BEAUTY IRL is a newsletter that covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture through breaking news, trends, and personal experiences.
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HOUSE NOTES
“This week in beauty” and “This month in beauty” curated round-ups will be for paying subscribers in the future, but I’m going to keep it free for a few weeks, to give folks a sense of what it’ll look like.
I will be in IG Live with Tone Johnson to talk about his new book “You Next: Reflections in Black Barbershops” TODAY at 12PM PST/ 3PM EST. Tap in!
Alright, let’s dive in.
BIG MOMENTS
IN ‘WAP’, BEAUTY = POWER:
I have to say the biggest story in beauty for the month of August was “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Which is cool, because it gave me a chance to talk about beauty in the way I am most interested in talking about : how it’s used to exert power. I did a BEAUTY HEADLINES on the music video and commentary around it. You can watch it here.
My take: “WAP” is about how Cardi and Megan use hair, makeup, nails, fashion, and their bodies to show that they have an agenda, which includes being in control of their own image, money, sex lives, and careers. And this is why female rappers often become beauty and fashion icons, such as Lil Kim in the ’90s: Beauty is a transactional weapon, and they understand it as such. It’s easy for people, especially cis men, to chalk “WAP” up to vulgarity because it touches the root of many of their insecurities: their inability to keep up with women and femmes who have true autonomous power. It’s going to make them feel uncomfortable.
BIG B STANDS FOR ‘BLACK IS KING’:
On July 31st, “Black Is King” premiered on Disney+ and it launched commentary all throughout August.
Images via Instagram from Beyoncé hairstylist Neal Farinah, where he explains the history and inspiration for each style.
My take: I have always considered Beyoncé to be a hair, makeup, and nails girl more than a fashion girl. There is a ton of emphasis on her fashion evolution (which has been essential to her growth as an artist) but the love for beauty has always been very apparent to me. I mean, Mrs. Tina did own a hair salon while Beyoncé and Solange grew up in Houston. I really wanted to dive in and talk about a few of not only Beyoncé’s looks, but also the dancers and other artists featured, such as Tierra Whack and Busiswa. I would love to sit with Beyoncé in one of her glam rooms. Could you imagine? Check our her hairstylist Neal Farinah’s Instagram page where he talks about the inspiration for various looks through BIK.
BLACK BRANDS: MONEY X OPPORTUNITY
A few Black-owned beauty and wellness brands that have broken the threshold of raising over $1 million dollars, their founders are now members of a very small number of Black women who have raised over a million. LOOM, a sexual and reproductive health education platform, has raised $3 million dollars in venture capital investments. Topicals, a skincare brand founded by Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng raised $2.6 million dollars in investments. Black Girl Sunscreen, founded by Shontay Lundy, also secured $1 million from a female investor.
Black-owned beauty brands such as Mayvenn Hair, Mielle Cosmetics, and ORS (to name a few) have risen to the occasion to support other small businesses through relief funds. In addition, the New Voices Fund is playing a noteable role in getting money into the hands of Black entrepreneurs. It's a $100 million dollar fund co-founded by Richelieu Dennis in 2018 under his company, Sundial. He also owns Essence magazine and is the founder of Shea Moisture, and I feel like his handprints are all over this. For example, New Voices is part of the Clean Beauty Summer School for Black-owned beauty startups along with Ulta, Sephora, Tower 28, Credo and many others.
Photo credit: Tower28/Instagram
My take: We continue to witness devastating violence against Black people by police officers. This is a long fight, and I’m not sure how much clearer this can be than the moment we are in, right now. Like, right now. Fighting for justice is a lifestyle change. For brands, this is a workflow change. I think many brands helmed by white CEOs have inclusivity as a pillar of their brand mission but are realizing they have a different understanding of what it means to put that into practice and are now re-evaluating. Some people’s jobs now entail spearheading grant programs, mentorship programs, workshops, and classes geared toward Black businesses. A big question I have: Why do we look to brands, whose core purpose is to sell us things, to spearhead change? And what are our expectations of them in the future? These are the questions I have, and something I think about a lot in my personal life. I’d love to know your thoughts.
COVID-19 + HAIR LOSS:
Within COVID-19 support groups on Facebook, ‘long-haulers,’ or those who continue to suffer from COVID-19 like symptoms, are starting to report hair loss. Although the CDC does not list hair loss as a symptom, doctors believe there is evidence to explore it as an effect of the illness that occurs months later, as Healthline points out. This part is important: there isn’t evidence that hair loss is a direct symptom on the coronavirus, but rather the illness mixed with stress could lead to a reversible condition: telogen effluvium.
On August 9th, Alyssa Milano posted this video below:
My take: If you’ve ever lost your hair, or witnessed the emotional, devastating rollercoaster of someone who has, you know how traumatic it can be. Sometimes, you don’t realize how much of your identity is tied to your hair until you begin to see it fall to the ground.
MEN AND THEIR SKIN
Ceylon, a skincare line for men of color, relaunched with an improved formula. Wavy Blue, a haircare brand for Black men is a recipient of Glossier’s Grant Initiative for Black-Owned Beauty Business. Rih and Rocky discussed men and skincare for the launch of Fenty Skin. Chanel expanded its men’s makeup line. We continue to see the rise of beauty products marketed toward men. According to Technavio, the global men's skincare market will grow by $1 billion between 2020 and 2024.
My take: I feel like fashion attempted to embrace gender on a spectrum, but really failed when it comes to racial diversity. On the flip side, beauty has done a better job at outward facing racial diversity in marketing campiagns, but is still gendering skincare brands.
I found Fenty Skin’s marketing approach interesting. Framed as a gender-neutral line, the packaging and products formulas are purple and pink, colors normally associated with feminity. The campaign video features A$AP Rocky — notoriously known to use fashion and gender to be subversive — and Lil Nas X. Maybe I am thinking about this too obtusely, especially since Rocky and Lil Nas X are two men who often question gender norms, but Fenty sure didn’t feel the need to use minimal design to appeal to an array of gender identities.
QUICK BITES:
Glossier CEO Emily Weiss publically apologized to retail workers (called Editors) after the emergence of an anonymous Instagram account on August 13th. Outta The Gloss details accounts of racism and mistreatment within retail spaces, and how that was handled by the company, along with their demands. “Over the past three months, through conversations with members of Glossier’s retail team and, more recently, the stories shared via @OuttaTheGloss, it’s become clear that we’ve failed to ensure that all voices are heard, and protected, within our internal community,” Weiss said on August 17th. Glossier also announced the recipients of its Grant Initiative for Black-Owned Beauty Business this week.
Pat McGrath is collaborating with Supreme on a lipstick for the streetwear brand’s fall/winter collection. No word on the launch date. I’ve written about potential similarities between streetwear culture and beauty. A friendly reminder that I’m a streetwear girl at heart, just broke.
Black girls shared (and laughed) at our bayangs after @ItsJustNyissa’s breakout song “Not the Banyanggg” went viral on TikTok and Twitter.
Beauty YouTuber Nikkie Tutorials was robbed at gunpoint at her home on Saturday, August 8th.
As an alternative to IRL events and the retail experience, some beauty brands (Tatcha, Givenchy, Glossier) are launching new products and/or engaging with fans on Animal Crossing.
After a two year battle, the Supreme Court of Jamaica ruled that a 7-year-old girl will have to cut her dreads to attend school.
Ulta has pledged that 50% of all packaging sold will be refillable, recyclable, or sourced from recycled materials by 2020.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared her “skincare and red lip routine” with Vogue. In the video, she talks about why she decided to share:
“There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup… that’s somehow frivolous. But I actually think these are the most substantive decisions that we make, and we make them every morning.”
WHAT ARE CELEBRITIES EVEN DOING RN:
J.Lo announced the launch of her beauty brand, JLo Beauty. No launch date. Related: in 2018, she told Refinery29 that she’d be releasing a skincare brand.
TikTok star Addison Rae officially launched her makeup line with 6 products.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion announced her partnership with Revlon as a global ambassador.
Rapper Rico Nasty announced her eyeshadow collaboration with Il Makiage.
Beauty influencer Jackie Aina will executive produce a documentary that breakdowns the impact of Black women in the beauty industry.
We close the month with Baby Phat Beauty launching with “shimmery sets.”
GOOD GOOD READS:
Some fantastic reporting I read in August that grew my perspective.
Everyone’s beauty preferences change. But what happens when you’re the makeup artist for one of the most famous women in the world, and single handedly responsible for making contouring the defining makeup look for almost a decade? Enter Mario Dedivanovic. Trust me, you know his work. Rachel Syme for The New Yorker.
“It was important to make sure I [wasn't] going, "Hello, I'm a white designer! Here’s some European hair.” The makeup and hair designer of I May Destroy You talks to Brennan Kilbane of Allure about Michaela Cole’s many wig changes.
Collage via Allure/Photos via HBO.
“Over hours of interviews, it became clear to me that the feeling of isolation and discrimination among fitness professionals is a widespread problem.” Rozalynn S. Frazier, C.P.T. for Self
“While music taste may vary from person to person, one thing that brings scene kids together and continues to carve out its niche is the strong look. In particular hair and makeup.” Jacqueline Kilikita for Refinery29
“So what does it mean to be a beauty brand for Gen Z today?” Rachel Strugatz explores this question for the New York Times
LOOKING TO SEPTEMBER
Photo credit: Alok Vaid-Menon on Instagram
Author and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon launched a social campaign to say #NothingWrongHair. “i am creating this hashtag for people of all genders to share stories & portraits of how they have been body hair shamed. to challenge body hair stigma & hairless beauty norms,” Alok said on Instagram. Their body hair is swooped like baby hair! Their mind. Glam by Double D Production.
Correction: An earlier version of this newsletter mentioned Forbes writer Dominique Fluker as the founder of Black Girl Sunscreen, but it’s Shontay Lundy. Fluker wrote the article linked above.