Artwork by sacrée frangine
Beauty content feels so trivial and insignificant right now.
I am angry, sad, heartbroken, over the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other Black men and women killed by police for being Black. I’m also absolutely enraged with our country’s lack of leadership and the lack of justice being served for these victims’ families. Black lives matter.
To my BIPOC readers, I apologize. I’m sorry it has taken me this long to show up to this movement. It is my responsibility to hold myself accountable. It is not your job to educate or teach me.
As a white woman, I recognize my privilege. It’s my responsibility to educate myself and actively call out covert racism in daily life, because it happens far too often. Over the last several days I have spent time reading Black voices and learning about the active steps I can take to help fight racism.
As a white beauty blogger, I’m also making a commitment to pay closer attention to beauty brands that are not inclusive. I know pioneers like Fenty Beauty have pushed several brands to think about underrepresented groups (whether it be their shade range or their marketing strategy). There is a lack of products that recognize there is more than one type of shopper in each group. Also, I will only be supporting beauty brands that are actually taking action to help fight racial inequality.
I’ve posted this on my Instagram and Facebook, but I’d like to post it here as well.
To my white readers: Simply acknowledging your privilege is not enough. Ally is both a noun and a verb. We can’t just call ourselves an ally and then lean back. Eventually, social media posts will fade. Commit to being committed. Performance won’t end racism.
Here is a link to a comprehensive resource of action items(from petitions to donations to anti-racist educational material).
If you’re struggling on where to start, here are a few actionable steps:
- Call out systemic racism in your daily life.
- Donate to the cause. The document I linked above includes an extensive list.
- Educate yourself.
- Support Black-owned businesses. Google is your friend! This is easy.
- Amplify Black voices, both in real life and online. Listen to their experiences.
I would be remiss to not mention some other helpful articles related to beauty and the influencer space.
Alicia Tenise has a great post on The Influencers of Color You Need to Follow
24 Black-Owned Beauty Brands to Support Now and Always via Allure
These Beauty Brands Are Speaking Up and Taking Action to Support Black Lives via Forbes
