To mark Black History Month, GLAMOUR have created a video series celebrating black beauty. We brought together a group of influential and inspiring women across genres – from fashion to music to beauty – in order to have an open and honest dialogue around beauty for women of colour. Our first video discussed The Politics of Afro Hair, and in this video, the second episode in the series, we explore the issues of representation in the beauty industry.
For years, the landscape of beauty excluded black women from the conversations about skincare, makeup and hair care. Nowadays in the age of extended shade ranges and more brands working to create products suitable for women of colour, there has absolutely been a seismic shift. The issues of representation however are still far from resolved.
In the video, we’re opening up the conversations on how growing up in mainly Caucasian areas affects your perception of beauty, the couple of foundation options that were in stores when we they younger and simply not being able to see themselves reflected in the media and on screen fronting beauty campaigns.
The group of women we spoke to all had differing experiences, but the baseline thought was the same. There was still a prevailing, rigid and predominant idea of beauty. It is one that is not inclusive because it is fundamentally Eurocentric.
Representation. It’s an issue that shouldn’t be an issue, but it is. These incredible women let us in on how representation and the lack of it has shaped their experiences of beauty.
