Maybelline is facing calls for a boycott by transphobes after a sponsorship with the transgender social-media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who posted a short video last month of herself applying the brand’s cosmetics and “getting glam.”
Mulvaney has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, but has become a lightning rod for MAGA anti-trans bigots who have recently boycotted Anheuser-Busch over a can of beer produced with Mulvaney’s image on it, celebrating a one-year anniversary of her transition.
Branding experts who spoke with MarketWatch earlier this month said promotions with trans activists can work in a company’s favor. They said it can cement a brand’s connection with a younger demographic that is often supportive of transgender rights.
Maybelline and L’Oreal, its parent company, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.