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Today, saying the beauty industry has a diversity problem is putting it pretty lightly. There have been many opinion pieces and reports that have addressed the issue and asked why so many of the world’s largest beauty companies still only offer one or two deep shades (while they offer numerous fair shades) or why they tend to use fair-skin models in ads. And while the industry has made strides towards change—Lancôme signed Lupita Nyong'o as the brand’s first Black beauty ambassador, a woman who is very vocal about her African heritage and fully embraces her natural beauty, and Mattel created the first ever Barbie doll with locs to celebrate the actress Zendaya Coleman—it has happened far too slowly and is most times only half-hearted.
The industry’s inability to quickly and authentically change in a holistic way gives rise to a new type of beauty entrepreneur: the social-media savvy individual who is on a mission to make the beauty industry more diverse and inclusive.
Social media is incredibly powerful. If you can scroll past the never-ending pet and celebrity memes, you’ll find something that’s unified people and given birth to communities that have empowered its members to become agents of change. Take the hashtag, #blackgirlmagic for example.
Black girls and women have always been strong and intelligent, and now many are loudly and proudly proclaiming it or tagging their pictures with #blackgirlmagic, a tag that has currently been used close to a million times on Instagram. It's what CaShawn Thomas (who first coined #blackgirlsaremagic and took it viral) started as a way to counteract negativity and is now a full-blown movement.
“Social media and online platforms make it much easier to create arenas where we [Black women] can see ourselves and celebrate what makes us uniquely beautiful such as our rich skin tones and beautiful natural-hair textures,” says Desiree Verdejo, owner of Vivrant Beauty, a beauty boutique in New York City.
Kristen Brown, the founder of Gold Label Cosmetics, points out that “Tumblr and Instagram have hundreds of beauty accounts showcases Black women where the reposting of a selfie or a gorgeous hairstyle goes viral in less than an hour. Many social media posts, where women of color are shown, you will see comments that compliment their beautiful skin and features.”
Historically this community hasn’t had a space where they could vocalize their beauty frustrations, however this is no longer the case. Being able to connect with like-minded individuals, allies who too want to celebrate their beauty both inside and out, gives women of color a collective voice in a uniquely profound way.
“Black women are tired of pleading with [big] brands to include them and are tired of being overlooked,” says AJ Crimson, founder of AJ Crimson Beauty, a makeup brand that strives to be inclusive of all ethnicities. “She understands her power as a consumer and she is demanding to be serviced, and social media has publicly forced many companies and influencers to listen to these women and take action to be all-inclusive or she is taking her Black dollars elsewhere.” Black women spend a staggering $7.5 billion annually on beauty products, but spend twice as much on skin-care products and 80% more on cosmetics than everyone else.
So, who better to help swiftly and effectively make the beauty industry a more inclusive place than the individuals who actively use social media to talk about their current frustrations or constantly tag their photos with the hashtag #blackgirlmagic? Well, that’s exactly what many are doing.
Ofunne Amaka started Cocoa Swatches, an app and Instagram account that showcases the latest makeup swatches on underrepresented complexions “after a number of disappointing purchases, where I ultimately guessed completely wrong about how a product would look on me,” she says. For many, this is an incredibly frustrating and easy mistake for women with deeper complexions. She credits social media with helping her foster a community that didn’t exist before and allowing her to positively contribute.
Social media has helped quantify just how many women are hungry for products that are made specifically with them in mind. Verdejo, Brown, Crimson and Amaka are each using this to their advantage. They have a customer base who they can effectively reach at just a hashtag's notice. As consumers become more discerning and vocal about what they want from beauty brands, hopefully more individuals from within the community feel empowered to start companies that close the gap between what’s currently offered and what’s needed.
