Unknown Artist, Maybe She’s Born With It, n.d. print on paper 18 in. x 24 in. (45.72 cm x 60.96 cm) Bequest of David P. Becker, Class of 1970 2011.69.375
There is little known about this print besides its name: Maybe She’s Born With It. The inclusion of those five words drastically changes the interpretations and meaning of the background image. Without the slogan, the print depicts a woman in a burqa, perhaps open to religious analysis, however, with the slogan, the woman in a burqa is meant to be viewed through an entirely different lens: that of Western beauty standards.
Maybelline came up with this famous tagline in 1990, and by 2013, it was declared “the most recognizable strapline of the past 150 years.” The common phrase is associated with a flawless white woman’s face. The woman upholds all of the stereotypical beauty standards, displays confidence, and shows some skin. The woman depicted in this print is quite the opposite. She is slouched over with sad, tired eyes, which are her only exposed feature.
Juxtaposing the Middle Eastern woman with the famous Western slogan serves multiple purposes, the most important of which is to highlight the exclusivity of the West’s beauty standards. These signifiers of beauty have been created and refined by men and have been present in art for centuries, leaving millions of women feeling neglected.
Sources:
Parsons, Russell. “Maybelline’s ‘Maybe She’s Born With It’ Strapline ‘Most Recognisable’.” Marketing Week, 16 Sept. 2013, www.marketingweek.com/maybellines-maybe-shes-born-with-it-strapline-most-recognisable/.