SHADE DISCRIMINATION

When walking into a store full of cosmetics, foundation bottles seem to never end in selection! While this is a brilliant idea, the problematic aspect of this concept is not exactly talked about.

When  looking for my first liquid foundation I decided to ask for help; The Sephora associate pointed me to the well-known brand FENTY .

I had heard people over and over again rave about Rihanna’s makeup company.  So, I looked through the shades and the sales lady found one just  “perfect” for me, (you will understand why there are quotations behind this later).

Now, let’s just say when I got home, this was for sure not the right color contrast for me… IT WAS ORANGE. Yes, you read that correctly! It was the color of a carrot! 

I was completely outraged and disappointed. I kept thinking: is this how people really see me?

After pondering this for a while, I came to the realization that uneducated white people do not understand that people of color can have red, orange, and yellow pigments in their skin. They view the foundation color as saturation, or even worse: as a way to replicate a spray tan.

In this instance, the Sephora worker did not pay attention to the fact that my shade was on the yellow end of the spectrum.  

Although, I will say that branding wise, makeup organizations have come a long way to being more inclusive of all shades other than pearly white. 

On another note, this is to all the people that have a spray tan, a little PSA if you will:

IT IS IN NO CASE EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER APPROPRIATE TO GET DARKER SHADES OF FOUNDATION THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR MINORITIES! IT IS DISRESPECTFUL IN SO MANY REGARDS, AND IT ENTERS INTO THE REALM OF  BLACK FACE. 

Yes, black face is now more talked about in the media than ever before, but the sub-topic of fake-tan-people covering themselves up with the wrong foundation color is disturbing. Or, the excuses like:,  “I wanna look tanner in the winter, so I’m gonna use this Orange tint.” WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

Fellow Cosmetic Creativity fans, please inform the people you know that the makeup community may seem shallow, but the racism that is still showing up is worth a conversation. It is especially worth it before you head off on your next foundation shopping trip.