Maybelline, the world’s biggest cosmetic brand, is facing a deluge of boycott calls over its marketing partnership with a bearded makeup artist who was featured in an ad trying on lipstick.
The advertisement, which was posted on Maybelline’s Instagram account on July 12 to coincide with Amazon Prime Day, shows social media influencer Ryan Vita promoting the brand’s makeup.
Sporting a bald head, bushy beard, and long fingernails, Mr. Vita applies bright pink lipstick, before pouting, blowing kisses, and talking up the product’s attributes.
The ad, which identifies Mr. Vita as a Maybelline partner, sparked a series of almost universally critical comments on Instagram, with one user writing that “this is unacceptable and very disturbing,” and another saying that the ad should come with a warning….