When James Charles, 19, became the first male face of CoverGirl, following in the steps of household names like Tyra Banks, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, he was just a high school senior. In his hometown, Bethlehem, N.Y., he would charge friends between $5 and $10 to do their makeup for special occasions and had amassed a few hundred thousand Instagram followers by posting his eye-catching D.I.Y. He recently attended this year’s camp-themed Met Gala, the biggest party in fashion. Mr. Charles is now at the center of an ongoing debate about betrayal among a passionate group of beauty vloggers, bona fide celebrities and the meme-makers of TikTok. He has lost about three million followers on YouTube; Miley Cyrus, Shawn Mendes and Kylie Jenner have all unfollowed him on Instagram.

Source: New York Times May 14, 2019 21:22 UTC