Wheaties Can Wait: Caitlyn Jenner Models for MAC and H&M

Gigi Gorgeous may be a pioneer in the world of transgender branding, but she is not a lone one.

When Caitlyn Jenner revealed her own transition a year ago, posing for Vanity Fair and sitting down with Diane Sawyer, the world saw a former Olympic athlete turned into a glamour babe.

John Demsey, executive group president of the Estée Lauder companies, saw a future spokeswoman for MAC Cosmetics.

“Honestly, the instant it happened, it seemed totally within the philosophy and the history of what the brand was about,” said Mr. Demsey, referring to a lineage of inclusive marketing that includes K. D. Lang, Elton John, Boy George and, in 1994, the drag queen RuPaul.

Ms. Jenner first met Mr. Demsey and his colleagues in August. She collaborated with MAC’s product development group on the lipstick’s mild mauve shade, which is notably less bold than, say, the bubble gum color that Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin promoted for Viva Glam lipstick. (Sales of both items support the MAC AIDS Fund, of which Mr. Demsey is chairman.)

“We brought her a portfolio of products that we thought would be great for her and great for anyone else regardless,” Mr. Demsey said. “What she wanted, most importantly, was something that would sell to the most amount of people, that would raise the most amount of money.” (Ms. Jenner declined a request for comment.)

While MAC would not disclose the terms of Ms. Jenner’s partnership, it is one of many potentially lucrative deals that have emerged since her transition.

Last June, she signed a deal with CAA Speakers, one of the country’s largest talent and speaker agencies. The E! series that documents her life as a woman, “I Am Cait,” is in its second season.

And last month, H&M announced that Ms. Jenner would be the face of its athletic clothing line, H&M Sports.

“We have picked Caitlyn Jenner, one of the world’s most celebrated athletes, as part of this H&M Sports campaign because we want to illustrate that everything is possible — in sports, and in life,” an H&M spokesman said in a statement, adding that the collection would “celebrate individuality and self belief.”

One brand that seems to be keeping her at arm’s length is Wheaties, which famously featured Bruce Jenner on its box in 1977.

“Bruce Jenner has been a respected member of Team Wheaties, and Caitlyn Jenner will continue to be,” Mike Siemienas, a representative of Wheaties’ parent company, General Mills, said in a statement. Asked whether Ms. Jenner may get her own moment on a box, Mr. Siemienas said, “We do not discuss our future marketing plans.”

Mr. Demsey did not want to wait for the future. “Here was this iconic individual who defined what it meant to be an Olympian,” he said. “To have the courage and the personal conviction to do something like this was a seismic moment.”

Written By SHEILA MARIKAR

Source: New York Times