The truth about racism in beauty and fashion

Systemic racism is everywhere, and the fashion and beauty industries are no exception. Brands need to move beyond performative allyship and address the inclusivity of their products and how their BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) staff members are treated. Here are some incidents and examples to keep in mind the next time you shop.



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A paltry range of darker-skinned foundation shades

The lack of diversity in darker skin-tone products means BIPOC consumers often face a shortage of options. Recently, U.S. beauty brand IT Cosmetics, bought by L’Oréal in 2016, claimed to spend two years developing its Bye Bye Foundation range. Of its 12 skin tones, only three shades are made for darker-skinned people.

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Consequences for speaking up

It can be hard for Black models to call out issues without risking their careers. When transgender model and activist Munroe Bergdorf spoke out about racism and white supremacy, L’Oréal fired her. As model Nykhor Paul blatantly said, “I don’t want to be labeled as an angry Black girl for speaking my truth.”

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Performative activism disguising a whitewashed culture

Anthropologie’s Instagram post at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests featured a Maya Angelou quote but failed to address the movement at all. This high-end retailer has been called out by dozens of customers and former employees for its racist work environment, including racial profiling, derogatory code words for Black shoppers, and unequal pay for BIPOC staff.



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Racism within the workplace

While Aritzia did donate $100,000 to Black Lives Matter, the company’s workplace culture needs a lot of work. Former employees claim many instances of differential treatment and micro-aggressions, such as hostile comments about Black women’s hairstyles or attitudes. Following the accusations, CEO Brian Hill announced an “internal investment of $1 million” into its diversity and inclusion program.



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Natural hair on the runway

Only in 2015 did a Black model, Maria Borges, finally walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show rocking her natural hair. It sent an important message to the industry, which sorely lacks Black representation. Only eight models out of 44 that year were Black, and only Borges modelled without a wig, weave, or extensions.



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Few professional makeup artists for darker-skinned models

The need for the beauty industry to change its practices is highlighted by model Nykhor Paul. “Why do I have to bring my own makeup to a professional show when all the other white girls don’t have to do anything but show up,” she writes in an Instagram post, pointing to how few makeup artists work with darker-skinned models.

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Beauty products for Black customers locked in stores

Several American retailers, such as Walmart, have locked and chained beauty products specifically targeted at natural Black hair. This practice also extended to the makeup and sunscreen sections, where products for darker skin were electronically tagged, unlike their lighter counterparts. The racist practice further highlights daily discrimination in the U.S.



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Shortage of products for Black hair

“The mainstream hair industry remains the least inclusive part of the beauty industry,” writes beauty columnist Funmi Fetto. A Nielsen report in the U.S. found that Black women spend almost nine times more than white women on hair and beauty, which speaks to the shortage of salons and products targeted to Black hair care.



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Prevalence of skin-lightening products

Euro-centric beauty standards have meant a huge market for skin-lightening products that large brands are only beginning to distance from. While Johnson & Johnson has committed to stop selling these products altogether, Unilever and L’Oréal stated that they will rebrand the products to remove the terms “whitening” and “lightening” from labels.



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Photoshopped skin lightening of celebrities

Skin lightening practices do not stop with beauty products. Kerry Washington is just one example of a Black celebrity who expressed disappointment over Photoshop edits that lightened her skin on the cover of Adweek, reinforcing light skin as a beauty standard.



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White models dominate both media and runway

The most common images of beauty have always been white. In 2015, New York Fashion Week only cast 20.9% non-white models, meaning Black, Asian, Indigenous, and Latinx models combined. Spring 2020 saw that number rise to 46.8%. While it’s an improvement, there’s much room to grow before racist beauty standards are redefined.



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Poorly advertised and low-quality products for darker-skinned women

Many brands have not invested in high-quality products for darker-skinned women, notably dark foundation shades. They have also not marketed those products well, causing them to do poorly and be pulled from the shelves. Meaningful inclusivity would have featured a diverse marketing campaign and better quality control.



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Racist designs like Gucci’s balaclava

With so few Black designers in the industry, bad decisions happen too often in fashion. Gucci recalled its expensive knitted balaclava after people pointed out that the design resembled blackface. Prada also faced a similar incident and had to withdraw inappropriate merchandise.

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Double standards in beauty trends

Amandla Stenberg, the young Black actress from The Hunger Games, has been vocal in criticizing how white women appropriate Black beauty trends, such as Kylie Jenner’s cornrows, and are applauded for it. She says, “While white women are praised for altering their bodies, plumping their lips, and tanning their skin, black women are shamed although the same features exist on them naturally.”



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The colour “n*de” in makeup and clothing

For a long time, beige has been deemed synonymous to n*de, signifying that light skin is the default. This is particularly prevalent in sports and dance, in which ballerinas or athletes are required to wear “skin colour” shorts and tights, which are much harder to come by in a darker shade.



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Light eyes are celebrated over dark

With articles that fetishize light eyes on darker-skinned celebrities and hype coloured contact lenses to attain that, the beauty industry makes it clear that blue and green eyes are preferable to plain brown. Not many BIPOC models are making lists of most beautiful eyes.



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Asian people pressured to surgically alter features to look white

With increasing plastic surgeries among Asian communities to change eye shape, accentuate jawbones, and heighten noses, it’s clear that Euro-centric beauty standards have meant tough decisions, especially for celebrities. News anchor and TV personality Julie Chen had her career threatened unless she went through with her eyelid surgery.



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The “golden ratio” of beauty is white

When exploring the science of attractiveness, experiments proved that qualifications of “universal” beauty are definitely not so. “High cheekbones, full lips and a fair complexion” mark classic qualifications of attractiveness. It’s no wonder so few BIPOC celebrities make “most beautiful” lists, and those who do often have anglicized features.



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Appropriation of Indigenous imagery in marketing

Dior was one brand that marketed its cologne off Indigenous imagery, using a slur as the cologne name and Johnny Depp as its lead model. However, it’s far from the only one to appropriate Indigenous symbols, such as Pendleton patterns, feathers, and arrows, for a trendy look.



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Shortage of BIPOC-owned brands

BIPOC-owned fashion and beauty brands are fewer than their white counterparts, despite the demand. When Fenty Beauty, founded by Rihanna, released its 50-tone foundation range and diverse marketing campaign to match, the move was groundbreaking. These businesses tackle representation head-on and set admirable examples for the industry.

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