Christian Wilkins: ‘Make-up is for everyone’

Christian Wilkins opens up about make-up, gender fluidity, and why shows like the new Gossip Girl are making way for the new normal.

You’d be hard pressed to find a bigger fan of the generation-defining noughties TV melodrama Gossip Girl than Christian Wilkins. At high school, the model and actor tailored his school blazer to make it more form fitting and had his prefect tie remade in silk.

“I’d coif my hair and wear patent-leather shoes. I was highly inspired by Gossip Girl. I just wanted to be [character] Chuck Bass,” he tells Stellar On Friday.

“I thought he was so lush.”

“When we can see stories that we relate to, it does make it more normal.” (Picture: James Evans)

So it’s no surprise that Wilkins, the son of Nine Network entertainment editor and Weekend Today co-host Richard Wilkins, was all too happy to team up with Binge to celebrate a new reimagining of the show, which premiered last night – especially as this time round, the series is populated with a far more diverse cast than the original.

“Any time one of your favourite shows is redone there’s a little bit of fear as to what’s going to happen,” Wilkins says.

“But just looking at the cast, you can see they’ve made sure to include stories that actually reflect the wider community.

“It makes me really excited as an obviously very proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community to know that not only is my favourite show getting remade but it’s also getting made with stories that I can see myself in.”

Stellar On Friday can also reveal that Wilkins is the face of a new Gossip Girl-inspired lip range, released to mark the program’s reinvention.

The 26-year-old, who walked in last month’s Australian Fashion Week for iconic local brands Romance Was Born and Camilla Franks, says he’s proud to be a part of an inclusive make-up range that caters for everyone.

Find more exclusives in this Sunday’s Stellar.

“I love that make-up and the world of beauty has changed so much that it really is somewhere diverse and for everyone. Anyone can embrace that,” he explains.

“Eventually, through shows like [Gossip Girl] and other things, topics like gender fluidity become part of the public consciousness. When we can see stories that we relate to, it does make it more normal. And I think that is what leads to wider acceptance.”

For a chance to get your hands on the special Gossip Girl Edition x Binge Lipstick Range, post an image, video or story on Instagram, telling Binge why you’re loving the new Gossip Girl, and tag and follow @Binge.

But be quick – it’s for a limited time only. For T&Cs, visit binge.com.au/gossipgirl. Gossip Girl is now streaming on Binge, with new weekly episodes each Thursday.