How beauty brands can transform the cosmetics industry for trans youth

Makeup allows people of all ages, races, and genders to feel confident and powerful. A “fresh beat” can turn a bad day into a good one and a good day into a great one. 

With makeup, folks can have any image they want to reflect back at them and share it for the world to see. For many people, the transgender community included, makeup is a simple way to affirm one’s gender. This makeup brand understands this and is changing the industry so that trans folks can see themselves in it. 

For over two decades, MAC Cosmetics, through their Viva Glam philanthropic arm, has supported the LGBTQ+ community through a variety of initiatives. From sponsoring the National Trans Visibility March since 2019 to funding queer-focused organization across the globe like the U.K.’s Mermaids and Micro Rainbow, Brazil’s Centro Casa Um, and the United States’ Hetrick Martin Institute and Los Angeles LGBT Center, MAC continues to make opportunities for queer and trans people to be seen, heard, and protected.

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Now, their latest venture comes with a partnership with Hetrick Martin Institute to create the Equal Futures program. Through a six-week program, LGBTQ+ youth learn how to “beat that face” through top-notch training, in addition to showing them how they create their own career within the makeup industry. 

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Skills that bring in cash and help you slay all day seem like a no brainer, but they can also be a lifesaver. 

According to research from the National Center for Trans Equality, “more than one in four transgender people have lost a job due to bias, and more than three-fourths have experienced some form of workplace discrimination.” With lower opportunities to secure employment, MAC’s initiative plays a role in rectifying this form of discrimination. 

The future of trans folks within the cosmetics industry is brighter and fabulous with MAC Cosmetics’ new initiative. 

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