SLACTIVISM SILLY HASHTAGS #MACSOWHITE & MAKEUP FOR WOMEN OF COLOR

Recently MAC Cosmetics chose a series Youtube influencers to be part of a beauty global campaign.  It's great that everyday people can be selected to promote brands that they are responsible for keeping in business.  However, this came with a bit of controversy. A controversy that I think at best is reactionary and is blown out of proportion.   Consumers are not helpless because they have purchasing power.  They can choose when and where to spend their hard earned dollars.  Blogger Lisalamode pointed out that the candidates chosen by MAC Cosmetics excluded an influencer of African or black descent.  Feel free to go see the article on her blog right here lisalamode.com .

Consequently the hashtag #macsowhite came into play. It was a response to the absence of a single black influencer from Youtube as part of the global campaign initiative. In my opinion this is not something to be outraged over and I have several reasons why.  Aside from IMAN Cosmetics, Fashion Fair, even Maybelline, MAC Cosmetics was one of the many brands that I can remember that has often catered to women with deeper skin tones.  Also, MAC Cosmetics has often used black spokes persons for their campaigns, RuPaul, Lil Kim, Rihanna and recently Taraji P Henson.

Rihanna

It's no secret that a lot of big brands especially drugstore brands do not have a great selection when it comes to deeper skintones.  I know this as a person who has dabbled in foundation and as a cosmetician for a very brief time in my life.  However, I feel that the #macsowhite hashtag is basically slactivism and akin to throwing a childish temper tantrum.  In the grand scheme of life there are greater problems in life.  Also, nobody will document how hard it was to find a foundation in your shade in your obituary.  Most importantly, there are plenty of brands that cater to women with deeper skin tones. I believe it's much more useful and effective to point new customers towards these brands. Show these brands support with your dollars instead of focusing on brands that exclude.  The following brands have varied options that cater to deeper skin tones feel free to visit.
www.imancosmetics.com

ambyrose.com

Fashion Fair

Juvia's Place

Also consider the "ugly truth".  If the MAC Cosmetics global campaign is in the Asian or South Asisan markets, darker skinned models will have a heck of a time moving products.  This not to say that Asian or South Asian people are racist, the standards of beauty for their part of the world is different and fair skin is in.   "Fair and lovely" is the beauty ideal. Paler skin is much more desirable in those regions of the world. I could be speculating but a spokesperson of African descent won't do well it's not personal it's business unfortunately.

Maria Borges

An even better solution would be to create a new brand (for those complaining and hashtaging) that address the lack of cosmetics for deeper skin tones.  Iman did it so can you.  It's so exhausting when thinking about things like this.  It makes it seem as though the beauty world has an adversarial relationship with women of African descent or black women.  I choose not to focus on that because beauty is a business. Cosmetics are not sold to make women more beautiful (beauty is an ideal, ideals vary globally and culturally) but to have women spend their money.  That being said spend your money wherever you want but be aware that you are complicit in the problem of being excluded if you fail to give money to companies that cater to deeper and diverse skin tones.

Iman Cosmetics