Ethan was positively beaming as his dream of mastering the art of drag makeup was made possible by a MAC genie.
The 8-year-old boy’s dream was made possible thanks to Florida-based MAC cosmetics artist Joey Killmeyerm who has been in the industry for 15 years.
Ethan was accompanied by his mother to the MAC store where he told Joey of his desire to learn how to do makeup the way he had seen Jeffree Star do it in one of his many makeup tutorials on Youtube.
When Ethan and his mother walked into the MAC store, he told Killmeyer that he wanted to learn how to do makeup like he had seen on the Internet through various YouTube videos, such as makeup tutorials.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Joey shares that he felt an instant connection with young Ethan, saying he saw a lot of himself in the young boy.
He told The Huffington Post that Ethan picked it up quickly. After Joey had put makeup on half of his face, Ethan replicated it exactly on the the other side. Ethan also expressed his desire to put makeup on others and he thinks learning how to apply it to his own face will help achieve this skill.
“I was so touched by his mom and that she was allowing him to do this,” Joey said. “It is about being creative, having fun and being yourself. And that is what Ethan’s mom is letting him do.”
Ethan’s mom Season Wilwert hopes that her openness and encouragement of her son’s creativity will inspire parents to accept and encourage the uniqueness and individuality of their kids. She wants parents to be open-minded and to embrace the complexity of gender.
READ: How to nurture your child’s creativity with just 10 minutes a day
“Children need to be loved unconditionally, nurtured and encouraged to discover themselves through their true talents and passions,” she said. “By doing so, and receiving the necessary support from parents, they are building confidence and security in who they are. We as parents should be our child’s biggest cheerleader.”
She further expresses her desire for society to recalibrate their thinking on what gender roles mean and to ditch stereotypes and to accept facts such as a boy who longs to learn how to put on makeup so he can express himself artistically.
She further adds, “This does not define his gender identity nor his sexual preference. He’s just exploring and being a kid! Being judgmental and close-minded on such issues not only is hurtful to our children, but it also inhibits their freedom of self-expression and prevents the opportunity for them to embrace their true identities.”
Way to go, Season! Ethan is truly lucky to have you as a mom.
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