CoverGirl made beauty-industry history in late 2016 when then-17-year-old makeup artist James Charles was chosen to be the very first CoverBoy, and it quickly became apparent that the brand’s mission to embrace diversity — in age, in ethnicity, in gender — was far from over.
In the past year alone, the drugstore go-to has hired Nura Afia, a beauty vlogger who wears a hijab; Issa Rae, the Insecure actress who got her start as the creator of YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl; and Ayesha Curry, a chef and cookbook author who also happens to be married to NBA star Stephen Curry. Today, the brand announced that it’s adding one more name to its roster of pretty faces who are also so much more: 69-year-old model and businesswoman Maye Musk.
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Musk was first discovered in her native South Africa when she was just 15, and in the half century since has appeared on magazine covers, starred in campaigns for brands like Revlon and Clinique, and even made a cameo in a Beyoncé video. She signed with major modeling agency IMG last year, and walked in two shows this past New York Fashion Week.
“With wearing makeup a part of my job as a model, one might think I’d get tired of it, but I absolutely love it,” Musk said in a statement. “I’ve had the benefit of working with a lot of wonderful artists through the years, and it’s a fascinating process: you start as a blank canvas and then a transformation occurs, but there’s always a very real and honest piece of me there, too. I think that’s one thing that’s kept me working in this industry for so long — my interest in self-representation.”
But Musk’s impressive modeling career is almost a kind of footnote to the rest of her accomplishments: She holds two Master of Science degrees in dietetics and nutrition and has been running her own successful business as a registered nutritionist for over 45 years. She also managed to raise three children along the way, largely on her own. (You may recognize her oldest son, Elon, as the founder of SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, Inc., one-time romantic partner of actress Amber Heard, and a person who may one day be able to save the world.)
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“Maye Musk is not only a timeless beauty, but a visionary who has always followed her own path, creating new opportunities and paving the way for so many others who might not meet the industry standard of ‘model,’ but are truly beautiful in every regard,” said Ukonwa Ojo, SVP of CoverGirl. That, Ojo continued, is exactly what the brand is all about — owning every facet of your identity and the nuances that make you you. “Maye is an affirmation of the power and importance of diversity and inclusivity in the world of beauty. She is unstoppable and, together, we’re just getting started!”
Between the unstoppable Maye and her entrepreneurial kids, the Musk family is well on its way to world domination. Next up: conquering Mars.
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