'Man in makeup': The new gender concept in James Charles' Instagram posts

Saktiana Kharisma Ardiani, Sri Kusumo Habsari

Abstract

The rise of ‘man in makeup’ trend in online platforms has brought male makeup artists to break down the gender stereotype and discrimination in beauty industry. Here, the research focused on a male makeup artist, James Charles, on his Instagram account, who brings the concept of ‘man in makeup’ to reject the transgender label. The research examined the way James Charles presents his gender concept, ‘man in makeup’ through his cultural practices on Instagram. The research shows that James Charles has failed in following the male role norms. However, this failure cannot put James Charles to crisis of masculinity. This happens because James Charles has negotiated the male role norms with the self feminizing. Thus, the feminine notion of makeup is not contradictory with his feminized male body, gestures, and identity. At the end, this research argues that ‘man in makeup’ gender concept has been accepted by the Instagram users.

Keywords

Digital Ethnography

Full Text:

PDF

References

Doring, N., Reif, A., & Poeschl, S. (2016). How gender-stereotypical are selfie? A content analysis and comparison with magazine adverts. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 955-962. Retrieved from www.elesevier.com/locate/comphumbeh

Frith, H., & Gleeson, K. (2004). Clothing and embodiment: Man managing body image and appearance. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 5 (1), 40-48. doi: 10.1037/1524-9220.5.1.40

Fuentes, T. (2018, December 10). 7 surprising facts about makeup artist James Charles that'll make you love him even more.Seventeen. Retrieved from www.seventeen.com/celebrity/amp25461132/james-charles-facts/

Harrins, E. (2019, April 10). The 55 Most Bubblelicious Butts on Instagram. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/gmp8612344/best-butts-on-instagram/

Shiau, H.-C., & Chen, C.-C. (2009). When sissy boys become mainstream: Narrating Asian feminized masculinities in the global age. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 2 (2), 55-74.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.acarindex.com/dosyalar/makale/acarindex1423904071.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjv6czt6vkahVxlbcAHeG1AqgQFjAAegQlAxAB&usg=AOvVaw2jaJHYMJPQ2UyS0TuvTdU&schid=1569410096227

Kumagai, K. (2013). Floating young men: Globalization and the crisis of masculinity in Japan. In P. Motzafi-Haller, Studies in Culture, Polities and Identities (pp. 157-165). Negev: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Lemon, J. (1992). The crisis of masculinity and the renegotiation of power. Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, 18 (2), 16-30. doi: 10.1080/02500169208537709

Little, C. (2016, November 1). The rise of the male makeup master and the strange power of artifice. The Establishmen. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-establishment/the-rise-of-the-male-makeup-master-and-the-strange-power-of-artifice-e4fdd8ef7885

Pink, S., Horst, H., Postill, J., Hjorth, L., Lewis, T., & Tacchi, J.(2016). Digital ethnography-principles and practice. London: Sage.

Pleck, J. H., Sonenstein, F. L., & Ku, L. C. (1993). Masculinity ideology and its correlates. Gender Issues in Social Psychology , 85-110. Retrieved from https://psynet.apa.org/record/1993-98064-005

Sa´nchez, F. J., Greenberg, S. T., Liu, W. M., & Vilain, E. (2009). Reported Effects of Masculine Ideals on Gay Men. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 10 (1), 73-87. doi: 10.1068/p6331.

Tagai, K., Ohtaka, H., & Nittono, H. (2016). Faces with light makeup are better recognized than faces with heavy makeup. Frontiers in psychology, 7 (226), 1-8.doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00226

Thompson, E. H., & Pleck, J. H. (1986). 1986. The Structure of Male Role Norms, 29 (5), 531-543. doi: 10.117/000276486029005003

Wong, C. M. (2016, November 14). The first ever male CoverGirl says he's mistaken for being trans. Retrieved from https://huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5829e8a7e4b021bbc9abfc

Zheng, T. (2015). Masculinity in crisis: effeminate men, loss of manhood, and the nation-state in postsocialist China. Etnográfica, 19 (2), 347-365. doi: 10.4000/etnografica.4026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/jbssa.v26i1.34892

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.