Manny Gutierrez (Manny Mua): 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

A man has been chosen for the first time as a brand ambassador for Maybelline makeup.

His name is Manny Gutierrez, and, at just age 25, he’s already a major social media star, who repeatedly posts photos of himself with full, vivid makeup on Instagram and YouTube. He’s part of a growing trend of men wearing makeup and altering gender stereotypes, and his career online has exploded in just a few short years.

He calls himself a “beauty YouTuber.” He’s also been very open with fans about coming out as gay and his life growing up Mormon.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. Gutierrez Is Featured in a Maybelline Advertisement for Mascara

Maybelline is featuring Gutierrez in its campaign to launch Big Shot Mascara by Colossal. “Gutierrez will star alongside fellow beauty guru Shayla Mitchell (Makeup By Shayla),” Racked reported.

Racked reported that cosmetics companies showcasing male models wearing makeup is a new trend, citing James Charles for CoverGirl and Thomas Halbert for MAC, among others.

Gutierrez is one of a group of “wildly popular” men who wear makeup who have been nicknamed “beauty boys,” Elle Magazine reported.

On Instagram, Gutierrez said he was honored and wrote, “Thank you to Maybelline for taking a chance on me!”


2. Gutierrez Has Millions of Followers on Social Media

Even before the Maybelline brand ambassador publicity boost, Gutierrez had quite a following on social media.

He has more than 3 million followers on Instagram and almost 2.2 million YouTube subscribers. Net Worth reported that he didn’t even start his YouTube channel until 2014 and estimates his net worth at about $350,000.

Gutierrez, who goes by the name of Manny Mua on social media, has been dubbed a “beauty vlogger.”

Fans consider his YouTube videos “hilarious” and “informative.” His YouTube channel MannyMua733 “focuses on giving beauty tips to fashion enthusiasts,” according to TheFamousPeople.com.


3. Manny Became Entranced With Makeup as a Child

Gutierrez told Teen Vogue he’s been fascinated with makeup since he was a child watching his mother put it on. His parents were young parents. He considers her his beauty icon.

“As a child, I would watch my mom get ready for work and just sit there for hours watching her transform. However, it wasn’t until much later on that I really started to dabble in makeup myself,” he told the magazine.

On YouTube, he said that he spent his childhood trying to make his parents happy by playing sports and getting straight As.

Now, he says, he feels he tried to be a perfectionist because deep down he knew something was different about himself. He said that he would prefer to play with girls at recess.


4. Gutierrez Left Medical School to Become a Makeup Artist

Switching from medical school to a career as a makeup artist at first caused Gutierrez some family problems, he told Teen Vogue.

He worked at Sephora and MAC counters in a mall. He started posting photos on Instagram and befriended another Internet star, Patrick Simondac, reported the magazine.

They met at a makeup convention, reported Refinery29, and refer to themselves, according to the site, as “everything from ‘brothers’ to ‘best friends’ to ‘married’ (in the work-wife sort of way).”

Gutierrez lives in San Diego, Refinery29 reported, quoting Gutierrez as saying, “I get hate every single day, saying I’m gay [and] going to hell, or that I don’t know what I’m doing or that I need help.” Gutierrez said wearing makeup makes him feel empowered, the site reported.


5. Gutierrez Was Raised in a Mormon Household That Outed Him as Gay in Church

Gutierrez grew up in California in a household of “liberal Mormons,” reported Marie Claire.

Gutierrez posted a lengthy video about coming out as gay on YouTube. “I am gay,” he said, and he realized he “liked boys” in the transition years from junior high to high school. You can watch it here:

The video has had more than 1 million views. In the video, he says, “I grew up in church. Went to church every Sunday…I did everything. I was a good Mormon boy.” He says he is the first born child, and he has two brothers.He was “terrified” when he realized he was gay, and he would pray to stop it.

His parents discovered he was gay when he was 17 and they found messages he had written to a boy, he says in the video. At first, they sent him to counseling to “try to reverse the effects of being gay.” After six months, he knew it wasn’t working, and he became depressed. His parents told him they wanted him to be happy and paused counseling.  He kissed a boy for the first time when he went into college.

He added, according to Marie Claire, “I got straight As in school. I was the perfect child, except this one aspect of myself. It was very, very difficult at first, but we got through it and here I am, lashes and all.”