The most lionized of today’s social media fixtures can transcend their bite-sized format to invoke the stardom of a boy band, pop singer or explosive actor. The reaction they elicit from their avid followers is not just fanaticism, but a full-on, Beatle Mania-type craze. Bach Buquen, the 19-year-old TikTok phenom, represents this dynamic more than anyone. Initially an emerging teen icon for his calisthenics clips and boyish good looks, his practice of unabashedly wearing makeup has since positioned him as a harbinger of a new kind of masculinity. For VMAN’s pre-fall digital cover, we sat down with Buquen to hear about how he started making content, his laissez-faire approach to makeup and what’s to come.

In person, Buquen is exuberant. When we conducted our photo shoot, his magnetism lit up the room as he eagerly introduced himself to every member of the crew. He wanted to chat about New York City (where he moved only five months ago), dogs, his gratitude for doing the shoot and anything else that popped up. When I told him I had a dog, he grinned when giddily telling me he has two golden retrievers, sighing to reveal that they’re back in France.

Buquen grew up in the Sixth in Paris, “my favorite neighborhood,” he tells me. His mother was formerly an actress, and so he grew up around fashion, but was originally into sports—almost every one. “I started making content almost two years ago now, mainly for fun, centered around sports. Like my favorite calisthenics,” he tells me, before listing a litany of other athletic exploits: “I played rugby. I did ballet for seven years, so for a long part of my life. I did wrestling, swimming, a little bit of everything.”

When I ask Buquen about makeup, he doesn’t view it as a move to challenge masculinity; he simply liked using it, which is perhaps a representation of how masculinity has evolved for the younger generation. “I started using makeup in middle school, because I had pimples, and so I took my mother’s concealer in the morning to hide them very quickly before I went to school,” he explains matter-of-factly. Today, as fans of his TikTok will know, he still maintains a regular makeup routine. “I start with a foundation after breakfast. It’s very light, but there are different steps. A bit of foundation, eyeliner, also a bit of eyebrow gel, and blush.”

Around six months into producing his calisthenics content, he introduced makeup videos while simply revealing a glimpse of his day-to-day. Implementing makeup content wasn’t as much a “content direction” decision as it was just showcasing something that is part of his life.

When we turn to the future, Buquen is overflowing with excitement. He recently moved to New York City and has been loving it: “The most exciting thing at the moment is my new life here in the US, because I truly like it. I can’t wait to discover more of the city. I’m 19 years old, I’m very young. To explore a new city like this, and to move in the city alone is huge. It’s already one of my favorites.” Amid an overflowing work and travel schedule, he’s eager to embark on a new part of his career. “I have so many projects, but I’m really excited because I’m going to start streaming soon,” he grins to me via a video call from Paris. “It will be sports, chatting, some gameplay, going to work everywhere in the cities or in different countries. A bit of everything.”

Skincare is more than just part of Buqeun’s commitment to looking good, but part of an overall ethos about feeling his best. “Working out is one of my favorite things, because it helps me to breathe a bit, charge my mind. I love to take care of me,” he says.

Despite amassing more than 10 million followers across his platforms, Buquen tells me that he feels his audience still doesn’t know everything about his personality. “I love to visit art galleries in my spare time,” he says before expanding more broadly with youthful excitement—something that courses through almost every word he utters: “I just love to discover and create new things.”

Photography Isaac Anthony

Fashion Nicola Formichetti

Creative Director / Editor-in-Chief Stephen Gan

Grooming Peter Gray (Home Agency) using Oway USA Official

Video Pierce Jackson

Photo Assistants Andrew Bear, Steven Burton

Stylist Assistant Elissa Dziersk