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Is Indonesia ready for genderless beauty products?
As more makeup brands increasingly use male models to promote their products, the question is, are Indonesians ready for the genderless marketing of beauty?
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he word “beauty” as we know it has been long associated with one gender, namely women. Yet some local independent brands in the industry have started to challenge that age-long narrative and go against the tide using male faces to front their product’s launch campaign.
In September 2018, Indonesian premium makeup company Rollover Reaction launched a transparent brow mascara, dubbed the Browcara, using a male model as the main face for its marketing campaign. Although quite ground-breaking at the time, the decision did not come from any specific agenda of breaking through gender barriers. It was simply a data-driven decision.
"From our sales, there is no denying that there are male customers in our demographic, at about 10 percent. We weren't trying to cater to them at first, but the function of our Browcara is something that even men could benefit from, so we might as well invite a male model to better represent this product and its function," said Reina Devianti Triswan, Rollover Reaction’s product development manager.
Following the steps made by Rollover Reaction, at the end of last year, local skincare and makeup brand Somethinc unveiled a cushion foundation called Copy Paste Breathable Mesh Cushion and used male models to market the product.
Another homegrown beauty brand, BLP Beauty, followed suit with a product launched in January, inviting a transgender model to be the face of its cushion foundation Cover Cushion campaign.
"We want to make our presence was felt like a welcoming brand, one that makes people feel seen, leaving not a single person with the feeling of exclusion regardless of their gender," Lizzie Parra, the brand’s founder and chief marketing officer told The Jakarta Post.
Trying to break barriers at a time when it’s easier for people to voice their opinions, especially online, these campaigns can be a double-edged sword. For the brands, this presents a unique challenge, especially in the way the campaigns are presented.
Cindy Dwianjani, creative director of Rollover Reaction said: "We understand that we still live in a somewhat conservative country and we want to respect that. So, we didn't want to overdo it. There were no props and just very basic styling. It's just the model looking comfortable with himself, with his relatively long hair and his ponytail, plus the product. We are not trying to beautify him in any negative way."
As for Rollover Reaction, not everyone approved of its decision.
"I still can remember [a customer] who commented that she didn’t want to support our brand anymore. The reason? She thought that we were encouraging men to wear makeup," Cindy said.
So far, however, the reception from the brands’ customers — and the internet — has been supportive, with encouraging feedback outnumbering objections. This has encouraged the brands to believe their campaigns are working and making a difference.
Tiara Aprilia, a 23-year-old who works for a local skincare brand, expressed her excitement over this change of direction in the local beauty scene.
"My strong affinity for makeup started in 2015, a point in time when a face full of makeup on men had become a familiar sight […]I think it's about time our local industry leans toward the same direction," Tiara said.
Hesekial Riansa, a 22-year-old aspiring social media influencer who posts about his love of makeup, gave a similar response.
"For me, makeup should [have no] limitations, including gender. The act of putting on makeup is an act of self-care and a channel for self-expression," he said.
Not everyone agrees with this shift. As Bayu Emellyo, 23, told the Post.
"Makeup, classified as a gender-specific tool [for women] is something that has been collectively acknowledged and accepted, so it is still hard for me to see it differently."
While he is not completely against the idea of makeup on men, he said that it was not something he subscribed to.
"Maybe this shift stemmed from the gender equality movement, but I think equality and equity are two different things. Equal doesn't necessarily mean the same," he added.
Agree or disagree, the concept of genderless beauty is out there already and is seeing growing demand. Dery Ginanjar, the Indonesian marketing communication officer for Amore Pacific Group, a South Korean beauty company selling their products here, affirmed this.
"In the last five years, there has been a spike in male customers. Although we have some product lines that specifically target men, indicated by the name itself or the way we market it, we saw a shift in behavior. Men no longer shy away from purchasing product lines that aren’t designated specifically for men," he said.
"People are starting to [judge] a product by its [quality and function] rather than just the gendered marketing."
Justy and Novelia, both of whom work for an advertising agency, said many firms had been foreseeing this shift since soap brand Dove launched its Real Beauty campaign featuring models of different skin tones in 2014.
"Dove was not the pioneer in suggesting beauty is not just skin-deep, but its campaign’s reach was vast. And Indonesia usually adapts to what Western countries are doing," they said.
While the local beauty industry is gravitating toward a progressive mindset, it wasn’t intentionally driven by advertisers or any group or individual in particular.
"Advertising and society go hand-in-hand and have always influenced one another. Where society goes, we follow and adapt. Yet society adapts to what we are advertising as well,” said Novelia, who adds that these constraints are harder to break for bigger, more-established brands with a wider market.
As Lizzie from BLP Beauty said: "Everyone, regardless of gender, deserves to feel good about themselves and makeup is one of the many ways for people to get there.”
