Update: In case you blinked, the internet has been buzzing about Kylie Jenner's new blushes like it were 1 am at a club on Saturday. Some can't get behind the scandalous names — "Barely Legal" and "Virginity" are the biggest offenders, according to Twitter — while others are thoroughly jazzed. No matter where you stand on the spectrum, brace yourself for the big drop: They'll be available at 3 pm PST today — so be sure to click here when the big moment comes.
This story was originally published on March 22.
Better Than Sex mascara. G-Spot blush. Spank Me eyeshadow. Shade names are to beauty products what creepy music is to slasher films: a vehicle that can be used to drive up the shock value. Frankly, whether a pink-speckled nail polish screams "Pussy Galore" to you is irrelevant — the moniker only needs to be marginally related to the item at hand to be hilarious. So can you really blame a brand for giving a seen-it-all-before color a provocative name? Apparently, you can, because the internet is up in arms over Kylie Cosmetics' latest launch.
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When the company announced yesterday that it would be releasing five matte blushes in a range of colors — from bright fuchsia to ballerina pink — on Friday, the fans lit up. Then, they read the shade names. Then, some got upset. Two in particular caused an uproar: "Barely Legal," a dusty rose, and "Virginity," a deep fuchsia.
can kylie jenner not sexualize young women w her blush names like "virginity" and "barely legal" like ........
— edamami (@purgatories) March 21, 2017
Now I do love @KylieJenner but I do find labeling something"Barely Legal" inappropriate especially when the theme is so sexual. pic.twitter.com/vkVQ3Cfue5
— Farah ☥ (@farahorsomethin) March 21, 2017
how could you call a makeup product 'barely legal' ? kylie jenner should be fucking ashamed of herself
— Liz Buckley (@MissLizBuckley) March 21, 2017
Seriously @KylieJenner, choose better names for your products. You have 12+ year old fans! "Barely Legal" "Virginity" ?
— Girl About Toon (@GirlAboutToon_) March 21, 2017
People called them out for crossing the line from sexy to inappropriate, and blamed Jenner for trying to normalize her relationship with Tyga (the two are eight years apart). One Twitter user even went so far as to say, "Kylie Jenner named one of her blushes "barely legal" maybe just to remind everyone?"
There's no word yet from Jenner or her brand regarding whether or not there will be an update to the products launching this Friday, but if we had to speculate, we imagine the savvy businesswoman knew exactly what she was doing this go-around. After all, no one (except the POTUS) knows better than the Kardashians that nothing sells quite like a nice mix of sex and controversy.
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