Make-up is not for everyone: How cut-out men are cut out of cosmetics ads
The most discussed beauty news the last weeks was the mysterious disappearance of a male model from advertising materials of the NYX Sugar Trip line. This caused a noticeable outrage of Russian beauty bloggers and fans of the brand. We understand why the Russian divisions of the brands are afraid of made-up men, while the employees of the head offices are doing their best to increase the popularity of men's makeup.
Text: Moore Sobolev, Margarita Virova
To promote the next multicolored collection of the NYX Cosmetics brand called Sugar Trip, the brand has assembled a team of quite popular American bloggers - for example, Kimberley Margarita and Sea Clark, for example. Images of the six heroes of the campaign are on palettes and in all the promotional materials of the collection, but the photos of Wesley Benjamin Carter, the only man in the Sugar Squad, were carefully removed from Russian posters. The photo of the corrected poster appeared on the instagram-story of beauty blogger Polina Petrova, after which it scattered on Twitter and Facebook. As a result, Carter himself published the screenshot - the adventures of Campaign in Russia also upset the blogger.
Makeup artist Lena Pryadi says that this is not the first time she has encountered such an adaptation of advertising: “For the first time, I saw the MAC Pro adjusted for the domestic market — then a joint collection with the designer duo The Blonds appeared on the market. At the stand was a logo studded with rhinestones , but the photo with David and Phillip seemed to have been accidentally lost during printing, but such nuances really need to be guessed: if I hadn’t talked with the make-up artist at the stand, I wouldn’t have known that American collections had present in a completely different way. Now on the Russian MAC Cosmetics website you can see the same promo photo that didn’t get on the stands. That is, it seems that the restrictions apply only to outdoor advertising. But this experience has aroused a sporting interest in me: how many more posters of international brands have been changed and how strict are their requirements? " Often, such “risky” campaigns and collections to Russia simply do not reach: for example, last year the Lush Merry DRAGmas Christmas collection, along with advertisements for which RuPaul's Drag Race participants appeared, passed by our country.
Users of social networks who are familiar with the peculiarities of the work of large corporations, noted that it is difficult to accuse the Russian team of NYX in their willfulness: at every stage, all advertising materials and methods of campaigning are coordinated with the head office. Many, in particular, felt that the decision to remove Carter from posters was an attempt to avoid an administrative fine under the law on “promoting non-traditional sexual relations”.
“Propaganda” is an administrative offense (Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code) and is punished, as a rule, with a fine in the amount of four to five thousand rubles for citizens and from forty to fifty thousand rubles for officials. If such information (“aimed at the formation of unconventional sexual attitudes among minors”) is disseminated through the Internet and the media, then increased administrative responsibility may arise - legal entities are fined a million rubles.
Every year, male bloggers are increasingly becoming brand ambassadors - and among popular bloggers there are many guys even in Russia
It is obvious that advertising with made-up male models is not necessarily addressed to homosexual people, and the rule of law itself is vague and, most importantly, discriminatory. “To begin with, this law is not legal - that is, it does not meet the requirements of human rights,” reminds legal adviser to the LGBT initiative group “Coming Out” Maxim Olenichev. - Last year, the European Court of Human Rights decided that the law does not comply with the requirements of the Convention and Russia must take steps to correct or cancel it. For now, Russia has not executed the court order. " But even if one thinks in the inverted logic of the “law of propaganda”, brands can refer to the definition of the Constitutional Court of 2015 - he calls to consider “propaganda” not informing, but “imposing a certain way of life”.
One way or another, the beauty industry is not yet the main target of the norm: bans are aimed more at public LGBT events and political blockages on the Internet. The situation with made-up male models is rather an act of self-censorship, says Maxim Olenichev. Blogger, make-up artist and SMM specialist Mila Bulatova agrees with him: “Obviously, this is the decision of the local team, even if agreed with the head office,” she says about the NYX case. “Perhaps with arguments, we have laws there, you you don’t want the brand to have problems. ”But the poster could be marked with the note“ 18+ ”or find other loopholes in the regulations that the lawyers of the concern probably understand."
The Code of Business Ethics of L'Oréal, which owns the NYX brand, states that the team must "pay attention to the reaction of religious, ethnic, cultural and social groups." But even non-revolutionary beauty practices can offend the feelings of people who insist on an ascetic attitude towards their own appearance and urge to be "closer to nature."
Mila Bulatova is sure that the decision to go or not to go to such campaign-manifestos depends only on the wishes of the brand-team: other brands represented in Russia that broadcast values similar to NYX Professional Makeup have significant deviations from the global offices guidelines. official poster) is almost impossible to find. "I am sad that the brand of really affordable cosmetics, believing in“ make-up for all ”and objectively having media power and ability to influence public opinion, decided to sit out in the closet, hiding behind an article that has never been applied to either the brand or the retailer "- summarizes the expert.
It’s not even about fear of the law, but about trying to protect against homophobia and not losing customers in the regions
Russian representatives of the brand declined official comments, but our interlocutors in the beauty market are inclined to believe that it is not even a matter of fear of the law, but of trying to protect themselves from homophobia and not lose customers in the regions. It is difficult to imagine a painted man even at the banners of shopping centers in a relatively unfettered capital, let alone talk about the situation in the traditionalist republics. “We’re walking here in Central Department Store and GUM in Moscow, and the brand has to think that such a poster can hang in Dagestan or in Chechnya, where orientation gay guys can be physically destroyed,” explains Liza Voskresenskaya, a journalist, marketer, last Chanel press officer. Perhaps the brand thought about them, because it’s impossible to have two posters (one for Moscow, the second for Grozny). "
The reaction of a large part of Russian society to an unexpected meeting with an image of a made-up man today will indeed be most likely negative. But the situation in the advertising market is changing so rapidly that Russia simply cannot remain on the sidelines of global trends, our interlocutors agree. Every year, male bloggers are increasingly becoming ambassadors for not only indie brands: James Charles seems to be cooperating with all possible American brands, starting with CoverGirl, and Manny Gutierrez has become ambassador for Maybelline, veterans of the cosmetic mass market, Chanel and Guerlain are creating collections of unisex make-up, and among the popular bloggers there are a lot of guys even in Russia - the same Andrei Petrov and Gevorg have gained considerable popularity among the Internet audience.
“Recently, Andrei Petrov visited Chelyabinsk at the invitation of a local cosmetics network,” says Liza Voskresenskaya. “Behind him, girls and, by the way, guys ran in a crowd not in Primorye Moscow, but in Chelyabinsk. There are many people in Russia who appreciate the fact that Andrei there is what it is. In St. Petersburg, I personally attended the meeting of subscribers with Andrei, which was arranged in "L'Etoile." People were hanging almost on the lamp. "
It is not excluded that the brand management of brands wiping made-up men on posters in Russia is simply cautious. But there is a chance that very soon for them it will become a way not to save, but quickly lose fans. And so many people think so today - just look at how the representatives of the “heavy” suite succeed in advertising for men.
PHOTO: Mac-cosmetics, Lush USA, NYX, instagram / wesleybenjamincarter
