Someone’s Culture is Not Your Makeup
Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee
In terms of social media blunders over the past few years, cultural appropriation in the beauty sphere is certainly not exempt from the jaws of critics. From Hailey Bieber's recent tutorial for “brownie-glazed lips” as a fall makeup look to Marc Jacob’s show featuring white models in dreadlocks, people’s cultural identity has been marketed by white people as the latest fashion trend for years. So why haven’t they gotten the memo?
Image Courtesy: Vogue
White people find some sort of allure within certain aesthetics that have been attributed to people of color for decades, popularizing trends that have served as cultural identifiers and unifiers for many generations. This tendency to “repackage” beauty trends such as acrylic nails or thin eyebrows and beauty marks as a novelty not only overshadows the originators of the styles but also adds to the dichotomy between appreciation and theft.
Image Courtesy: Buzzfeed News & @tajia.reed
Sure, the intent behind the act of adopting certain makeup or hairstyles may not be inherently malicious, but it still conveys to the people who have been belittled for doing their makeup a certain way that when they do it it’s ugly, but when white people do it, it’s the next big trend. Whether subliminal or otherwise, these messages still make people of color feel less than others or that their culture is a costume. If cancel culture has taught anyone anything, it’s to be conscious of how your decisions disproportionally affect others.
Image Courtesy: Vogue
These looks are symbols of pride in the face of decades of oppression, so why steal from people who fought so hard just to be themselves? Now, there are certain things that everybody uses that originated from specific cultures, such as bold acrylic nails being popularized by Black women, however, it’s still important to know your history. In a world where the internet is so accessible and callouts happen almost daily, it would be difficult to completely ignore where these looks have come from.
Image Courtesy: Essence
Florence Griffith-Joyner, known as “Flo-Jo," was not only famous for her breaking world records as an Olympic gold medalist in track and field; in fact, her personal style which included bright, patriotic red, white, gold, and blue acrylic nails helped attract millions of salon customers to get nails as proud and as long as hers. Similarly, Mexican American women in Los Angeles popularized the style of having super thin eyebrows, dark brown or maroon lip liner, and clear lip gloss. Adorned with a staple beauty mark and signature cat-eye, these women were often seen as poor and judged for their makeup. However, nowadays, many people wear lipliner or cat-eyeliner looks, not knowing that they are replicating Chicano culture.
Image Courtesy: Vogue
The beautiful people who had the creativity to make these iconic looks trendy deserve peace and deserve credit. As for everyone else, come up with something of your own – the beauty sphere is always open to experimentation, so long as you aren’t trying a culture on for size. There are so many more inspiring pioneers of hair, makeup, and even fashion that go unsung, so make sure you do your research and spread the word when you can.
Strike Out,
Writer: Isabel Wilder
Editor: Addy Crosby
Graphic Designer: Sydney Barrow
Tallahassee