Breaking Beauty Standards with Out Magazine's Phillip Picardi

Tell us why you decided to partner with Birchbox?
Ive spent practically my whole life obsessed with testing, trying, and buying beauty products. The idea that I could spread the love and have a curated box arrive right on someones doorstep was almost too good to be true.


What is your personal connection to beauty and/or grooming?
When I was a kid, I used to lock myself in the bathroom and play with my hair and my mothers makeup for hours. Beauty became such an important refuge for me, and a way to experiment with gender and ideas of masculinity from the safety of my own home. Before I was ready to show the world exactly who I am, beauty products and the art of makeup helped me come to terms with the person in the mirror.

Why is beauty and grooming so relevant to the LGBTQ community specifically?
LGBTQ+ people have been the muses and originators of so many trends youve seen all over the world for so many decades. Rarely, however, are we placed front and center in major advertising campaigns. I know it to be true that many queer and trans folks seek out beauty, makeup, and hair as ways of playing with and forming our true selves. So, theres an added layer of power in some of our relationships to cosmetics.


What is your perspective on the beauty/grooming industry?
My hope for the beauty industry is that we continue to make strides towards better representation. We need more faces of all kinds, more honesty and candor, and more transparency into ingredients. I also hope that one day, the beauty industry can join forces and work towards resolutions on more eco-friendly packaging and product. As for the grooming industry? I hope we can retire some of our outdated ideas of what men want and realize that most men, above all, want stuff that works! So put down the 3-in-1 and lets get to educating!

In your eyes, what is the future of beauty and grooming?
I see the beauty industry tweaking its formulas to make less environmental impact. I see makeup and skincare being marketed with gender as no object. And I see far less airbrushing.