Today, many brands are acknowledging a need for gender fluidity in cosmetics; this means cosmetics brands can market to an entirely new demographic, resulting in an increase in sales).

Historically, makeup was never something associated with gender in the first place. In Ancient Egypt, for example, the use of eyeliner and other cosmetics was a sign of wealth—usually one that men donned to signal their status to passerby’s and strangers. In more recent history, people in the LGBTQ+ community have always used makeup as a way to connect with femininity and identity in a way they could not without it.

Many famous beauty bloggers and influencers, for example, use makeup as a way to express themselves creatively rather than associate with femininity.

Studies reveal that gender to be a type of performance taken on by a person in how they express their identity. When makeup and cosmetics are brought into the conversation of that performance, the stereotype or ideation that cosmetics are feminine are transgressed as a means of expressing the personalization of one's gender identity.