Male Beauty Vlogger Harassed for Wearing Makeup

“Please tell me why it’s an issue for men to wear makeup in 2016,” implores 18-year-old Georgie Aldous, a budding makeup artist and vlogger, in a new video titled “Why Can’t Boys Wear Makeup?” The British beauty guru posted the video in response to the online bullying he received for uploading makeup tutorials to his YouTube channel. “Makeup is art. It’s color on your face,” he continues. “Why is it shoved into women’s gender?”

In the clip, the confident teen waves his haul at the camera, boasting, “These are my makeup palettes. Look how pretty these are. These are mine!” He complains about how annoying it is when people stare at him for wearing “false nails,” explaining, “I like wearing because I feel fierce as f***,” and adds that wearing a full face of makeup makes him feel gorgeous “and my friends accept it.”

But online trolls and real-life bullies do not readily embrace Aldous’s liberated way of expressing himself. “People ask me why I wear makeup if I am a boy and told me to stop trying to be a girl,” the teen told the Sun. “I even had someone shout ‘slow down gay boy’ at me in my local town when I had makeup on.” He showed the publication harassing private messages he’s endured on Twitter from people who’ve tried to shame him for wearing cosmetics traditionally marketed to women.

“I love wearing makeup and doing different looks, but I always feel like I’m going to get laughed at or attacked in my town, which is not OK,” Aldous told the Sun, adding that he had a difficult encounter with his own mother after posting a primped-up selfie to Facebook. “Do you want to be a woman?” his mom asked him. “Do you want to be a transvestite?” Aldous replied, “Excuse me? Stop living in the Dark Ages. Men wearing makeup today does not make you want to be a woman. Makeup is not gendered, in my opinion. I could wear makeup if I want to. Doesn’t mean I want to be a woman.”

Earlier videos on Aldous’s channel walk viewers through his cruelty-free makeup collection, which he deftly divides into categories: lips, face, palettes, accessories, and “random bits.” He also conducts “Get Ready With Me” makeup tutorials and reviews the new products he buys. Aldous loves the camera, and it shows through his sunny presence, sharp humor, and bold point of view.

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“If I was a transvestite, nothing wrong with that. I’ll happily sit here and admit if I wanted to be one,” Aldous explains, and to clear up any confusion, he adds, “I am gay, but there’re some straight men that wear makeup, and there is nothing wrong with that.” Heterosexual celebrities like Jared Leto, Russell Brand, and Johnny Depp would have to agree. And according to Cosmopolitan, men don’t only wear makeup for vanity — some use cosmetics to cover up skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and even dark circles.

Although Aldous is bullied by people who no doubt don’t understand his interest in beauty products, he does get his fair share of support from fans of his YouTube channel, who leave comments to encourage him, brighten up his day, and thank him for his content. “I’m so glad that you’re taking these steps to being more comfortable in your skin and in the way you choose express yourself, you’ve definitely come a long way and i’m SO PROUD OF YOU!!” wrote one male fan.

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“You do you. it’s your choice if you want to wear make up and nobody has the right to tell you otherwise,” wrote another. “This is awesome Georgie!!I recommend you trying NYX soft matte lip creams. I feel like you’ll love them,” shared a female fan.

Aldous may be eating up the compliments, but he tells the Sun that his detractors also fuel him. “They make me want to make MORE videos of me wearing and talking about makeup just to challenge them and make them think,” he says.

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