What\u27s Behind the Mask? A Qualitative Study of How Male Makeup Vloggers Perform Alternative Identities

The purpose of this study is to see how male makeup artists Manny Mua and jeffreestar construct an identity and create a more inclusive masculinity though their YouTube videos. There is much scholarship on identity, gender, and performativity, but little research on the topic of men using makeup to construct an identity online. Therefore, this research fills a gap in scholarship on gender performativity online. For this study, I watched a selection of each makeup artist\u27s videos and looked for repeated behaviors and actions. The findings revealed three major themes: self-disclosure and the creation of a unique persona, the creation of an alternative masculinity, and the use of makeup and YouTube as both a stage to perform and a shield to hide insecurities. Keywords: gender, performativity, masculinity, makeup, alternative masculinity, YouTub