A male beauty vlogger has uttered a rallying cry for British makeup brands to “revolutionise” their adverts by including male stars.
Georgie Aldous, from Great Yarmouth, launched an online petition following the news that Manny Guiterrez had been chosen as the first man ever to star in a Maybelline campaign.
“I started off by contacting drugstore brands but after either no reply, or suspected bribery with free products, I thought it was time to really show them what the public want,” Aldous told The Huffington Post UK.
So Aldous started the petition on Change.org to appeal to the brands directly to make a change.
The 18-year-old said that it “upsets” him to walk into a shop or visit the makeup aisle and see no male models.
“It makes me feel unwanted,” he explained. “And like I shouldn’t be wearing makeup as a male.”
He feels that the inclusion of men in advertising campaigns would reduce the instances of hate crime that men who were makeup are subjected to.
“It would let men know that wearing makeup is okay and they shouldn’t feel out of place for doing so,” he said.
Aldous has the following advice for other men who want to start wearing makeup: “At the end of the day if it makes you feel more happy or confident then go for it.
“Whether it’s just to cover blemishes or to blind haters with highlight, it’s totally up to you.
“I feel like men need to be encouraged to embrace makeup because I know a lot of people who hide the fact they wear it.
“Makeup is an art form which both men and women should be able to express themselves with without people staring, making snarky comments or throwing verbal abuse.”
So far the petition has received 348 signatures.
Aldous has also been trying to raise awareness of body positivity, by sharing pictures of himself in his underwear with his followers, saying: “I love my body and you should too.”