According to makeup artist Wayne Goss, the answer is yes.
I have been subscribed to gossmakeupartist, or Wayne Goss, for years on YouTube. While you see many successful makeup and beauty gurus online, not all are professionally trained makeup artists. Wayne Goss is, and I consider him to be my favorite on YouTube when it comes to makeup. From his honest reviews of products to his skilled application of makeup, I value his professional opinion and knowledge of beauty.
So when he made a video explaining a recent concern he's had, I paid attention.
With the growth of the photo-sharing app, users are utilizing Instagram as a platform to share their makeup looks and artistry while others are turning to it for makeup inspiration. Goss has noticed a trend in very heavy makeup looks that are gaining popularity and wants to address the issue he has with it.
He believes Instagram is turning girls into drag queens. In his YouTube video he explains how we are actually borrowing makeup techniques from drag queens that have existed for so many years.
You might be wondering what the problem with this is when drag queens are known for being talented with their makeup. Goss says we are not diluting these techniques.
As he puts it, "we are using the exact same techniques with the same heavy hand and experiencing the same results." The purpose of these drag queen techniques is to transform a male into a heightened female. When girls who already have female faces and feminine facial features apply the same techniques, it can actually have the opposite effect on them and make them look masculine.
In his video he shares a clip of a makeup tutorial by drag queen Miss Fame where he transforms himself into a woman. Goss points out how there really is nothing dissimilar from the final look by Miss Fame to the many pictures we see on Instagram of girls.
Goss also explains the misconception many have with contouring charts. "[Contouring charts] are for demonstration purposes only. It is not to be taken literally." The point of these charts is to act as a guide for where the shading and highlighting should go. He's noticed that these contouring lines are becoming more and more prominent on Instagram and now in some YouTube tutorials. Heavy under-eye concealer to brighten the face and ultra-sculpted cheek bones are becoming a part of the daily makeup routine for more and more girls.
"We're now doing every single thing and then pairing it with a heavy eye and a heavy lip and then we're putting even more powder on that than you can possibly imagine. Yes, it will photograph amazingly well but it looks heavy."
The faded eyebrow technique that so many girls on Instagram have been using, including stars like Kylie Jenner, was created by drag queens. Goss' video titled "INSTAGRAM EYEBROWS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL" sparked controversy when he explained this and shocked thousands of girls.
While this look is considered beautiful by some, Goss' main concern is when young girls come to him requesting to have their makeup done this way. They do not realize that they are requesting drag makeup. He believes we should all adopt the amazing drag techniques into our makeup routines but in very softened, subtle ways.
He is also concerned that girls are beginning to forget the 'clean beauty' look. "Clean beauty doesn't mean you can't have a heavy smoky eye or a strong lip. It means that the skin is clean, we are seeing skin as best as we can, we aren't trying to 'drag' ourselves up." We forget that beauty does not have to look the way we see on Instagram.
But at the end of the day it's just makeup, and Goss reminds us of this at the very beginning of his video. Makeup is self-expression and a way to transform ourselves into the vision of beauty we individually have.
"It's makeup, who cares, it washes off."
Watch the original video here: