CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Sex (Lindsey 2016, 65) by its literal meaning refers to characteristic meaning that clears gender which makes us named as female or male, feminine or masculine, and get the biological label since we were born. Meanwhile, Gender is something that is considered as style, an act, in which it is performative (Butler 1999). Butler (1999) stated that since gender is not bound by sex, it is an action that has the potential to alter beyond the binary constraints imposed by the binary of sex. Gender is a fabrication; therefore, it cannot be said to be true or false but it only produced an identity that cultural construction wants. Thus, society taught people to perform a particular gender based on their sex since gender is part of cultural production produced by the society.

Due to the fact that gender is a product of social and cultural production, two terms have been coined: gender identity and gender expression. Gender identity refers to an individual's subjective experience of gender and a sense of being as a man, a woman, both, neither, or anything along the gender spectrum, whereas gender expression is the way a person publicly presents and expresses their gender through behavior, dress, hair, makeup, body language, and voice (Barnes 2017). These two elements of gender do not define each other.

Related with Butler‟s Performative Theory, she stated that there is no

gender identity hidden behind gender expressions; rather, gender identity is

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

constructed performatively through the very 'expressions or gendered acts that are said to be the results (Butler 1999). In accordance, gender is invented and earned through the act of repeating, copying, and practicing to become a particular one.

Gender also is an action of repetition that people do continuously to get a specific recognition. People behave and norms as the values that are already given for us.

It could be gotten from parental teachings at home, socialization in media and surroundings and other natural senses that come within. Thus, gender is also contributed to label a person to become what people consider them to be.

This phenomenon of labeling someone or something also happens in our daily life. Any job, position, media campaign, or any other field is easily classified based on two sexes only, male or female. For instance, cosmetics are commonly presented by females since they are more relatable to the audiences‟

daily activities—mainly applying makeup—and globally, every cosmetic store sells products for women. This phenomenon is categorized as a womanish field.

The womanish field is the part or something that has already been labeled as a feminine field or feminine expression that is specialized and privileged for women only for such a long time (Komulainen 2017). Thus, most of the figures in the cosmetics or beauty industry are women.

As makeup is still considered as a feminine gender expression, most

makeup artists or beauty ambassadors are women (Brendan Gough 2014)

(Komulainen 2017). This phenomenon is supported in our social media where

most beauty advertisements are dominated by females. Makeup is the most

popular tool for women to improve their facial attractiveness (Puvia 2011).

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

According to Christian Surber and Jan Kottner (2016), skincare is a product to soothe, protect, restore and hence to keep it in "good" and healthy condition.

Since these two products are commonly presented by females, they are more relatable to the audiences‟ daily activities—mainly applying makeup—and globally, every cosmetic and skincare store sells products for women. For instance, consider the Maybelline New York cosmetics brand's campaign advertisement, which promotes their product by encouraging women to be themselves while wearing makeup. This shows that feminine characteristics are

still dominant in our beauty industry.

Figure 1.1 Maybelline New York Advertisement

However, there are a huge number of men wearing makeup appearing on

Instagram. They not only appear with full makeup (i.e. foundation, eye shadow,

mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, blush, contour) photos or videos, but they also

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

uploaded a hundred videos about makeup tutorials, favorite makeup products and even reviewing beauty products and treatments.

This momentum is also used by some beauty companies to start using beauty boys in their advertisements. It is led by Milk Makeup in January 2016 when they launched a makeup-for-all product with gender-fluid models in the advertisements. Then, Covergirl also as a beauty company, appointed a 17 years old blogger named James Charles as their first male spoke-person in the company (Jalba 2018). Shortly afterward, Maybelline, a well-known beauty company, also introduced their first male makeup ambassador, Manuel Gutierrez, a makeup artist and also a beauty boy when launching its mascara product. Followed by Rimmel London just joined the high-profile beauty brand and extended the advertisement inclusivity to men with appointed 17-years old British Youtube star, Lewys Ball (Harmon 2017). These phenomena show that there is a shifting about the idea of beauty which was firmly handled by women, now common for men too.

During 2017-2018, Indonesia also felt the transgression of men entering

the beauty industry. Pond‟s Institute in Indonesia proposed Jovi Adhiguna, a male

with a women-like physical look with the touch of makeup and female outfits, to

be their Male Beauty Ambassador. Based on Figure 1.2, we can see that Jovie is

promoting a new facial wash which is still categorized as a skincare product

(Kottner 2016).

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

Figure 1.2 Jovi Adhiguna as Brand Ambassador of Pond's Indonesia

According to Penn, the survey discovered that 60% of men now use female's skincare products, 14% apply nail polish, 18% wear foundation, and 12%

wear eyeliner, demonstrating that men are starting to imitate female's grooming habits (Penn 2013). It is relatable to the situation in Indonesia when the phenomena of Male Beauty Influencer just rose up on social media. They are mostly subjected to skincare or grooming products just like what Pond's Indonesia did.

The emergence of male skincare or grooming products cannot be separated

from the development of industry and global media, especially the role of

advertising in the media. According to Sarwono, the role of advertising in the

media has a significant and positive impact on affecting how people think and

become a part of their cultural life (Billy K. Sarwono 2018). Furthermore,

advertising in social media takes a fundamental role in shifting the construction of

masculinity itself (Matthew Hall 2012). As a result, the media in Indonesia

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

continues to construct male beauty ambassadors with feminine appearances, such as using a male ambassador with long hair, no facial hair, or other feminine appearance while promoting skincare or grooming products rather than makeup.

Based on this situation, the writer is attracted to analyze the gender performance on @mannymua733 Instagram account when he is openly promoting some makeup products explicitly in his unique way. Manuel Gutierrez or Manny MUA is one of the original male beauty influencers or male makeup artist on Instagram (LaPerna 2018). The writer chose Manuel Gutierrez as the object because he has the highest number of followers than other male makeup artist on Instagram. His Instagram followers reach 4.3 million people, YouTube has 4.78 million subscribers, and Twitter has 1.4 million followers, indicating that he has a large number of people to influence and quiet people enjoy his works.

Besides looking deeper into the world of advertising in the media, it is also

applicable for society in terms of how male beauty ambassadors are performing

their gender with makeup. In performing himself as an advanced makeup artist on

social media, likely being friends with superstars such as Kim Kardashian, Mac

Daddy, James Charles, Ashley Graham, and so forth, @mannymua733 account

serves a "different perspective" toward the definition of beauty to its followers.

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

Relating to a similar issue in the country where the object of this study came from, there are several performers that are characteristically equal to Manuel Gutierrez or @mannymua733. They are “The Male Beauty Ambassadors” or beauty boys on Instagram such as James Charles and Patrick Starr. James Charles is a CoverGirl brand ambassador and the very first iconic brand CoverBoy (Jalba 2018). James is considered as a unique male ambassador because he presents himself as the first image of a boy in the beauty industry. The term "Beauty Boy"

is considered as a male brand ambassador, male makeup artist or male beauty

influencer who represents a cosmetics brand and focuses on the beauty and

cosmetics industry (Frankel 2020). This term is usually used in advertisements or

marketing for the beauty industry (Frankel 2020). As a "Beauty Boy", James

appears as a flawless and glowing man with makeup for CoverBoy. Then, he

frequently discusses his use of makeup in relation to his family's concerns about

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

his gender identity as a man while performing a makeup tutorial on his YouTube channel.

Another one is PatrickStarrr who has the real name Patrick Simondac and is recognized as a male beauty vlogger on YouTube. He had over 2 million subscribers (Komulainen 2017). Patrick is also well-known as a male makeup artist who dresses as a woman and wears a turban. According to Beck and Valenti (2016) written in their article, Patrick began experimenting with makeup as a teenager in order to conceal his acne and eventually worked in the cosmetics department of Macy's. They continue by stating that Patrick has worked with makeup brands such as Benefit, Sephora, Smashbox, and NYX Cosmetics as a full-time vlogger. He describes himself in his video titled “I AM A MAN” as a representation for bringing awareness to men who wear makeup.

Subsequently, these two male makeup artists are not attracted to the writer‟s attention since they are still presenting themselves as a "common" beauty boy with flawless skin, no facial hair, and any other womanish things such as a turban like Patrick wears as his accessories. Sarah Frankel (2020) stated that a

"beauty boy" is a male brand ambassador or male makeup artist who represents a

specific cosmetics brand, whereas Komulainen (2017) defined a "male beauty

influencer" as a male makeup artist who has achieved internet celebrity status

through the use of social media platforms (Komulainen 2017). Thus, the subject

of study is a male beauty influencer who presents himself as a different and

unique identity on Instagram by promoting makeup products with a bold makeup

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

look while maintaining his masculinity through the presence of his facial hair, especially the heavy stubble one.

Figure 1.4 James Charles as Morphe Brushes Brand Ambassador

Figure 1.5 Patrick Starr as Sephora Brand Ambassador

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

In comparison to two previous Male Brand Ambassadors, the writer chose

@mannymua733's Instagram account as the object of the study relates to the issue taken. The combination of flawless makeup on his face and his beard preservation while promoting makeup products piques the writer's interest in learning more about how this gender is performed. The writer is also intrigued by his unique makeup style when it comes to promoting beauty products and eager to learn more about how he represents himself as a male beauty influencer on the

@mannymua733 Instagram account. Additionally, the writer also considers

@mannymua733 as an appropriate object to study due to the influence he had on the beauty industry.

In order to enrich the knowledge about this topic, there are some previous studies as references for this study. The first are some studies entitled as Men in Makeup: Performances of gender transgression in male beauty vloggers’ makeup consumption (Komulainen 2017), Beauty and Masculinity: A Semiotic Study of

@Endi_feng Instagram Account (Rachmania 2017), and Gender Hybridity in

@mac_daddyy Instagram Account 2016-2018: A Study in Gender Performativity (Cahyani 2018) which have similar method of analysis that using semiotics and similar issues of how men gender their identities through feminine tools without erasing their masculinity and still being a man. According to Vivien Jones (Jones 2018), the study finds that this phenomenon between men and makeup is known as the new concept of masculinity.

Moreover, the study entitled Hybrid Masculinity Construction in

@menandcoffe Instagram Account (Budi 2016) examined a similar issue that

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

male beauty influencers still choose social media through Youtube. The writer found that gender performativity in that study demonstrates gender hybridity, which is demonstrated by the performance through makeup tutorial videos or photographs on their social media.

Furthermore, another previous study entitled "I’m METRO NOT Gay": A Discursive Analysis on Male Makeup Account on Youtube (Matthew Hall 2012) shows how metro-sexuality is defined by male makeup vloggers using cosmetics and makeup tools. The study analyzes the response of the viewers in the comment section using Membership Categorization Analysis to draw upon the Conversation Analysis. (Matthew Hall 2012).

Since the theory and method used is different from the study that is being researched, the writer only took the knowledge and the understanding of men's beauty in delivering his identity by doing makeup tutorials on social media. From the previous studies, it is seen that men are not always showing their muscle, being strong and doing some sporty stuff. The idea of masculinity that came from men bothers the norms of gender roles that are already thought of in society.

Gender performativity in male beauty gurus on social media platforms such YouTube and Instagram resulted in diverse findings regarding how gender is represented.

In terms of the theory employed, Judith Butler's book Gender Trouble

argues that there is a single concept that constructed gender, implying certain

determinism of gender meaning inscribed in anatomically differentiated bodies,

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

which are viewed as passive recipients of inevitable cultural law (1999). This means that, while what is regarded as relevant "culture" constructs gender, it has become the set of laws and is seen as fixed determination. In accordance, the effect of the internal core produces in acts, gestures, and desires that are only shown on the surface of the body; that gendered body is performative, with no status independent of the various acts that constitute its reality.

Furthermore, Butler argues that gender is constructed, and so is sex. Each of us is born with an identity that is determined by sex, as what society lives with, gender is made and constructed by their views. Hence, this study will examine the points of repetition by Judith Butler to seek how Manny MUA is performing his gender while endorsing some makeup products in his Instagram account.

However, this study will not discuss about the struggle or racial discrimination as the media regularly shows about the issue of men‟s portrayal in the beauty industry. The occurrences of repetition by the doer would be analyzed further using the theory of Judith Butler in gender performativity.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Thus, this study aims to answer the following question:

1. How does Manny MUA perform his gender while endorsing makeup products in his Instagram account @mannymua733?

1.3 Objective of the Study

According to the research statement which has been listed above, the

purpose of the study is as follow:

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

1. To explore and analyze how gender is performed by Manny MUA while

endorsing makeup products in @mannymua733 Instagram account.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The writer hopes that this study will contribute to a better understanding of gender performativity on both a theoretical and practical level. This study will hopefully develop a good understanding of queer representation in the media, particularly in the cultural studies field. For the broader scope, this study is expected to provide more references and to be advantageous as further reading for scholars and researchers. Lastly, for general readers who are unfamiliar with gender performativity, it is hoped that this study will assist them in recognizing the diversity of gender that exists today, thereby assisting them in becoming more open-minded toward queer people.

1.5 Definition of Key Terms

Gender performativity : Gender institutionalization through acts with an appearance of a substance constructing identity (Butler 1988).

Male beauty influencer : Male who has an expertise in

presenting grooming tutorials in

makeup and obtained recognition as

internet celebrities through the use of

social media platforms (Jones 2018).

THESIS

GENDER PERFORMATIVITY OF...

Beauty Boy : A male brand ambassador or makeup

artist who represents a particular cosmetics brand and keeps his identity as a male (Frankel 2020).

Semiotics : The study to take in any system of signs, in any substance and limits;

images, gestures, musical sound,

objects (Barthes 1983, 9).