Ulta Beauty is the self-proclaimed largest cosmetics retailer in the United States, boasting more than 1,300 stores across all 50 states. In 2021, Ulta Beauty had $8.6 billion in net sales.
However, the Makeup giant now faces intense backlash after inviting a biological male “transgender” influencer to discuss “all things girlhood” on the company’s podcast last week. And many of its customers sparked a boycott.
The guest, Dylan Mulvaney, has been accused of “woman face,” by acting out caricatures of women. During the episode, Mulvaney described his male genitalia as a “Barbie pouch,” and discussed previously buying tampons, the Daily Mail reported.
Mulvaney gained notoriety online following his “days of girlhood” series on TikTok. Mulvaney has only claimed to be a woman less than half a year ago, often making a mockery of what it is to be a woman online.
With this, many social media users accused the company of trolling women, with subscribers to the podcast angered by Mulvaney and Ulta.
Popular podcaster Tim Pool wrote on Twitter,
“two males doing a podcast called ‘the joy of girlhood’ is the definition of mansplaining.”
Political commentator Lauren Chen blasted the podcast saying,
“The fact that an adult male is obsessed with girlhood (not even womanhood, but GIRLHOOD) is just straight up creepy. Whatever happened to shutting up and selling makeup @ultabeauty?”
Blaze Media conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote.
“You had two grown men tell actual women what it’s like to be a girl, as if they could have any earthly idea. That has nothing to do with beauty; it’s lunacy, and it’s insulting.”
Many Twitter users called Ulta customers to boycott the brand over Mulvaney’s appearance on the podcast. A video shared by writer Mandy Stadtmiller showed that the critical replies from users to Ulta’s tweet about Mulvaney were also hidden.
In an attempt to mitigate the situation, Ulta issued a statement on Sunday claiming that “beauty is for everyone” and that “the intersectionality of gender identity is nuanced.”
“Dialogue is one important way to move beauty forward. The intersectionality of gender identity is nuanced, something David and Dylan acknowledge themselves within the episode. Regardless of how someone identifies, they deserve our respect. (2/2)”
But some Ulta customers still weren’t buying it.
Watch the video below for more details:
Source: AWM, Daily Mail