The Important Message Behind This Milk Makeup Campaign

In mainstream media and ads, makeup is often treated as a topic exclusively of interest to women — but there's zero good reason for that. We're here to say: Makeup is for anyone. And as people are challenging gender norms all over the fashion world, it's about time the beauty industry got the same widespread treatment. Thankfully, Milk Makeup's Blur the Lines campaign is paving the way for a more inclusive, less stereotypical way of thinking about makeup.

The brand is joining forces with David Yi, who created the men's beauty site Very Good Light, to call on us to stop gendering makeup products. A video for the campaign includes seven models of diverse genders and sexual orientations sharing inspiring messages about identity. One calls herself "an alien," another identifies as "he, man, him, or queen," and one is "a boy growing into a man."

"Being feminine to me is such a part of being masculine," one model explains. "Masculinity and femininity are the two forces that make up every individual human experience." Another chimes in, "We need to realize that we're all the same yet we're all unique and express ourselves based on our individuality." Press play below to watch the video yourself.

Yi says he wanted to capture the importance of gender fluidity in cosmetics. "We needed to do a genderless campaign where we can blur the lines between sexualities, genders and show that makeup is for all," Yi tells us. "Makeup is that vehicle that is there to truly make a difference in someone's life. And it's also the one of the only mediums that can open up this world and make it a safer, more positive place. We need beauty now more than ever, and I hope Blur the Lines can make people stop to think, meditate and love more often. Our futures depend on it."

From soaps and perfumes to cars and pens designed for women, more and more people are realizing how pointlessly gendered our products are. Makeup seems to be the last frontier, though, so by marketing its products to all people, Milk Makeup is changing not just how we view beauty but also how we view gender.