New York City is getting a makeup museum in 2020

Makeup divas, our time is coming!

2020 is going to be an exciting year. New York City will be getting a makeup museum and I can not wait to see what’s in it. I hope they have the good, the bad and the ugly history of makeup. I hope to see iconic makeup artists honored like Pat McGarth, Kevyn Aucoin and Sam Fine. I am so excited! I can’t even contain myself right now. It will be in the meatpacking district so expect a bougie crowd near the museum. One of the featured exhibits will center Marilyn Monroe and Greta Gabo and their roles in the beauty industry. According to the reports, visitors will be allowed to play in the selected makeup exhibits.

I hope the museum showcases Black women and their influence on the beauty industry. Even though Black women and other women of color aren’t always represented, Black culture has a significant impact on the makeup and beauty culture. M.A.C cosmetics, for example, built a broader fanbase in the mid to early 2000s with the hip-hop aesthetic of Black women such as Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliot, Aaliyah and Mary J. Blige.

I also hope that pop culture and decade trends are explored too. I would love to see how makeup has evolved from the ’50s through the 90s. With the influence of music, capitalism and sexual liberation, makeup is not just about the application but self-expression, identity and artistic flare. I also hope that the museum covers different types of applications and uses for makeup like theater, prosthetics and medical makeup.

Overall, I am excited. The beauty has a long and some would say evil capitalistic history ( remember the connection between whales and lipsticks back in the day?) that I would see explored. The beauty industry, for the most part, stops testing on animals recently. I want to say 2007 is when I started noticing more vegan brands. Urban Decay was on the first brands I recall highlighting they were vegan-friendly. Remember OCC makeup? They were vegan as well.

For what it’s worth, the makeup museum will at least offer historical context to the beauty industry and how collections are formed and influenced by pop culture.