A WATERSHED MOMENT

The Great Mermaid Beauty Trend And Its Ensuing Back(sp)lash, 2016-2017

Starting around 2016 and throughout 2017, the craze for anything involving mermaids and unicorns reached a fever pitch. Naturally, cosmetic companies were quick to profit off the recent obsession, churning out beauty products ranging from glitter sunscreen to all manner of iridescent makeup - eye, lip, face and skincare items received a touch of mermaid or unicorn magic.*

The mermaid /unicorn beauty trend was ostensibly following in the footsteps of the broader cultural milieu, but why was it so popular? And how did mermaids and unicorns become synonymous with glitter, iridescence, and non-neutral colors?

Political turmoil during this time, especially in the U.S., had many women wanting to escape the grim reality that threatened their basic rights. As brand strategist Jess Weiner noted in a May 2017 Refinery29 article, “Women are in need of fantastical magic in their lives right now, because we’re surrounded by culture and politics that are very bleak and dark and oppressive. Unicorns are rare, they’re powerful, and they’re imaginary, so they’re capable of anything. And they do have a certain girly undertone because many of us associate them with our childhood, so they’re unapologetically feminine. Why wouldn’t we own something that’s just for us and inspires us to believe in our otherworldly capabilities? We’re being faced with some dire messaging around being female. Unicorns are our chance to escape and have some fun.” While Weiner was talking about the unicorn trend, she could have just as easily been referring to mermaids. As for why these two creatures were trending instead of other fictional beings, the author of the article concludes that “the bright, bubbly, social media-created unicorn frenzy helps offset how we’re all feeling as a culture right now — versus the ominous werewolves and vampires and zombies that were popular when times were more hopeful.”

There was also the power of nostalgia: millennials whose childhood staples included The Little Mermaid and Lisa Frank had grown up, but they wanted to bring pieces of their early youth along for the ride. As an article from YPulse explains, “Millennials are Chasing Neverland, looking for ways to regain that magical feeling of being a carefree kid. By holding on to fantasy interests, they’re finding one way to never really grow up—at least in the traditional sense. But in addition to nostalgia, we also see that Millennials aren’t afraid to keep their youthful interests alive no matter how old they get. This generation is taking pieces of their childhood with them into adulthood, and with their strength in numbers, they don’t care who knows it…They’re ‘adultifying’ the things that might once have been ‘just for kids” because they’ve never stopped liking them and see no reason to—and things like unicorn makeup are another example of that. Taking a look into Millennials’ upbringing reveals a world filled with fantasy. Magical characters like mermaids, unicorns, and fairies, were all brought to life most notably through Disney movies and the colorful illustrations of Lisa Frank. And both brands have made it a point to grow up with their original consumer base, recreating childhood film favorites and launching makeup palettes, respectively. Never losing their inner kid means never losing the magic they grew up with, which is most likely why we’re seeing this fantasy-influence within Gen Z & Millennials’ clothes, décor choices, beauty, hair, and even food, today.”

Additionally, glitter, iridescence, blues and greens are about as far away from natural human coloring as possible, therefore linking them even more strongly to creatures of myth. Coupled with the desire to flee to a magical world where fictional beings actually do exist, mermaid and unicorn-themed makeup proved to be an affordable, simple way to temporarily indulge childhood nostalgia and fantasies. 

The same time frame witnessed the rise of “holographic” makeup that both encouraged a playful approach and photographed well, more factors in driving the demand for mermaid and unicorn cosmetics. (It should be noted that “holographic” is an inaccurate term mistakenly used to describe what is actually prismatic, duo-chrome makeup). Blogger Hayley Hall summarized: “As the beauty industry looks to create new ways of creating excitement, the holographic and multi-coloured mermaid and unicorn trend started to tick all those boxes. It filtered down from the likes of Too Faced, Tarte and Lime Crime before hitting more affordable and high street brands including Spectrum, Makeup Revolution, Real Techniques and Barry M. It’s bold, it’s bright, it’s fun and it encourages experimentation. In a climate that’s driven by what’s being shared on Instagram and what looks can go ‘viral’ across Pinterest and Facebook, these fantastical products and looks were just the ticket.”

However, the mermaid and unicorn beauty trend was not without its detractors. Some pointed out that the market was flooded with these products to the detriment of other makeup, while others posited that the sparkly, glittery, pastel and/or non-neutral color aesthetic does not automatically signify mermaids or unicorns. As Cheryl Wischhover wrote in a March 2017 article for the now-defunct Racked, “They all seem to hit shelves at the same time, and it feels overwhelming. What if, in the midst of all of this mermania, I just want one normal tube of mascara? Not everything needs to be unicorn-branded. That takes the fun out of the rare products with names like Unicorn Tears and You Can't Swim With Us. Because the point of unicorns and mermaids are to be rare. It's not rare if it's on every shelf...Plus, how do you even define what classifies as unicorn makeup? Many of the products in Tarte's new Make Believe In Yourself line don't actually have anything to do with said mythical creatures. They're just simply pastel and sparkly, or the same beloved products in limited-edition fantastical packages. Unless you have seen a unicorn with your own two eyes and can prove with facts that unicorns are always pastel and sparkly, I will maintain that my trusty black eyeliner, which I can buy from any line, any day of the year, is also fit for a unicorn. You know why? Because a unicorn isn't real, so therefore, a unicorn could be anything. And so for me, a unicorn could be as dark as my soul wants one to be.”

Beauty writer Sable Yong expands on this point, stating that “fun” makeup had essentially become co-opted by imaginary beings and ceased to have any other meaning. “I was totally fine with holographic highlighter and glittery hair until it became some sort of unicorn thing and suddenly I feel like I'm back in grade school arts and crafts class. No — what if I was going for more of a disco punk look? (I was). You can't have all glittery looks, unicorn beauty, I won't let you!...I mean, you could just strobe your face to the high heavens with glitter on your eyes and lips and have pastel hair and just be a really shiny person.” In other words, sometimes rainbows and glitter should just be rainbows and glitter, free of mermaid or unicorn connotations.

Still others argued that the aesthetic was simply unflattering and that companies should be putting their efforts into creating more practical makeup. Ashley Weatherford, an author at Into The Gloss (which, it should be noted, is the online publication produced by minimal makeup brand Glossier) stated in March 2017 that unicorn/mermaid makeup suits nobody. “What I cannot abide by (and I say this with sober sincerity) is overlooking that unicorn, mermaid, or rainbow makeup is hideous outside the confines of a My Little Pony cosplay meetup. If that’s your thing, please bedazzle your cheeks with all the rainbow glitter you can. If it’s not? Maybe stick to contouring,” she says.  A year later, writing for MTV UK online, Lucy Wood questions the usefulness of mermaid/unicorn makeup. “[Really,] how often are we gonna be reaching for the holographic purple lipstick and the pearlescent turquoise highlighter? Literally like once a year. Rocking up to work with pastel blue glitter eyebrows and full-on rainbows striped across your cheekbones probably isn't going to go down too well. So as fun as these products are and as colourful as they look in your collection, their cost per use is SO VERY EXPENSIVE...All things glitter, holographic and rainbow-coloured are always pitched as festival makeup, but errr...that means that we'll be using these mermaid bits and bobs for literally one day a year and then shoving it to the back of a drawer.”

The market was certainly oversaturated, with some companies carelessly producing uninspired, run-of-the-mill collections or products and simply slapping the mermaid/unicorn name on them. The sparkly, whimsical aesthetic did not align with everyone’s personal style and perhaps wasn’t as useful for the average woman as a plain black eyeliner. Having said that, the mermaid and unicorn trend provided a brief respite from a highly disturbing political and social atmosphere, an accomplishment that in hindsight is not as trivial as it seemed. The 2016-2017 wave of mythical creature-themed beauty products could be considered a counterpoint to “Make America Great Again,” the rallying cry for racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and misogyny. Essentially, mermaid makeup gave a much-needed release from increasingly emboldened right-wing conservatives.  The trend also spoke to the resilience of women and the LGTBQ community. As Kayleigh Donaldson posits, fantastical makeup, especially at that point in time, could actually be viewed as a form of resistance against the patriarchal status quo. She also points out that one can simultaneously indulge in mermaid/unicorn makeup and be politically engaged; the two are not mutually exclusive. “When you’re told to not make a fuss and blend in with the crowd lest you embarrass someone, the urge to explode with glitter and metallic is a mighty force. Unruliness in women is something we’re supposed to clamp down - don’t be loud, don’t backchat, don’t make a scene - so what better way to oppose that than being the mermaid of your dreams, dizzying and vibrant and impossible to dismiss? Besides, unicorns have horns and mermaids have teeth - being sparkly doesn’t mean they won’t fight hard when the time comes.” Although wearing unconventional makeup inspired by imaginary beings is not realistically a means of effecting true political change, it is, at the very least, an indication that one is unafraid to stand out. Adds Kristin Iversen for Nylon, “Even if the initial appeal of [mermaids and unicorns] is partly based on a desire to escape our dark surroundings, the fact remains that, rather than retreat to the kind of apocalypse-prepper fantasy of so many right wing lunatics, millennials are choosing to escape to a fantasy world populated by colorful, magical outsiders, the kind of creatures who might have endured persecution and torment, but who still choose to be proud of who they are, resolutely and unapologetically themselves in the face of despair—and that's not a bad way to be at all.” Given these statements, it seems that the major critiques of the mermaid/unicorn beauty trend – namely, that it was infantile, superficial and impractical - didn’t hold water.

*In the eyes of cosmetic companies, mermaid and unicorn makeup are one and the same, just with different packaging and marketing. However, the argument can be made that mermaid makeup leans more towards blue and green shades while unicorn makeup is characterized by purple and pink.