Representation of Black Women in the Beauty Industry Still Sucks

Pariyetta Alford

If you could describe your skin complexion, in two words what would it be?
Rich and beautiful

Fenty Beauty recently came out with 40 foundation shades for light and dark-skinned women, which is amazing. Mention a time where you struggled to find the right foundation shade or any other beauty product to match your complexion. How did you feel? Do you think more needs to be done?
Though we do have a long way to go, at least it’s a start! I’m glad more and more people are realizing the issues we have to overcome to make the world a better place. Especially in the cosmetic world. I remember having to mix foundations just to get my exact colour. That’s why I commend Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line for having 40 shades of foundation because there are so many shades that not all make up brands try to cover or at least match. I think more make up brands whether its high-end or drugstore makeup they need to try their best to match every skin colour.

How would you like to see black beauty depicted in the media in the next couple of years?
There should not just be five or eight colours of foundation because each and every woman has different skin types. It’ll be great to see that in a couple years from now black beauty continues to expand and go above and beyond than what it is currently. Meaning having more makeup lines appeal to all women of colour, taking better care of our skin, and educating ourselves. Being Ghanaian and also being around ALOT of other cultures I’ve seen women try to change their complexion to become lighter. It is important that we educate ourselves to know that skin bleaching can cause serious damages and can lead to skin cancer and other diseases.

Lastly, what are your thoughts about the Nivea billboard for fairer skin in Africa?
When I saw that Nivea billboard for fairer skin in Africa I was confused and appalled. Promoting that to customers who do not know any better about the damages of skin bleaching was disheartening. By Nivea encouraging consumers to buy their product came off as whatever skin colour you are basically in isn’t enough and that we should go lighter. I would love for people to come to realization and know how timeless, special, and blessed their skin complexion is. Also for women young and old to know that that your skin is rich and beautiful.

Kaiser Coby

Fenty Beauty recently came out with 40 foundation shades for light and dark-skinned women, which is amazing. Mention a time where you struggled to find the right foundation shade or any other beauty product to match your complexion. How did you feel? Do you think more needs to be done?
I remember the first ever time I struggled to find the right foundation shade. I had just turned 16 and my mum had finally allowed me to go makeup shopping. My twin and I went into both Boots and Superdrug and picked out the only two brown shades and purchased them in hopes that they would match because they were the only brown shades available. When we went home and applied it we looked like ghosts!

The foundations would not have even worked as a highlight colour. One shade was ashy grey and the second one was very red toned.
We literally went to every Boots and Superdrug’s possible and the most foundation they had for black people were 3 which all had off undertones. We had to resort to purchasing MAC products as that was the only brand that had a range of colours and undertones to fit black people. It upsets me that at 16 I had to spend £20 + if I wanted to purchase a foundation that worked on my skin tone instead of being able to purchase a brand like L’Oréal at the time which has foundations for under £10.

A lot still needs to be done because there are still the big makeup brands that will release 15 fair shade foundations and then claim to release foundation for POC in their next launch. It’s outrageous that we are always second in line! Its nearly 2018 and this honestly should be a thing of the past!

I am so pleased that Rihanna released her Fenty Beauty Line. It was her first ever makeup release and she was able to include 40 amazing and different shades. The shades range from the fairest of skins to the darkest of them. It definitely put a lot of these makeup brands in the hot seat!

How would you like to see black beauty depicted in the media in the next couple of years?
I would like for black beauty to be seen as the norm and not pushed to the side. I would also love for brands to start including black people in their makeup products initially and not wait for backlash for them to make sure it’s included in their next release. We are not second best! We are all equal and we should be treated like it in every aspect including the beauty world

Lastly, what are your thoughts about the Nivea billboard for fairer skin in Africa?
I felt so sad when I saw the advert! To also know that their billboard was advertised in my country of origin (Ghana) saddened me deeply. It’s amazing how companies are still trying to advertise that fairer skin is more beautiful than darker skin! It’s also appalling that a worldwide brand like Nivea that’s known across the world created these products. The fact they’re trying to profit from products like this is very worrying.