Photo: BJ Pascual for The Advocate

Beauty influencers and entrepreneurs Patrick Starrr, Plastique Tiara, Patrick Ta, and Michelle Phan star on the cover of The Advocate’s Jan/Feb. 2022 issue. This cover is an important one for representation. Asian Americans are rarely welcome in media and entertainment spaces, and LGBTQ+ Asian Americans are welcome even less so.

“Even being a gay Asian, I feel like there’s a stereotype within that. It’s still a huge thing. I feel really lucky because there’s so many strong, especially Vietnamese, makeup artists right now that are doing such amazing things and really just paving a new pathway for their families and our country and our culture,” says makeup artist Patrick Ta. “When I first started doing makeup, my parents were not into it, were not ecstatic about that. But being able to find success within this company, they are beyond proud of me now. And there’s no better feeling than having your family and the people where you come from root for you, because we’re basically all like one. We’re the minorities to everyone else out there, so I feel like we really have to support one another.” Ta is known for his looks for celebrities like Shay Mitchell, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande. He’s also the founder of his namesake brand, Patrick Ta Beauty.

“The reality is that there are a crazy amount of Asian people that exist in the population, but we weren’t in media for so long until recently,” says veteran beauty influencer Michelle Phan. “Just seeing that is so important, and I believe it’s going to have an impact on our culture in a positive way. Our generation, we grew up with parents who wanted us to be doctors and lawyers, and now you have the new generation where they’re exploring more of the artistic, creative side, which I believe our parents and the previous generation didn’t really have a chance to explore. Even in culture and the arts and what Asians are bringing to that, I’m so excited to see what’s going to happen.” Phan was one of the first YouTube beauty influencers, and she is the founder of EM Cosmetics.

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