This Week In Beauty: Long Live The Side Part, The Middle Part, And The Bayang
BEAUTY IRL is a newsletter that covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture.
If you have not yet had a chance to GoFundMe, CashApp, Venmo, Zelle your support in Texas, take a look at these Texas-based organizations, or look into this resource created by Black Mamas ATX. Or, check in on a friend.
The violence Asian Americans have been facing in this country is currently being pulled to the forefront by an escalation of violence since the emergence of COVID-19, and Asians speaking out.
I’ve been absorbing these stories, specifically the stories of Asians within the beauty community. And what actions they’d like to see within the industry.
The Cut’s Beauty Director Kathleen Hou (who organized supply donations to frontline workers throughout a pandemic that Trump and many others unfairly blamed Chinese people for) gives us a glimpse into her experience as a Tawainess woman in the beauty world:
Every day as a beauty editor, I receive hundreds of email pitches from publicists asking me for thoughts on their clients and topics. Would I want to interview a celebrity makeup artist on how to create the “hottest beauty trend” — the slanted “fox eye”? Would I be interested in trying out a gua sha tool from “Karate Apothecary”? Would I want to visit any one of the dozens of Chinese-medicine start-ups, almost all of which feature non-Asian founders and practitioners, trying to “elevate” and “modernize” the experience? Do I have the time to send an email ranking them from a scale of one to Mahjong Line?
For my job, I’m being incredibly observant of how various people and brands within the beauty community, and across racial lines, respond. I look forward to continuing to follow these conversations and the nuances they present.
I am looking myself as someone who is part of this beauty community! For me, figuring out who I should be learning from and paying attention to is part of a commitment to growth. My exercise has been that for every all-star activist or celebrity speaking out against an issue that is incredibly close to their heart, I use that as a compass to find even more people who are tackling these issues through daily organizing, politics, and grassroots efforts. Here are just a few:
Jenny Wang, PhD (I knew she was it when I read “Instagram is not therapy” in her bio)
Gregory Cendana and Dr. DJ Kuttin Kandi of The People’s Collective
I know and have learned, that these moments require individual action in various forms. The struggle to end racism is global.
Long Live The Side Part, The Middle Part, And The Bayang
The argument over side parts, middle parts, and which makes one look most attractive — and more importantly, which is cooler — has finally bubbled over beyond TikTok. I don’t like to engage in Millennial vs. Gen Z debates. Nobody looks cool doing it; I personally become embarrassed and my face turns hot. The truth is, when you are in conversation with folks across various age groups, you don’t have to engage in the inevitable debate. That being said, I love this dissection of hair parts by beauty writer Nicola Dall’Asen because she breaks down the history of side parts, and brings some much needed context to the entire conversation. This part is it for me:
For people within a certain age range, the side-part had a distinct role in self-discovery. We were raised primarily by baby boomers who considered middle-parts the standard because they grew up at a time when that was extremely popular. In the 1990s and 2000s, before some of y'all were even born, we looked for little ways to make ourselves stand out, or, in other words, rebel, from our folks. Maybe it's just my experience, but having big, swoopy side bangs with the part to match used to enthrall me specifically because it wasn't what my parents were into.
I’d agree with this. I’d also add that many of our icons and celebrities of the late 90s, such as Aaliyah, were wearing side parts. I mean, I could name 50 celebrities across races right now. This also leads me to think about 90s ad early 2000s fashion trends that have emerged recently.
And I guess, for lots of millennials, that look just stuck. We finessed it over time, but I guess most people my age just got comfortable seeing themselves with that specific hair.
It's clear as day to me that Gen Z's obsession with middle parts is the exact same thing.
I do not feel comfortable that the bayang has been left out of the group chat!
Considering beauty trends are cyclical, what I hope Gen Zer’s develop is versatility. Range. Study that.
PAYING ATTENTION
🚨 This just happened: On Sunday, TMZ reported that Kris Jenner has filed trademarks for beauty-related items under the names "Kris Jenner Skin," "Kris Jenner Beauty," and "Kris Jenner Skincare." Now rich people file trademarks for a variety of reasons all the time! But the name of this section is literally called “paying attention,” so let’s just keep doing that!
This is kind of wild: Citigroup gave Revlon an extra $500 million by mistake and lost the court battle to retrieve it. Citigroup said they’ll appeal it. An age-old rule is going to make it hard for them to get it back.
In 2016, Citigroup helped a struggling Revlon secure a collective $1.8 billion loan. So, if a judge ultimately rules that Revlon doesn’t have to pay the $500 million Citigroup accidentally sent to them, Citigroup will have to pay back the loan itself 💀 And the total actually comes to more than $900 million 💀
A judge told Revlon, pending an appeal, they can keep the money, but can’t spend it, according to Mint.
IDK, maybe this is play money for these people? During a pandemic, though?
Saweetie, who kept the freshest nails of 2020, is now the face of the SinfulColor nail polish line.
Sofia Vergara is launching a beauty venture and has tapped a L’Oréal alum as CEO.
Yes To is rebranding. Here’s what you need to know: In January 2020, BuzzFeed News reported on the redness, itchiness, and irritation people were experiencing its Grapefruit Vitamin C Glow Boosting Unicorn Paper Mask. They will have to pay $775k in damages for buyers of the mask. “Our goal is to get back to being a brand known for straightforward fruit- and veggie-based products that are widely accessible and affordable,” CEO Maggie Carey told Glossy.
Skincare brand TOPICALS dropped velour zip-ups. Here’s the thing: when brands show they want to be part of pop culture, I take notice because it shows me you understand you’ll need a lot more than a product to survive. You’ll need to create moments.
In line with trend forecasts, another personalized skincare brand is here. This one by international giant Beiersdorf.
Just a really funny now-deleted tweet by Amazon Prime Video. I love a good blonde highlight moment as much as the next girl, but this tweet is so extra 😭 Thankfully, Hung Up’s Hunter Harris had her receipt:
MEDIA DROPS
When I saw this photograph (and story) of Lorraine O’Grady, I knew I had to include it because we rarely see the beauty of “older” folks captured so intensely. Taken by Lelani Foster, there are so many details (objects and human features) that feel necessary to the image as a whole. It’s as if O’Grady is saying, “every part of me is necessary.” O’Grady’s first-ever retrospective titled “Both/And” is coming to the Brooklyn Museum. NYT story written by Siddhartha Mitter.
I can’t believe I forgot to include this in my last newsletter… I was on Brooke DeVard Ozaydinli’s Naked Beauty Podcast for the second time. I was first on the podcast in 2018! Here is a clip from the pod, (and a short video on Kamala Harris) but you can listen to the entire episode here. In it, we essential touch on this.
Arabelle Sicardi wrote about the Kardashians’ outsized influence on beauty in light of their reality TV show coming to a close.
Ken Burns answers questions about his hair. LOL. — Gabriella Paiella