Tuesday, October 30, 2018

She's a Successful Sister

Here's the tea, a new generation of makeup gurus are taking over. YouTube has now become a platform for countless up and coming makeup artists to display their talents, one of the most influential of whom is James Charles Dickinson, popularly known as James Charles. Charles rose to fame from a meme (of course), making fun of the fact that he brought a ring light to his senior photos. This caught the attention of CoverGirl, and soon after, he became their first male spokesperson. He has gone on to be on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he has created a series with his younger brother called, Brother & Sister, and has his own merchandise called Sister Apparel. Charles makes an effort to meet his fans by doing live make-up tutorials along with a Q&A for the audience. Charles made sister strides in a beauty industry by being the first male CoverGirl, trying new looks on his channel, and collaborating with other makeup artists and YouTubers. By accomplishing all of these things Charles is able to create a community. His followers have even begun talking like him-- he refers to his fans as "sisters" as well as using "sister" before adjectives that start with s. He has also popularized many other terms such as "tea", meaning gossip and "good and fresh", meaning good. Today, James Charles has 9.3 million subscribers.


Charles describes an instance where his friend missed her makeup appointment so he did her makeup for her. Slowly, he started doing makeup for others as well and eventually on himself. He loves makeup and the creativity that goes into it. His biggest inspirations have been Jaclyn Hill and Nikkie Tutorials, they have inspired him to "work hard and never settle for less". Charles also recognizes the kind of influence he has on his viewers. He describes how a lot of his viewers struggle with mental health and explains how one fan even said his videos prevented her from taking her own life. He continues to share his makeup journey because it can inspire people to also do makeup and help them feel more confident.

Flashback Mary
Although Charles rose to success very quickly, he has not done so without facing his fair share of obstacles. In high school, Charles would get bullied frequently. After he became famous, those same people asked him for merchandise and money. His father even mentions that he is constantly worried for Charles safety. Charles continuously receives negative looks on the street, hate comments online, and death threats. On the other hand, Charles had a lot of growing up to do as well. In the beginnings of his career, many people started noticing how made "racially insensitive comments". He eventually realized that he was wrong to say those things and made a public apology. He was also made into another meme called Flashback Mary, in which his makeup is too bright with the camera flash. Despite the sister struggles that Charles has faced in his career, he says he can handle any negative comments and tries to stay positive. 

Part of the reason why Charles has such a large following is because of his unique personality. His Meyer's Briggs type is most likely ESFJ. He is always around other people whether it is spending time with his family and friends or doing collaborations with other YouTubers. He is very talkative and enjoys being the center of attention, which could put him in the extroversion category. Charles is very particular about his videos, they are very detail oriented, he tries his best to make them perfect but still practical, giving him a preference for sister sensing. He cares a lot about his fans, tries to diffuse tension and feuds with other people in the industry, and cares for his family, suggesting that he could make decisions through feeling. Charles is also very goal oriented and driven which may mean he lives life through judging. Overall, this personality is very appealing to his viewers.


Charles continues to work on good and fresh projects. He is doing what he loves and is becoming more and more sister successful by the day.



Sources:
1. https://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/news/why-an-entire-generation-is-obsessed-with-beauty-youtuber-james-charles/news-story/556e1244c236643eceac30be3cd9b2ac
2. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/an-interview-with-covergirls-new-face-james-charles?verso=true
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvmTr6S00Aw&t=547s
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHM8yGVCTc
5. https://www.allure.com/story/james-charles-beauty-tips-role-model

3 comments:

  1. I think some people don't realize how much creativity goes into makeup. Many people think makeup is used only to cover up "flaws," but James Charles really shows that makeup can be an amazing form of self-expression. I love that he is breaking the gender norms of makeup. Anyone can use makeup as a form of creativity, and I'm glad he is showing that!

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  2. James Charles is such an inspiration to me because of how far he has come in the beauty community. Literally just this weekend he came out with a collaboration with Morphe. To think that he is younger than me and working with makeup companies like that blows my mind. Makeup is so beautiful to me and he is so lucky to have found his passion and such a strong following. Honestly he is going to be such a big face for males in the beauty community. I love him!

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  3. I came across James Charles's instagram page right before his rise to makeup stardom. I was immediately curious, and the more I read, the more I was drawn in. At the time, he hadn't been playing with makeup for very long, yet he was attempting designs worthy of veteran-level skills. I've been impressed ever since, as he continues to push the boundaries of societal norms and his own creativity.

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