REM Beauty X Wicked And The Political Implications

 Today I'm going to be talking about the REM beauty campaign and the political implications I think it carries relating to both Wicked movies. This caught my attention mainly because I loved the Wicked movie, and its message. I also really appreciate the REM beauty campaign and what Ariana chooses to stand by when advertising her campaign and didn't sell out to make it easier for herself. Not only are all the products cruelty-free and not tested on animals, they make sure all third parties selling the product follow the same code of conduct. The product itself is vegan as well. 

Arina Grande advertising liquid eyeshadow. 

Although I have not seen Wicked For Good, the second movie. I loved the first movie with themes pertaining to privilege, oppression and structures of authority, especially pertaining to female relationships. This is reflected in the casting of the characters themselves; Alpheba being cast as Cynthia Erivoa, an African American woman, and Glinda being cast as Ariana Grande a mostly white pop star. I think the rem beautyXwicked campaign heavily represented this in the aesthetic of the makeup itself. This was definitely meant to be a “clean beauty” not only already trending in current media. The hashtags #cleangirl and #cleangirlaesthetic have 494k posts on Instagram alone. Many social media influencers or sociology video essayists theorize that this is a reflection of a “more conservative” or "traditional” time in our political landscape. It's very important to note that many of the “clean girl” aesthetics are eurocentric focused. The main staples of the aesthetic are slick back buns, a skinny waist or ‘ Pilates body ‘ and being ‘elegant’, something I think Ariana was heavily influenced by when creating her brand, but it's also worth noting that she did this while including diversity and other skin tones in her branding, keeping in mind darker shades and collaborating with African American and other diverse ethnic groups in her ads, along with the tone of the movie in itself being a conversation about privilege in female relationships. 

A Pinterest interpretation of the "clean girl aesthetic".

Ariana personally has very much so aligned herself with the clean girl aesthetic as a whole; light makeup, lots of pink and ballgowns and modest ways of dressing. This shift happened around the first Wicked movie and has been relatively stationary since. She truly embodies this character in herself in a very honest way. She's always been a pop star, so it's not off brand for her to adopt this aesthetic.

Ariana Grande's current Instagram feed. 

Ariana is most notable for her role in Disney shows, so needless to say, the public was excited to see her again. But as for Cynthia, she is fairly unknown, this role being her most notable. 

There were so many ads and individuals posting about the movie and the products that it's hard to pin down just one, but the main ones I saw were Ulta beauty ads, an official statement they put out says 

The full wickedXREM line. 

“At Ulta Beauty, we believe that beauty is a powerful form of self-expression, and our partnership with Wicked allows us to bring that belief to life in an inspiring way. This collection invites beauty enthusiasts to embrace their confidence, celebrate and support friendship, while discovering the unexpected connections that beauty can create, just as the characters of Wicked do. We’re thrilled to offer an expansive range of transformative products that inspire joy, creativity, and the magic of being true to yourself.”

https://www.beautypackaging.com/breaking-news/ulta-beauty-launches-wicked-makeup-collection/

Also, heavily pushing REM X Wicked, which gave the movie a leg up in itself. The movie ad was everywhere, from movie posters and light-up popcorn buckets, to more refined ads advertising the line in stores like Ulta and Target. 

https://www.prweek.com/article/1892708/lego-rem-beauty-beis-travel-walmart-wicked-brand-collaboration-defies-gravity?utm_source

An AMC ad campaign for the Wicked popcorn buckets starring the character Glinda.

PR weekly really gets most of the bigger ad campaigns, but many small and individual influencers advertised these products as well.  

I do think, to a certain degree, this applied to the “snob appeal” when marketing it was very targeted as a “clean” aesthetic, but that was also included in the actual makeup. The official REM website stated in their FAQ section, “are your products "clean?"

Although the phrase "clean beauty" is not regulated by the US FDA, r.e.m. beauty is paving the way for the next generation of safe, ethical, thoughtful formulas that help people everywhere make their beauty dreams become reality—without compromise. We are cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, and never test our products on animals...only very happy human volunteers.” 

They also answer several questions regarding vegan products and the use of no animal testing and ethical sourcing in their FAQ section under “navigating”. 

I would say I think this is very on-brand with the actual movie. The first movie was heavily affected by the topic of privilege, especially regarding female relationships. I think this is also reflected heavily in the media coverage. Painting Cynthia and Ariana's relationship as being “too close” or “weird” is very introspective of why we feel as though someone like Ariana and Cynthia can't form a close relationship quickly, especially under the circumstances of such a large movie project. 

A meme posted from IKYFL TV on Threads.

And I think this was reflected in the way that Ariana advertised her products and even press interviews, using not only her privilege as a white woman but a rich white woman to promote black and brown voices and experiences and truly embracing that role and what it means even in her makeup line.  

I think it was mostly effective. Their sales records aren't public, but I think that the “snob appeal” and the clean girl aesthetic it tried to embody was very important in the branding of the current political landscape. Whether consciously or unconsciously, our beauty standards reflect a more modest tone compared to the previous makeup and fashion trends. I think that her advertising it as a clean girl aesthetic but still including oppressed voices was very important and productive. 

A photo from REM's Wicked campaign.

She could've definitely taken a route or just confirmed Eurocentric beauty standards. If she hadn't taken such a sustainable and ethical approach to the actual makeup itself, it would've been easier to produce and advertise. People would still buy it because she's Ariana Grande, and she could've made much more money. But she and her brand team chose to make a connection with the audience and understand the political implications of her releasing a makeup line, especially when being so involved with a movie that is so focused on the topic of privilege. The target audience is people who've seen the movie clearly, but also people who might not know anything about the movie or the political implications of it and just want something glossy and light. You can see that just in the way it's advertised on ulta.com, it is meant to be a clean and highlighting look that reflects natural beauty, with glittery undertones, glossy lips and natural eyebrows on the models. In alignment with current trends. Skincare products were also advertised.

Arina Grande featuring her new "starlit" eyeshadow line. 

I think aligning with that aesthetic and still focusing on diversity and ethical practices while also going along with more conservative trends was a very important strength. The weakness was probably doing it in such an ethical way, making the product more expensive, the whole set being $372.80, and harder to advertise, but using the snob appeal as they did, I think definitely helped this weakness. In a world where plastic Gucci bags are made by the dozen and sold for millions, it's important that we don't reflect that in the makeup industry. We need sustainable, good for your skin products. High end should mean high quality. 

One of Ariana's reels advertising the movie alone has 53.9k reposts in itself, let alone the 3,568 reposts just a picture of the wicked pallet has on the rem beauty Instagram account. 

Although this whole essay is mainly me glazing at Ariana Grande for using her white privilege for good, I think that I would try one or two of the products because I love glitter. I would definitely recommend this product based off the ethical standards alone.