What a complex woman she is.
Thanks to her jaw-dropping before-and-after makeup clips, the self-titled “Catfish Queen” — known to her 121,700 TikTok followers as Gemluva Beauty — has skyrocketed to viral fame.
Her real name is Patricia Lichtenberger, she’s 47, and she openly admits she adores the art of illusion. “I love catfishing,” she told The Post with a laugh. “I can go from looking like a Mexican-Hispanic woman to a white woman if I want to.”
Her videos, some pulling in over 2.4 million views, are intentionally structured to shock. She starts with the most unflattering angles — barefaced, messy hair, no filters — then slowly builds toward the polished “after.” To her, that’s the definition of catfishing: creating a version of yourself online that people believe is real.
Patricia, a Kansas-based mother of four, swears by the One/Size Butter Silk Concealer by Patrick Starrr ($25). “I love surprising people,” she said.
“The best part is when they see me barefaced…and then with makeup. They think I’m a totally different person. Some even think I’m my own daughter.”
Her 22-year-old daughter, Pamela, is the reason she hasn’t quit, despite the brutal online bullying she faces every day.
“People say horrible things about my face and my teeth,” Patricia said — comments like ‘You’re so ugly,’ ‘What happened to your face?’ or even ‘Did you have a stroke?’
During the pandemic, the cruelty hit so hard that she spiraled into depression. At the same time, she was dealing with fibroids, heavy blood loss, medications, anemia, and dark hyperpigmentation spreading across her skin.
But Pamela refused to let her mother quit.
“She always tells me, ‘Mom, you’re beautiful. I’m proud of you.’ That’s what keeps me going.”
To the haters, the makeup magician has a final message:
“No one is going to stop me from being the beautiful, loving person I am. If you don’t like what you see, don’t watch my videos.”
@gemluvabeauty @tiktok do your thing?! 😂 #catfishing #beautycreator #gemluvabeauty #makeuptransformation #remix #hesallthat ♬ original sound – Ian Asher
