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Not Just Another Pretty Face: MAC Introduces Wonder Woman Makeup

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I like to think of Team FBOTU as something akin to a queer Charlie’s Angels, only instead of taking our orders from Charlie (who may or may not be Blake Carrington from Dynasty), we take our orders via texts/emails from Chance (who may or may not be intoxicated). So, when I received a message to check out the new limited-edition line of Wonder Woman cosmetics from MAC and DC Comics (a team up I never thought I’d see), I quickly said, “Of course, I’ll hop right on it!” Which, coincidentally, was something I’d also told my date the night before. But that’s another story.

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In the interest of full disclosure, I have to confess that I know little or nothing about makeup and its application. I’ve always had female friends, but when they start talking face paint, I nod, smile and promptly tune them out. The closest I’ve come to applying makeup would be my cherry Chapstick. (Katy Perry, eat your heart out.) So, I’m thinking to myself, how am I going to discuss a line of makeup, when I don’t know a thing about it? I decided go over to my friend Jodi’s house for a drink and to see her new baby, which turned out to be a brand new monogrammed Louis Vuitton duffel bag. But that’s not all. Lo and behold, like a shiny golden lasso of truth, she also had a MAC bag full of Wonder Woman cosmetics, proving once and for all that hags are good for so much more than just an awkward date to senior prom!

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The line includes mascaras, skin finishes, lipsticks, eye shadows, nail lacquers, brush sets and accessories. Admittedly, I was somewhat jealous of the golden utility belt brush set and compact mirror. I also enjoyed the accompanying marketing materials, describing the sets as BOLD, OVERSIZED and JUMBO-BIG! Apparently MAC knows their target audience may not be limited to just women. The best part, though, is the packaging. Madman artist Mike Allred’s wraparound box art is pop culture perfect.

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I’d love to see the art turned into prints at some point. The Wonder Woman logo is stamped in shiny golden foil evocative of her famous tiara. The bright red stars, bulletproof blues and yellows all scream the Wonder Woman of the 70s and early 80s. I could totally see Lynda Carter saving the world, while maintaining a flawless look with the help of her MAC makeup.

The obvious irony here is using the most famous feminist icon in the world to sell makeup. DC has never known quite what to do with Wonder Woman, which has led to several camps always warring over her identity: the ones who want her to be Lynda Carter flying her invisible jet; the ones who want her completely reinvented for the modern world; and the ones who fall somewhere in the middle. DC seems to want to pander to everyone and no one all at once, so they straddle the line, giving the old schoolers makeup campaigns and a new Ally McBeal-inspired Wonder Woman series, while the reinventers get the new direction in the comics, and the middle grounders get the animated movie appearances. Marvel never seems to have this identity crisis with their female superheroines. But, then again, the most the Invisible Woman ever did for feminism was change her name from “girl” to “woman.”

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I’m just looking at the MAC makeup line as pure fun. It actually reminds me of when Avon used superheroes for their mirrors and bubble baths back in the late 70s. I still have those Batman and Superman bubble bath bottles, and yes, even a Wonder Woman mirror, all decorating my bathroom. I predict a sellout for MAC and hope to see them expand the line in the future. Maybe by then I can learn how to properly apply this lash-eye brush thingy. In the meantime, my lip-gloss be poppin’.

The MAC line of Wonder Woman makeup and accessories is available at maccosmetics.com or wherever Amazonian war paint is sold.

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