The Changing Face of Makeup Models

Posted on | September 22, 2008 |

What is your idea of beauty?  When you look at makeup models, what resonates with you?   Is it the flawless perfect face?   Or is it something else?

CoverGirl just hired Ellen DeGeneres to be the face of their next campaign.    In a New York Times Article by Ruth La Ferla, CoverGirl  talks about this unconventional decision.

“Ellen is an authentic beauty,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, a vice president of Procter & Gamble, the parent company of CoverGirl. Ms. DeGeneres appeals to consumers who are “looking not so much for a role model as a woman they can relate to both physically and emotionally,” Ms. Eggleston Bracey said. “In Ellen, she sees a slightly better version of herself, someone appealing from the inside out.”

There’s that word I see over and over again - authentic.  I believe it is the key to marketing to today’s female consumer.   More brands are turning away from images of unattainable perfection to images that real women can actually relate to.   The New York Times article discusses this same phenomena:

Ms. DeGeneres, who will start to appear in the company’s ads in January, is not the first unconventional model for CoverGirl, which veered away from its longtime mascot, Christie Brinkley, more than a decade ago.

But she does represent the type of celebrity whom cosmetics companies are approaching as they widen their talent pool, seeking out endorsers whose chief drawing card is a knack for charming Everywoman. The selection of Ms. DeGeneres is simply the industry’s latest bid to reach out to women who consider themselves disenfranchised because they do not look like Kate Moss.

What does it take to charm Everywoman?   There are two things I can see Ellen bringing to the table

1. Humor - especially her self-effacing humor.   She makes fun of herself -whether it’s on her show, or in her American Express commercials where, after an encounter with Beyoncé, Ellen goes in search of “her people.”    It makes her more approachable and relatable.
2. She’s not a classic beauty.   But you can see with some good makeup and a conservative, but stylish wardrobe, that she can be attractive.   There is, again, a sense of “relate-ability”.  It isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being a slightly better version of yourself.  

Apparently the fashion jury is still out about whether CoverGirl will be successful with this campaign:

Not everyone views her as an obvious CoverGirl choice. “What does she bring to the party?” said Allan Mottus, a beauty industry analyst. “Sure, people are looking for women they can identify with, but Ellen DeGeneres has a talk show, she married a beautiful woman. Is that something most people can relate to?”

Ms. Crane of New Solutions disagreed, calling Ms. DeGeneres a powerful symbol. Women, she said, “are tired of seeing models whose looks are unattainable and who make them feel bad about themselves,” she said. “Suddenly the disenfranchised are getting acknowledged, and that feels pretty good.”

We’ll have to wait to see who’s right on this one.  But I have to tell you, from the research I’ve seen, the face of beauty IS changing.   Exciting times are ahead.

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