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What Is The Meaning Of 'Republican Makeup'? Memes Mocking Stereotypical Republican Women's Makeup Trends Explained
Republican women have been catching strays for their perceived makeup skills this past week, but the criticism is not a recent phenomenon.
Beauty influencer Suzanne Lambert is going viral for a video she posted months ago in which she joked about how all the Republican girls in her comments section had a similar makeup style, and so she was going to set out on a mission to replicate it.
Lambert's jaw-droppingly awful final look immediately became a viral meme in liberal circles online, with people pulling up the photo of an over-bronzed, overlined Lambert to compare it to notable Republican women like Nancy Mace. But Lambert wasn't the first one to joke about a "Republican-sona."
Here's how the "Republican Makeup" trend got its start and spread online, as well as the meaning of "Republicansona."
Where Did The Idea of A 'Republican-sona' Come From?
Discussions about famous Republican media personalities conforming to a specific "look" can be traced as far back as 2012 when The Atlantic published an article about why female Fox News anchors noticeably wore more makeup than their contemporaries on MSNBC or C-SPAN.
Several years later, in 2017, The Guardian published an article about why Fox News anchors were all blonde women with strikingly similar features, all reportedly accentuated and made uniform using similar makeup techniques.
!But one of the earliest notable viral discussions about a Republican makeup look was kicked off on TikTok in 2021 when user @juulduc posted a video with an on-screen caption that read, "transforming into my republican-sona." The caption was a play on the term "Fursona," which is, in turn, a play on the idea of creating one's alternate persona.
In the clip, @juulduc applies makeup while lip-dubbing to the song "God Made Girls" by RaeLynn, describing each technique via on-screen text as she goes, including using "lots of bronzer" and "so much mascara." At the end of the video, @juulduc strikes a pose next to on-screen text reading, "I ❤️ serving men."
The account has since been deactivated, but evidence of the OG trend is still alive on TikTok in the form of similar videos inspired by @juulduc's content.
@zuaree republican-sona time 😁✨
How Did Memes About 'Republican Makeup' Start Making The Rounds in 2025?
On November 16th, 2024, TikToker @itssuzannelambert posted a video showing her take on "Republican Makeup," gathering over 5 million views on a video where she uses the wrong shade of foundation, too-light lipstick, too many eyebrow products, and overlines her eyelids. TikToker @cherrycokefanclub69 tried her hand at the trend too, inadvertently making a look that went viral cross-platform.
@itssuzannelambert Dont miss the surprise at the end! Let me know how i did 🤩🤩
@cherrycokefanclub69 Ts crazy yall bootlickers look almost as dumb as u actually are, so glad im canadian #circusfreak #republican #trump2024🇺🇸 #republicanmakeup #cakeymakeup #maga #magacult #ihatefacists #yahtzeesarebad ♬ الصوت الأصلي – 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫
In early February 2025, X user @morewingspls reposted the final look to Twitter and gathered over 200,000 likes in short order, prompting other Twitter users to pause and consider who @itssuzannelambert seemed to resemble with her "Republican Makeup."
By February 10th, several Twitter users had pulled up examples of people they thought fit the bill, with two very popular choices being politician Nancy Mace and former soccer player Brittany Mahomes.
For the full history of Republican Makeup, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
