One user wrote, "Almost went to Ulta today to pick up some face lotion. Glad I didn’t after seeing what they did. The promoted a man in womanface talking about girlhood. The trans mafia have reduced women to nothing more then the things they purchase. Enough!"

Another user tweeted, "This is ulta gaslighting! Painting women who object to #WomanFace & misogyny of these 2 men as the bad actors is disgusting. I don’t have to respect those who parody my sex. #DoneWithUlta."

One user called out Ulta for limiting online interaction with the content saying, "GIRLHOOD?!! This is offensive. Two adult males talking about women as 'girls'. They have no idea what it is to grow up and be female in this world. Hidden replies. Comments turned off. Ulta have misread this badly. #WomanFace #BoycottUlta."

Another user tweeted, "Womanface is HATE. It harms women and girls. Report Ulta here for hateful content (harmful stereotypes and tropes) and then click the link to go to YouTube and down vote and report it there. This creepy, insulting, misogynistic, pedophiliac behavior must STOP. #BoycottUlta."

After facing backlash, the company issues a statement on Twitter that reads, "The premise of ‘The Beauty Of…’ is to feature conversations that widen the lens surrounding traditional beauty standards. We believe beauty is for everyone. And while we recognize some conversations we host will challenge perspectives and opinions, we believe constructive dialogue is one important way to move beauty forward. The intersectionality of gender identity is nuanced, something David and Dylan acknowledge themselves within the episode. Regardless of how someone identifies, they deserve our respect."

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