Maybelline Updates Iconic Slogan With New Punctuation and Pronouns
Maybelline Updates Iconic Slogan With New Punctuation and Pronouns
Maybelline has officially retired its famous 1991 slogan, replacing the phrase 'Maybe she’s born with it' with a new iteration that shifts from singular to plural pronouns and alters punctuation. The update, launched in a campaign featuring Miley Cyrus, has drawn mixed reactions regarding its grammatical structure and inclusive messaging.
Maybelline New York has retired its iconic 1991 tagline, replacing the phrase "Maybe she’s born with it" with a new version that alters both pronouns and punctuation. The updated slogan, "Maybe. We’re born with it. Maybe. It’s Maybelline.," was unveiled as part of a new campaign featuring actress Miley Cyrus.
The change marks a significant departure from the original jingle, which featured model Christy Turlington and remained largely unchanged for 35 years. The new iteration replaces the singular "she" with the plural "we," shifting the perspective to be more inclusive. Additionally, the brand has replaced the single comma in the original phrase with four full stops.
Sandrine Jolly, global brand president of Maybelline New York, explained the rationale behind the update in an interview with WWD. She stated that the previous jingle created ambiguity and functioned as a question. The new punctuation is intended to transform "maybe" from a word of doubt or hesitation into a definitive statement of possibility.
"The ‘maybe’ is not a doubt or a hesitation any more," Jolly said. "‘Maybe’, period, is a statement of possibility, and that is what we want to be for women."
The grammatical shift has sparked immediate debate among consumers. Social media reactions have been mixed, with some users criticizing the punctuation choices as incorrect while others viewed the pronoun change as a positive step toward inclusivity.
One commenter on WWD’s Instagram post noted an "eye twitching" at the misplaced periods, describing the choice as terrible grammar. Another user joked that the phrasing resembled dialogue from the television series Succession, highlighting the unusual cadence of the new slogan.
The campaign featuring Cyrus aims to modernize the brand's voice while maintaining its long-standing association with beauty and self-expression. The update represents one of the most notable changes to Maybelline’s marketing identity since the original slogan was introduced in the early 1990s.
C.M.Diaz--ESF
