Makeup Questions & Answers
Makeup Questions & Answers
How do young Black Brown Tan and Beige girls/children learn about Culturally Significant Benchmarks throughout the history of the world and History of Multicultural/ People of Color/ Women Icons/Iconoclasts and their cultural significance?
I had the opportunity to ask a group of Black Brown Tan and Beige theater kids {between 12 - 25 years old} 2 questions.
What would you want to learn in a makeup class with Getmade
Are you familiar with Multicultural Beauty /Makeup Brands and the Creators/Owners?
The responses to the first question were exactly what I expected. They wanted to know how to choose correct colors, where can multicultural brands and products be acquired and application techniques for regular life and theater. There were a few specifically asking about Horror and Special Effects.
These wants are precisely what I have been plotting hoping and planning to address.
The response to the second question were quite disappointing and considerably MORE inspirational, simultaneously. This situation is similar to the Schrödinger’s cat conundrum.
I expected that they would be familiar with the brands that specifically created/designed their products & advertising & supporting actions to Multicultural Persons, with darker and deeper skin tones, are more readily available, are affordable for the average consumer; as well as promoting individual self confidence, self awareness and self love. Of course these children, with their smartphones and immediate instant access to the Matrix, would know about these Nationally sold, advertised and available products.
Not one knew who Iman is. They did not know they could get makeup made for them, by a woman [an ICON] that looks like them. Not one knew about Black Opal having a skin care line.
Not one heard about Cover Girl Queen, Queen Latifah or the My Black is Beautiful movement. I hoped, At least they would know Janelle Monae. They did not.
They did, however, know about Kylie Jenner and M.A.C. [insert audible exhale indicative of heartbroken frustration]
These children have never heard, read or identified with the words; Black Opal celebrates the nuances of black skin, in color, identity and empowerment.
They have no notion that Black Radiance has always been on the Black Beauty Matters, agenda.
If these girls/children don’t know about the National Brands, then they most assuredly would not know about the New New League and Next Evolution of Beauty, Grooming and Cosmetics brands that are made by Persons of Color for Persons of Color and Owned by Persons of Color.
I am still shaking my head; how will these Black Brown Tan and Beige girls learn about the Benchmarks, Timeline and History of Black Brown Tan and Beige Icons/Iconoclasts and their cultural significance? How do they Not know who and what Iman has been and created? How do these young people NOT know about Vanessa Bell Calloway, Queen Latifah, Grace Jones, Geoffrey Holder, Alek Wek, Bethanne Hardison, Nichelle Nichols, Vera Moore, Celia Cruz, Eartha Kitt ?
How will they know where they can go, if they do not see where they came from?
If only there would be an opportunity for a Multicultural Makeup Artist [with syllabus and course descriptions already drafted] to create and put on a series of of substantive events, classes and seminars designed for Persons of Color that would be providing content that is more educational/informational than color swatches and full face product holy grail makeup demos.
No shade or disrespect to holy grail makeup demos.
