Manny Gutierrez calls for more visibility for men in the make-up industry

A beauty guru and YouTube star who was Maybelline’s first-ever male spokesmodel has called for more representation for men in the beauty industry.

Manny Gutierrez, also known as Manny Mua online, spoke out about the topic in a new interview with Glamour, telling the magazine: ‘I’m a member of the LGBTQ community, and I feel like we need more representation.

‘In the make-up world, especially, it has always been really, really hard for men in beauty to kind of be seen in a way beyond being a “fad.”‘ 

Recognition: ‘In the make-up world, especially, it has always been really, really hard for men in beauty to kind of be seen in a way beyond being a “fad,”‘ he said

The 27-year-old, who posed for Maybelline last year, will be launching his first eyeshadow palette, called Life’s a Drag, on June 2, in time for Pride Month.

In doing so, Manny said he wanted to bring more awareness not just to his brand, but to ‘the LGBTQ community as a whole’.

But even though he has a strong focus on shining a positive light on the LGBTQ community, Manny knows that today, people are much more accepting of those that don’t classify themselves as straight.

That’s reflected online, with commenters willing to call out trolls for bullying, and with men becoming more visible in the make-up industry.

‘I think that’s a big thing we’re headed toward now. [Men in make-up] is much more normalized now,’ he said. ‘The conversation is no longer, “OMG, that’s so f*****g weird.” Now it’s, “OMG, that’s really different and unique.”‘

Timing: The 27-year-old, who posed for Maybelline last year, will be launching his first eyeshadow palette, called Life’s a Drag, on June 2, in time for Pride Month

Getting ready: Manny shot a campaign photo with RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Shea Couleé (far left) and Farrah Moan (far right) and YouTuber Alissa Ashley (second from right)

But he recognizes that there are boys out there feeling like it’s wrong to be into make-up and beauty. 

To those boys feeling discouraged, Manny advised to continue to do what they love, and said that the more confident they become in themselves, the less they’ll care about what others think.

In preparation for the palette launch, Manny shot a campaign photo with RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Shea Couleé and Farrah Moan, as well as YouTuber Alissa Ashley.

He wanted to show that the palette can be used on men and women, and people of varying skin tones.

‘I feel like there’s no excuse for brands to skip over deeper complexions or super light complexions now,’ he said. 

Used to it: ‘I think that’s a big thing we’re headed toward now. [Men in make-up] is much more normalized now,’ Manny said

‘I think people – and especially influencers – need to continue to have the conversation and make it known that that’s something we want. That’s why it’s really important for me to have a range of colors that I feel like any skin tone could wear.’   

As for where he got the idea to create a palette as his first product for his make-up line, Manny said he wanted his first launch to be exciting and creative, and thought that eyeshadow would be a great way to showcase a mix of bold and neutral colors.

‘I wanted my first launch to come out with a bang – something exciting and creative – and eyeshadow is just such a fun color product. Plus, I love to do dramatic eye looks. I have throughout my whole entire career,’ he said.

‘So it’s a reflection on me being able to create not only a pretty neutral eye but also having pops of color. As for the name, Life’s a Drag, I started as Manny MUA in drag. I did a make-up look for Halloween. I had such an amazing experience, and that’s kind of what kicked it off for me. Being able to be expressive with make-up was everything.’