Ulta Beauty apparently tried to portray the brand as being all-inclusive by posting a clip of a transgender woman discussing her feminine goals and achievements, but the internet is calling it an epic fail and critical fans are calling for a boycott.
Ulta posted an advertisement for an upcoming episode of the company’s podcast, “The Beauty Of…,” hosted by David Lopez. During the episode, transgender woman Dylan Mulvaney discussed the pride she felt in being able to have a family and be mom, but the clip seems to have completely backfired and now, Ulta is facing heavy backlash online.
The internet erupted with opposing views of the podcast ad. Some critics said Mulvaney was appropriating womanhood and using the Ulta brand as a means of attaining the femininity they allege she can’t rightfully lay claim to as a transgender person.
— Alexandra Lains 🇺🇸 (@realalexlains) October 16, 2022
Some users indicated they will be switching to Sephora or other beauty brands, signaling the ad was too much and claiming they have abandoned shopping at Ulta altogether.
I was there once a week at least. Have made my final trip. Hi Sephora.
— Commonsensical Human (@Lol19559014) October 16, 2022
“The minute you start talking about girlhood and motherhood as if you can biologically experience it yourself, that’s where I really draw the line. Women, take your business away from Ulta,” one user, Alexandra Lains, said.
You will never get another dollar of mine. Hope you enjoy the drop in profits that comes with mocking the vast majority of your customer base.
— Buffy the misogynist slayer (cervix haver) (@Opiumbrella) October 15, 2022
Lains went on to slam the ad, saying it represented “two biological men talking about girlhood.”
“No you absolutely cannot be and never will be a mother,” she said, adding, “Women are not a fetish.”
Lains insisted the ad was “essentially two males mansplaining what it is to be a woman,” and said, “Ulta beauty is now Ulta delusional.”
Okay done with Ulta. Bye bye.
— Darla Shine (@DarlaShine) October 17, 2022
Ulta Beauty also came under fire for apparently hiding messages that were not complimentary to their ad. Some users took screenshots of the messages and posted them for everyone to see first-hand, despite Ulta’s alleged efforts to conceal the criticism.
How many replies are you going to hide, @ultabeauty? pic.twitter.com/XRGTaGFwZg
— Terry Schilling 🇺🇸 (@Schilling1776) October 16, 2022