The new CoverGirl is actually a boy

Cosmetics giant CoverGirl announced this week its newest “CoverGirl” is 17-year-old makeup artist James Charles. The teen has a strong following on social media, including on Youtube, where he posts instructional videos on how to apply makeup, using his own face as a canvas.

CoverGirl’s choice highlights a modern beauty trend: bucking gender norms. And the mass appeal of CoverGirl cosmetics could expand into this new, male market. 

“There’s probably men out there who are using, obviously, women’s cosmetics to achieve a certain look,” said Jamie Ross, fashion director at the Doneger Group. “If this is the new normal, why wouldn’t you want to address it in terms of marketing?”