This Week in Beauty: Resilience, Real Talk, and Rebellion
My crème de la crème.
ANNOUNCEMENT: I just launched a new video series: STUDIO SUPPLY on TikTok, Reels and soon Shorts.
STUDIO SUPPLY is a man on the street style series hosted by beauty reporter Darian, who talks to people — mostly Black women — right outside of beauty supplies about what’s in their bag, and gets their take on how beauty standards, trends, and news in pop culture affect their personal lives.
This is the only show going straight to the source to ask folk what’s in their beauty supply bag. I’ve been developing this show (scouting, team, etc) for about two years. I decided to start this series because I am sick of hiding behind my computer. I need to be out in the real world, talking to the regular girl, the everyday girl so that she too understands how she’s shaping beauty culture(s). I started filming in Ohio, and I also have videos coming out of NYC and LA (just moved back!).
I think my work can at times take on a serious approach, and I want to show a funnier, sillier, not so serious side of myself. It’s on the ground research, it’s original, and it’s 100% me. Would you expect anything less? Follow on Instagram or TikTok.
Some top-line thoughts post election on being a woman, a Black woman, writer, author, daughter, sister, and a human with a lot of breath still in her:
The past two years living in Columbus, OH and outside of the city of Los Angeles have prepared me for such a time as this. I have more resilience than I ever had. I’ve developed eating habits that make me happy. I work out not to be “skinny” but to feel strong. I have a deeper understanding of what brings me joy in my beauty rituals (not routines) and how they fit into my broader self-care plans. I was finally prescribed a mood stabilizer instead of the antidepressants that only deepened my sadness. My time management skills are off the charts. Basically, I’m locked in, as the kids say today. Most of all, I learned to depend on others; whether for financial help, therapeutic and somatic services, storage space, or a place to lay my head when I traveled to LA or NYC. Truly, it’s this that has built my resilience: learning to ask for help and gaining a whole new set of ideas about what becomes possible when I do. While each phase of my life prepares me for the next, these past two years were tough but necessary. I sped up lessons and healing I would’ve eventually reached. New knowledge > awareness > integration. My hope is that I can continue to put myself in a position to support others in the same ways they’ve shown up for me in such uncertain times in my life.
This June Jordan quote shared by Black Women Radical:
“I realized that regardless of the tragedy, regardless of the grief, regardless of the monstrous challenge, some of Us Have Not Died. Some if us did NOT die… And what shall we do, we who did not die?” — June Jordan’s keynote lecture at Barnard College on November 9th 2001 to honor the 30th anniversary conference on the Barnard Center for Research of Women
I come from a very rebellious lineage. I know this about myself. I think my ancestors want me to rebel (and yes, I mean my ancestors). They don’t seem hyper fixated on my vote (and yes I did vote, so save it). My ancestors are definitely not wagging their fingers at me the same way, say, your ancestors may. I’m not sure. And this word rebellion. This all seems aligned with America’s founding ideals—partially founded in rebellion—but trust me, I am not talking about Christian values. My ancestry did not begin in America, and that’s important for me to remember. It’s not just Black American culture for me. I’m way more drawn to exploring the Black diaspora and my place within it. It’s giving my world is wide and vast, and I have a lot to explore. I see myself as part of a broader global community with all kinds of people. Maybe that sounds corny to you, but I’ve lived it, felt it, tasted it. I’m at my best experiencing new things with new and old friends, and I’m not going back. Mentally, this keeps me afloat.
I take everything that happened this past week as information. If this election taught me anything, it’s how naive I’ve been to think people vote with consideration of others. People are prioritizing their pocketbooks—DUH. It’s something you know but don’t remember until it’s in your face again. That poll (you know the one I’m talking about, don’t make me link it) was a reminder to my senses.
I will be okay. That is both a hope and a declaration. Maybe I’m delusional (I’m not). Maybe I have no real grasp on the reality we’re living in (I do.) Still, I have made a choice: I’m going to keep moving forward with my life. In feeling this way, my focus is on communing with those more vulnerable than I and how I can learn and understand the struggle in which I was birthed, in which we were birthed.
A lot of my initial reactions are here. I feel strongly that no one is going to run over me—and I’m here to lift up those who may not feel the same, but still believe their lives deserve a fighting chance. I associate with these people because they actually have the potential (and will be) the strongest among us. Let’s get active.
A related reminder: your audience is not your community. I don’t make decks and call y’all “my community” to seem more authentic. I don’t hold a hidden agenda, and I don’t have to fake it.
Another reminder: Your community isn’t just your friends. Being in community with someone doesn’t mean you need to like everyone. It’s about a shared mindset and values. Showing up for someone shouldn’t depend on whether you like them. For example, if you get an attitude with me, and we’re in community, I know my power and I know peace; I’m not deterred from seeing your humanity. I’ll still offer to drive you home if you can’t afford an Uber (or don’t want to take one because GROSS), then I’ll drop you off and say goodbye *kiss kiss*.
I was built for such a time as this. I’m here, happy to be alive, and I refused to be crushed. Remember: Deciding to maintain your joy makes you public enemy #1. This is not the soft life. I revel in it.
All being said, this is what’s going to happen: I am going to keep writing this newsletter. I am going to keep writing, period. I am going to keep filming Studio Supply. I have a draft on why Korean spas are the best place to wash your box braids and it will get published.
I am going to continue being of service through my God-given gifts. This is why we’re alive: to be of service to one another. And most of all, I’ll keep making my day to day a rejection of the racism that so badly wants me to kneel to it.
Let’s get into the beauty news. Here’s a preview, subscribe for the whole enchilada.
Submissions are open until November 20 for the Cécred x BeyGOOD Salon Business Grant, which will award twenty-five $10,000 grants to salon owners in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New Jersey to support their businesses, whether they operate booths, home setups, or full salons. Apply here or send to a friend.
Dieux has tapped Ryan Scott as its new CEO, bringing him on board to steer the brand’s next chapter. He succeeds founder and CEO Charlotte Palermino, who will now serve as Chief Brand Officer. He was formerly the President and Chief People Officer at Tatcha.
CareVe just announced their debut into haircare. Specifically into a major category: anti-dandruff. The line includes Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, Conditioner, and a 2-in-1 option with 1% pyrithione zinc to tackle flakes and itching, plus their signature ceramides for scalp support. The collection also includes Gentle Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner for everyday use. Each product is 10 bucks or less! I have to say, affordable haircare gets me excited these days.
Ellie the Elephant collabs with NYX Cosmetics ☠️
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Studio Symoné to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.