James Charles, 17, a senior from a high school in Bethlehem, N.Y., lives with his parents and younger brother. In his spare time, he does his friends’ makeup, free of charge. Within the past year, he has racked up nearly 855,000 followers on his Instagram account and over 198,000 YouTube subscribers. He is best known for his freckles and chunky eye makeup to go along with his bold brows.
What grasped the public’s attention for Mr. Charles was his decision to retake his own senior photos after he did not like the first round due to how his highlighter looked on his cheekbones. He supplied his own ring makeup light and promoted the images on Twitter. Singer Zendaya noticed his post and commented as well as reposted his picture with the caption, “You win.”
The collection of Mr. James by CoverGirl brought questions to gender boundaries in fashion and beauty. This force now brings in Charles. This fact shows that the industry is becoming genderless—a milestone that goes along with an iconic company.