Forget about makeup being just for covering up blemishes. These days, more beauty brands are marketing it as a means for self expression — and not just for women.
Timed with LGBTQ Pride celebrations throughout June, Sephora has rolled out classes for transgender individuals and those who identify as gender non-binary as part of its Classes for Confidence series. These free, 90-minute sessions at select Sephora locations, including in Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village, cover such topics as skincare tips, makeup application techniques and finding the right foundation with Sephora's Color iQ matching system.
“Sephora is a very purpose-driven company with the goal of inspiring fearlessness and encouraging bold choices among our clients in beauty and in life,” says Corrie Conrad, vice president for Sephora Stands and diversity and inclusion at Sephora. “We believe beauty is up to each client to define and Sephora’s to celebrate. Everything we do starts with the client and their needs.”
Sephora launched its Classes for Confidence series about two years ago. Beyond the trans beauty classes, it offers a Brave Beauty in the Face of Cancer program that covers skincare and makeup for women in recovery.
To design the curriculum for the Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community classes, Sephora sought feedback from the transgender and non-binary communities to learn what topics they felt were most important to them. Focus groups and collaborations with national and local LGBTQ groups also were part of the process. Many of the Sephora advisers who lead the in-store sessions “have experienced their own gender journey,” Ms. Conrad says, adding that all staff involved in the program completed sensitivity training to ensure classes are a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for participants.
Sephora’s classes are among the latest efforts by cosmetic companies to cater to a more diverse demographic. In 2016, CoverGirl tapped makeup artist and social media personality James Charles as its first male spokesmodel. Maybelline named Manny Gutierrez as its first male beauty ambassador in 2017. Meanwhile, sales for men’s grooming goods have exceeded $21 billion, Fosina Marketing Group reported in 2017.
Last year, an executive with L’Oreal U.K. predicted that makeup counters for men could become more common in stores within five years. The company featured its first male model in a campaign in 2016.
Some industry experts credit this shift to men becoming more focused on grooming and appearance. Others attribute it to younger generations being more accepting to gender-fluid approaches to clothing and makeup.
Even on the runway, designers at New York Fashion Week in February further eroded the barriers between men’s and women’s style with an emphasis on boxy outerwear, oversized trousers and suiting that could be appreciated (and worn) by both sexes.
“Sephora is doing great with what they’re doing. I’m not sure that a lot of brands and companies realize yet what an emerging market that gender expression is,” says Dee Thomas, a Pittsburgh-based blogger who documents gender expression through fashion on Instagram @TheDeePrj. More photos and stories will be shared soon on the website TheDeePrj.com.
“Just to be recognized as a customer. You want my money? You’re actually accepting someone who doesn’t fall into the binary definition as a customer?”
Dee attended two of Sephora’s new classes at its South Hills Village location as a “fun way to meet people who identify in similar ways.”
For Dee, clothing and makeup are “just such a wonderful form of self-expression.” Dee uses social media and the blog to inspire others to embrace their individuality, as well.
“I’ve never been a pronoun person. I think you should always call people by their name and not by a pronoun ... so I let people choose how they see me. I’m ‘her’ to some people, I’m ‘him’ to others. I can be both in the same sentence.”
The classes Dee attended were “pretty well-received,” with about 20 people at each one.
“We talked about contouring and highlighting. We did some skincare and talked about applying foundation,” Dee says. “For a lot of people who weren’t raised a girl, for instance, we didn’t get a lot of the traditional rights of passage. It was a chance to get a little extra dolled up and have a little bit of fun.
“We kind of live in an exciting time where rules be damned.”
More than 180 stores have offered these classes this month, Ms. Conrad says, with more expected throughout the year. Customers can find Sephora’s latest class listings in their area at sephora.com/beauty-classes. Tutorials also are available on Sephora's YouTube channel.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: June 20, 2018, 5:16 p.m.
