Brands Are Throwing Out Gender Norms to Reflect a More Fluid World

James Charles may not seem like the typical ambassador of a beauty brand—and he’s not. Meet CoverGirl’s first CoverBoy. No doubt the half-century-old brand raised a few eyebrows last week when it introduced its latest model. But this was no mere stunt. Coty’s CoverGirl says Charles will be an important part of growing the brand moving forward. At a time when gender identity and the turning on their head of gender roles are dominating the conversation, the move shouldn’t seem so controversial. “We’re more in the gender fluid space,” explains Samantha Skey, president and chief revenue officer of SheKnows Media. As gender stereotypes lose favor culturally, marketers would be wise to promote that a “product is for a certain kind of hair or a certain kind of body type,” says Skey, because “you can subscribe to that hair or that body type regardless of who you are.” Read more at Adweek.