The Inspiring Reason This Father/Son Duo Wore Identical Makeup Looks for Father's Day

Spencer Claus, a 16-year-old aspiring makeup artist (and #LipGoals incarnate), didn't have enough money to buy his mother a present on Mother's Day. Instead of drawing up a makeshift card, he gifted her with what he knew best: a full makeup look.  

Claus recreated the look he is known for onto his mother and tweeted, "like mother like son." 

A month later, for Father's Day, Claus did just the same, this time with his father. Similar images, but it was the latter of which that went viral, garnering over 10,000 retweets. 

Why? "The one with my dad was more of an inside joke just because my dad is so un-glamorous," Claus said in an interview. "It started out just being funny for us but turned out to be an example of parenting done right." 

While comments on his Father's Day image range from "My heart is melting," to "Best dad in the world," Claus, who identifies as genderqueer, has received a fair share of hate since he started wearing makeup. 

"I get a lot of people saying that makeup isn't natural on men and my response to that is that makeup isn't natural on anyone," he said. "It's none of your damn business who wears makeup and who doesn't. I think a lot of boys use it as a means to express femininity, which I definitely do." 

But one thing that has been consistent as he experimented with makeup, is the support of his parents, as seen in the above images. 

"I came out of the womb with jazz hands and until I was 13 my mom would gently ask me once every couple months, "Do you think maybe you like boys?" he said. "They were trying to pry open the closet long before I even know there was a closet. Everything else — theater, school, work — they've been fantastically supportive of too." 

In a society where men like Claus are often bullied or excluded for blurring these gender lines, he hopes that this post can highlight how important family support is. 

"If I could teach people one thing from these images or from my work it would be this: Parents, embracing your kid is so much easier than trying to change them," he said. "Whatever endeavors I choose, [my parents] support me whole-heartedly. Makeup was just another one of those things! So, teens, live your life; parents, help them do it. It could end up being really fun." 

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