Being ugly on the inside correlates with what Mother Jones calls the "brutal aesthetics of MAGA," which include "Mar-a-Lago face" (described succinctly in The Guardian as consisting largely of "fillers and aggressive fake tan") along with other makeup choices seemingly preferred by the MAGA crowd. As a reaction to these MAGA and Republican style choices, folks are taking to social media to provide tutorials mocking "conservative girl makeup." The Guardian explains:
So what sort of cosmetics does TikTok reckon you should use if you want to cosplay as someone desperate to deport people and roll back your own reproductive rights? Well, according to the conservative girl makeup experts, you should be applying a foundation that doesn't match your skin tone, thick eyeliner and clumpy mascara. "We really want our makeup to cling to any dry spots," the originator of the trend jokes. "It's giving drained, it's giving dusty."
I typically do not condone critiquing or even commenting on people's appearance, but I'm making an exception for MAGA folks, because their hateful rhetoric, actions, and policies have harmed countless numbers of people and definitely require some clapback. And the best makeup tutorial I've seen in this genre is this one from Frederic Chen, who, according to OPI, is "known for their beauty and skincare videos that aim to make self-care accessible to everyone." OPI continues: "As a non-binary creator blurring the lines between menswear and womenswear, Frederic's platform is a safe space for self-expression in the LGBTQIA+ community."
Chen's "A Republican Makeup Tutorial" is inspired by Congressperson from South Carolina Nancy Mace, who is a rabidly anti-LGBTQ asshole, a notorious bathroom cop, and a total clown.
In the video Chen states that Nancy Mace is a "hot piece of garbage," and explains that she and other MAGA Republicans tend to look like rotting corpses or background characters in The Walking Dead and The Purge. Chen adds that "they would do great in horror movies," and quips that "sometimes life does imitate art." The rest of the video is chock-full of funny makeup tips infused with biting critiques of MAGA ideologies, such as this commentary on blending and transition shades:
You see this brush? We're not using that. Those are meant for blending. We want something that packs color on. And we're going in with the deepest shade first. I guess the term "transition shades" are scary to them, because of the word trans in there…but also they don't have time to blend, they're too busy making a difference in the world…
If you need a laugh today, definitely check it out. And go follow Frederic Chen on their Instagram for some terrific beauty content!
