Who is Manny Gutierrez, aka Manny MUA? Maybelline's first male model's identity revealed amid ongoing boycott

Maybelline has recently been on the receiving end of a major internet backlash after it faced an unprecedented amount of opposition from conservative citizens for its portrayal of an LGBTQ influencer in a makeup ad. This is not the first time that the brand has shown a male LGBTQ+ member in the forefront. In 2017, Manny Gutierrez was revealed as the brand's first-ever male ambassador.

Manny Gutierrez, popularly known as Manny MUA, is a gay online influencer and viral Youtuber who is famous for his makeup tip videos. He is a former pre-med student who left medical school to pursue his passion for makeup and beauty.

The Maybelline backlash followed a similar trail to that of the recent uprising against Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney earlier this year. The Bud Light fiasco created a domino effect of boycott movements that have affected many companies like Target for advertising their LGBTQ+-themed products or promoting their products with LGBTQ+ influencers.

Maybelline's recent backlash is attributed to an advertisement they did in collaboration with an LGBTQ+ makeup and beauty influencer named Ryan Vita. The ad, which was posted on Maybelline New York's official Instagram handle, has amassed over 1.8 million views at the time of writing.

In the ad, Ryan Vita promotes Maybelline New York's Superstay Vinyl Ink lip gloss, which was available for 30% off on Amazon Prime Day. The influencer applies the product on his lips while praising its shine and comfort, further stating that it does not "budge or smudge" for up to 16 hours. He ends the video by blowing a flying kiss to the audience.

Conservative netizens did not take too kindly to the ad, which was evident from the comments section being a warzone. Some were disgusted by it and stated that they would never buy the brand's products again. Meanwhile, Blaze TV host Lauren Chen called the ad "disturbing."

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Maybelline and Gutierrez's historic partnership was a milestone for male beauty influencers

In January 2017, Maybelline made history by announcing their first-ever male ambassador on social media influencer. Turns out, the ambassador was makeup and beauty content creator Manny Gutierrez, who was recruited as part of the brand's ad campaign for Big Shot Mascara by Colossal, called "That Boss Life". This was also the first time Maybelline collaborated with beauty influencers.

The campaign was promoted together by Gutierrez and fellow beauty influencers, Shayla Mitchell, and Jackie Flores. The move came at a time when male beauty influencers were pouring into the mainstream. The same year, Patrick Starr became a brand ambassador for FormulaX and in October, of the previous year, James Charles was made ambassador of CoverGirl.

In an Instagram announcement post of his partnership with the brand, Manny Gutierrez wrote:

"Honestly I couldn't be more honored thrilled! Thank you to Maybelline for taking a chance on me! I look forward to working together so much more 😍😍😍"

Born in San Diego, California, the Latino influencer defines himself as proudly gay, even though he was brought up in a strict Mormon household. He was even sent into conversion therapy at 17 when his parents found out that he was gay. However, they came around after finding out that he wasn't happy going to the camp.

Gutierrez's love for makeup started at a young age when he was fascinated with seeing his mother put on makeup. This fascination grew into passion, which later motivated him to quit medical school to pursue a career in makeup and beauty.

He, along with fellow influencer Patrick Starr, started off working in San Diego Salons like MAC and Sephora. Under Starr's advice, Gutierrez built up a massive social media presence. His Youtube channel, where he gives beauty and makeup tips was launched in 2014 and currently boasts over 4.86 million subscribers. Gutierrez also has an Instagram following of 4.1 million, with 1.4 million admirers on Twitter.