CoverGirl’s First CoverBoy

Picture this: School photos are today so you wake up extra early to make yourself look as presentable as possible. This photo will be plastered in a yearbook that your peers will look back on for years to come. The lights flash and you swear that you blinked but the photographer says you look fine. As you walk away, anxiety that will linger for the next month creeps up on you. By the time you finally forget about every possible thing that could have gone wrong, your photo package is in your hands and you don’t want a single person to see it.

This happened to James Charles for his senior photos and he couldn’t bear it. So, James emailed the photography studio and asked if there was any possible way that they could redo the photos, and to his surprise, there was. During this shoot, James brought his own prop – his ring light which is a circular light that surrounds a camera lens. He specifically uses it for makeup photography. James really enjoyed the results, and this time he proudly showed them off to his Instagram and Twitter followers. His followers seemed to really enjoy the results, too. Before he knew it, his photos went viral.

There was one thing about these photos that made them stand out from your usual, boring school photos. James was wearing a full face of makeup complete with, in his words, a “poppin” highlight. The photos caught the attention of multiple celebrities like Zendaya who took it to Twitter to say “You win 😍🙌”, and Ellen DeGeneres who had him as a guest on the show. The iconic cosmetic brand CoverGirl also reached out to James offering him a once in a lifetime opportunity: to be CoverGirl’s first ever CoverBoy.

CoverGirl made history signing James, helping break down gender stereotypes one step at a time. “Men in makeup, obviously, is a very new concept,” James told DeGeneres. James was signed onto the newest mascara campaign, “So Lashy,” which is made for all lash types. CoverGirl explained why James was perfect for this campaign in a statement. “All of our CoverGirls are role models and boundary-breakers, fearlessly expressing themselves, standing up for what they believe, and redefining what it means to be beautiful. James Charles is no exception.” James thanks CoverGirl for supporting him and he hopes to have his own makeup line in the future.