Can they brush this off?
In a new satirical TikTok trend sweeping the app, content creators are mocking the makeup of Republican-leaning women, which they say is defined by caky, orange foundation, too-thick eyebrows and clumpy mascara.
“I noticed that all of the Republican girlies in my comments do their makeup the exact same, gorgeous way, so I thought that I would try to do it myself,” TikTokker and comedian Suzanne Lambert said sarcastically in a viral video.
To achieve “conservative girl makeup,” she made sure to apply foundation with her fingers to create a streaky finish and did not prep the skin beforehand, because she wanted the product to “cling to any dry spots and accentuate any texture.”
“We’re going for matte and flat,” she said of the base makeup, which lacked dimension that would typically be created with contour or bronzer.
“It’s giving drained, it’s giving dusty,” she quipped.
While professional makeup artists told HuffPost that “underblended” makeup “knows no race, ethnicity, or political camp,” the conservative caricature, also referred to as “MAGA makeup,” has gone viral.
“Turning myself into a Republican in honor of [President Donald] Trump saving TikTok,” wrote a TikTokker named Paris.
In the clip, she slathers a mismatched shade of foundation all over her face before applying an unblended smokey eye, harsh and bold brows, messy mascara and underlined lipstick to create the illusion of thin lips.
Another creator named Severn also recreated the look, caking on orange foundation as well as unblended blush and bronzer.
“Many Republican women haven’t updated their makeup trends since the 80s,” a creator who goes by @hobbitparty told Newsweek. “Heavy eyeliner, thin eyebrows, too dark foundation.”
While some viewers were able to laugh at the jokes, the trend was also met with swift backlash from conservative women, who hurled insults about the creators’ weight and appearance.
“Why do they all have the same look with crusty liner and brows & soulless eyes,” one person said of right-leaning voters in the comments of Lambert’s video.
“So good! My only feedback is the eyebrows should be more of a comma shape, and start farther apart. Otherwise, perfect!” cheered another.
“Foundation isn’t orange enough but besides that pretty accurate tbh,” someone else commented.
“LMFAO not the paper thin lips,” noted one viewer on Paris’ video.
“Nailed it!!” championed another.
But not everyone found the humor in it.
“Leftist women are the meanest women out there,” snarked one user on TikTok.
“Wait so you bully women about their looks because they’re not in the same political party as you?” chided another.
“Not as bad as the liberal makeup with the blue hair,” one person wrote.
“We can always tell liberal women because they don’t workout and look like you,” wrote one user beneath a video posted by @beautyandkoko, who recreated the “Republican makeup.”
“Ahh the good ole’ tolerant left. Attacking people based on looks,” someone else wrote. “All this proves is that you really can put makeup on a p!g.”
In response to one user claiming left-leaning voters are bullies, the creator replied: “killin em with kindness wasn’t working anymore so new approach: treat you exactly how you treat others.”
“Liberal women — after conservatives have made fun of them and called them ‘blue-haired liberals’ for years — are finally speaking up for themselves,” Lambert, who calls herself a “Regina George liberal,” told Newsweek.
“It’s not surprising that it makes some conservative women upset, but I am encouraged by the number of people with different political views who have shown that they can take a joke. Humor has always been a part of political commentary.”
She continued: “There are others who are angry about it, but the people criticizing the video are typically the ones who would benefit most from the advice.”
