Recently, I was talking to my friend about what topics were popular on our TikTok “For You” pages and found that we both had the “Republican makeup” trend in common.

This trend isn’t exactly new, as I recall people making “Republicansonas” to the “God Made Girls” audio all the way back in 2021.

But it seems that this trend has resurfaced, especially in light of the new right-wing Trump administration and the growing anxieties of the political state in this country among some youth.

For the uninitiated, the “Republican makeup” trend is where left-leaning creators on TikTok put on makeup they think staunchly Republican women tend to wear.

This entails cakey matte foundation that’s too orange for your natural skin tone, super white concealer, an overly warm pink blush, thick black eyeliner all around the eyes, dry clumpy mascara, bright red lipstick that doesn’t match your outfit and bonus points if you can get a bleach blonde wig to finish the look!

Obviously, this trend is a form of political satire on the left.

But some creators have started to ponder why this is; why do some Republican women do their makeup like that?

From Marjorie Taylor Greene to Kellyanne Conway, Internet citizens believe female right-wing figureheads seem to all have this specific look.

I want to investigate some reasons behind why this might be.

The first thing that comes to my mind is religion.

I think a good look into how religion can play into how conservative women do their makeup is in the now-deleted video that Christian YouTuber duo Girl Defined posted on “How to Wear Makeup in a God Honoring Way.”

In this video, Girl Defined points to a specific Bible verse, from 1 Timothy 2:9-10, “likewise women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but what is proper for women who profess godliness with good works.”

She goes on to explain that the gold and pearls are referring to the “ungodly women” like “the temple prostitutes.”

So here we can see that some Christian women are expected to look presentable, yet not in an immodest or flashy way; hence, the way they are told wear makeup must show their purity.

I think this helps put into perspective some of the struggles young Christian girls might go through.

There is pressure to look good in some fundamentalist Christian circles, to highlight your “God-given natural beauty,” yet you can’t be too obsessed with your looks. This paradox can be confusing.

It also doesn’t help that there is a common thought in misogynistic online spaces that makeup is for shallow women or that underneath all that makeup, a woman is actually ugly.

For example, take this Reddit post from r/unpopular opinion: “I’m tired of seeing women who don’t look good without makeup pretending to be some exclusive model while also berating short men or ugly men.”

This is a common thought in harmful online spaces that women have it easy by being able to wear makeup.

I think that some conservative women might want to be seen like “one of the good ones” to win the approval of certain conservative men, so they try to wear minimal makeup to show that they aren’t shallow.

Yet, there is also an added expectation to look good, which might necessitate such makeup.

An interesting (and maybe controversial) point that many TikTokers have pointed out is that Republican makeup also looks a lot like the makeup adult film stars wear.

I think that this makes sense because the appearances of both groups are heavily dependent on the preferences of men, as some conservative women have traditional views of how women should live under the patriarchy. Naturally, they comply with the beauty standards of men.

However, I also think that this comment only really applies to adult films from the 2000s.

Or honestly, any makeup from the 2000s.

For example, the orangey foundation really reminds me of what Christina Aguilera looked like back then.

Now, social media might change this trend; however, because of how personalized algorithms are, if you aren’t actively looking for makeup content, you might not come across all of the hottest fashion trends online.

All in all, there are many factors that could explain why some Republican women have that similar makeup look.

Throughout the 2010s, the right poked fun at leftists by portraying them as “Blue Haired Feminists,” transphobic caricatures and “Social Justice Warriors.” The new Republican makeup trend flips the script, making the right the center of ridicule, poking fun of their perceived tackiness.

At the end of the day, this trend only furthers the political divide in the U.S., as the left and the right are pitted more and more against each other.

As social media algorithms push more extreme and radical content to users, this trend seems to be another case of political polarization.