Maybelline is the latest company facing threats of a public boycott over its partnership with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney to post a video online to promote its make-up. The backlash has its roots in a TikTok video where Mulvaney shows off Maybelline's cosmetic line celebrating her 365th day of publicly identifying as a woman.
This comes at a time when another major brand Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light is experiencing a beer boycott because of its partnership deal with Mulvaney. Bud Light has seen its sales plummet by 17 percent following the Mulvaney partnership controversy. The company has also seen $6 billion wiped from its market value since April 2.
Maybelline in the Eye of the Storm
Maybelline is the latest company to face backlash for its association with Mulvaney. The backlash stems from a TikTok video Mulvaney posted where she is seen make-up free before she "gets glam" with eyeshadow, lipstick and other products.
"Getting glam for my Day 365 show with @maybelline #maybelline partner," Mulvaney wrote in a video that has amassed nearly 200,000 likes.
The promotional video posted by Mulvaney sparked protests against Maybelline similar to the wave of boycotts against Bud Light following the inclusion of the transgender influencer in an online commercial.
Several people took to social media to criticize Maybelline for working with Mulvaney and to urge others to avoid buying their makeup.
"The latest fools to employ Dylan Mulvaney are make-up company Maybelline," one Twitter user wrote on April 24. "Get woke, go broke."
"Time for #BoycottMaybelline to trend, since Maybelline used Dylan Mulvaney as their sponsor," wrote another user.
One TikTok user wrote: "Thank you. I won't be buying this product."
"Hey [Maybelline] Women have fought for years to get to where we are, women's rights are being taking back by these men, and you support it. Please all of us born women let's [boycottmaybelline]," tweeted another user.
Mulvaney Killing Brands
Mulvaney, who has 1.8 million Instagram followers, frequently features herself to promote products from well-known companies, as shown in recent postings where she is wearing Kate Spade and Nike athletic apparel.
Mulvaney is a vocal advocate for transgender persons who has documented her own transition from male to female on TikTok. She utilized the opportunity to continue the conversation on gender while residing with her parents during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I finally asked myself these questions about gender," Mulvaney told GirlBoss.
"I had never asked myself those dark questions because when I was four, I tried coming out to my mom as a girl, but it just wasn't a thing then. Being trans was very taboo."
It's uncertain whether the call to boycott Maybelline will gain as much traction as the one against Bud Light, whose sales have fallen recently, per the most recent statistics from a market research company.
According to data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting, sales of Bud Light plummeted 21% in volume and 17% in dollars during the week ending April 15.
The company told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that two Anheuser-Busch InBev officials who oversaw Bud Light's marketing partnership with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney had been placed on leave.
Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing for Bud Light, and her boss, Daniel Blake, group vice president for marketing at Budweiser, received death threats earlier this month after sending the social media influencer commemorative Bud Light cans imprinted with her image to promote a sweepstakes competition for the company.
Both executives have now taken leaves of absence, the company told the Journal in an email.
