Maybelline is facing calls for a boycott 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."
The pushback comes as another major brand, Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light, is grappling with a boycott of its beer due to a similar partnership with Mulvaney.
The uproar comes as conservative lawmakers in some U.S. states pass laws that restrict the rights of transgender people, such as a new measure in North Dakota that restricts transgender health care in the state. Brands both big and small often partner with social media stars to promote their products in Instagram Reels or TikTok videos, often as a way to express support for inclusivity or reach specific groups like LGBTQ+ people or young women.
Mulvaney has become a lightning rod for anti-trans sentiment among some conservatives, with many targeting her brand sponsors as a way to express their anger over transgender rights.
"The latests fools to employ Dylan Mulvaney is make up company," one Twitter user wrote. "Get woke, go broke."
Maybelline and L'Oreal, its parent company, didn't immediately return a request for comment.
Another Twitter user wrote, "Time for #BoycottMaybelline to trend, since Maybelline used Dylan Mulvaney as their sponsor."
Mulvaney, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, often features herself promoting products from major brands, such as recent posts where she sports Nike athletic wear and Kate Spade clothing. In the Maybelline promotion, Mulvaney shows herself without makeup and then transformed by eyeshadow, lipstick and more products.
