THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKEUP ARTISTS IN THE BLACK WOMEN'S SELF-ESTEEM
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKEUP ARTISTS IN THE BLACK WOMEN'S SELF-ESTEEM
Nov 19, 2020

THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKEUP ARTISTS IN THE BLACK WOMEN'S SELF-ESTEEM

Mayra Maldjian FOTO: Andrea Dematte, Cassandra Velloso, Maia Boitrago, Mika Safro, Pedro Zafalon, Yago Rocha, Daniele da Mata

More than half of the Brazilian population (56%) identify themselves as being black, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, IBGE. Even so, an unprecedented survey carried out by the cosmetics brand Avon in partnership with the consultancy Grimpa showed that more than 70% of Brazilian black women are dissatisfied with the options of specific products found for them in the market.


Those who see the marketing actions of these large groups in the cosmetics industry, many of them focused on the inclusion of black women, may be surprised by these alarming data, but the reality behind it shows that this sector, despite its latest advances, still has a long way to go to meet the demands of Brazilian black women.


The survey, which surveyed one thousand black and brown women, aged from 18 to 60 years, across the national territory and from all walks of life, focused on the basic, powder and concealer categories, which are directly linked to the tone of consumers' skin. According to the survey, the biggest difficulty is finding the color compatible with their skin tone. 57% of them need to buy more than one shade to mix it up and achieve the color they wanted.


What may seem like a superficial problem is, in fact, a tearing result of the structural racism of the Brazilian society, which deeply affects the self-esteem of black women. Because of this, in the last few years there has been a beautiful movement of makeup artists who work for the deconstruction of patterns and standards aimed at attributing value to black beauty through makeup, creating new narratives for black women countrywide.


In order to pay homage to the Black Awareness Day, we will tell you a little about the life and work of some of these professionals:




WELIDA SOUZA has been a hairdresser for 15 years,  and she made a name for herself by braiding hair and thus rescuing the ancestral roots of many black women and men in Brazil. Among her clientele are names like Negra Li, Emicida, Karol Conka and the Orlando Magic superstar, Aaron Gordon. Taking good care of the hair of her black brothers and sisters also influenced her vision and, in 2016, she felt the need to expand her area of ​​expertise, to empower more people with her art. It was then that she incorporated makeup into her skills and entered the world of beauty. "My focus is always to challenge myself, my mission is to constantly be search of excellence", she adds.


Recently, actresses Cris Vianna, Pathy Dejesus and Taís Araújo passed through the hands of this makeup artist and modeless. Her Instagram, @welidaq, is a parade of beauties. "Makeup is transcendental and goes far beyond issues related to vanity and beauty", she explains. Among the recent achievements of the market, Welida points to an increase in the supply of foundations for all tones and needs of each skin, and specialized products for curly hair.


As references, the professional incense Camila Anac, Carol Romero, Simone Souza and Damata. "These women are extremely competent, professionals with beautiful jobs and of extreme importance and relevance in the beauty field, black women with stories that encounter one another."



CASSANDRA VELLOSO
has many professional aspects and all of them converge to strengthen women's self-esteem and self-care, especially black women. One of these facets, makeup, came into her life eight years ago, when she started working at a very famous multinational in the sector. She became enchanted by this art at first sight and saw in it the possibility of building new narratives for black sisters. "We live in a world that still ignores black beauty, and makeup ends up having a social role that is very much related to acceptance, understanding of our beauty, our aesthetics, and the enhancement of our features".


According to Cassandra, the movement of cosmetic brands to meet the demands of black women and deconstruct the Eurocentric standard of beauty is recent. "Ten years ago it was extremely challenging to find, for example, a base for a black-skinned black woman. Today it is a little easier, there has been progress in this regard, but it is still not the ideal scenario", she evaluates. "Brands have shown a more inclusive communication and visual identity. This is wonderful, but in a country where racism is deeply rooted, it is important that this inclusion be also in the offices, in the teams that prepare the marketing campaigns, products and services so it can actually have more representation, more access, and more opportunities for black people".


"I always remember a term that I heard from the philosopher Katiuscia Ribeiro and that some personalities like Beyoncé use in their speeches which is "sulear". We need to sulk our gaze, look at reality from the perspective of countries that are inferior, connect to our African ancestry ", comments Cassandra, who praises the strength of black women as a great inspiration for life, "who carries the oldest DNA of humanity, who builds in the challenging reality of everyday opportunities to live, who like my mother raised three children alone , in such a racist, sexist and cruel world".



MAIA BOITRAGO
also made her name by braiding the strands of black women, many of them in the difficult but potent process of hair transition. It was in 2015 that, then, she embraced this profession. One of her first known clients was muse Iza, who was already singing, but was not yet at the height of fame. Today, she has among her loyal customers Taís Araújo, Jennifer Nascimento and Lellê, to name just a few. Over time, she naturally expanded her work to the plural makeup market, which, alongside braids, is a powerful tool for enhancing the self-esteem of black women. Maia's creativity comes from several sources, including the colorful and expressive world of anime and comics.



Beauty artist and hair stylist, MIKA SAFRO acreatively signs editorials for magazines and fashion shows, reinforcing the space for makeup in the art universe. In Angela Brito's first fashion show at this year's SPFW, she wore real flower petals on the models' faces, taking the countless creative possibilities of three-dimensional makeup to another level.



When all of this was still nothing but woods, CAROL ROMERO had already brought up the concept of makeup as a tool for empowering black women. Author of the first makeup book for black skin in Brazil, she has been a beauty artist for 12 years and makes her profession her strength of expression. For her, makeup and hair care are genuine and ancestral ways of valuing black aesthetics and bringing to the front seat important guidelines for discussing Afrobrasility.


"Makeup comes as a liberation for black women. An aesthetic liberation, because we have always had the reference of white, straight hair, thinness. Black women did not accept their bodies, because it was all very Eurocentric. Now we can see black women assuming their hairstyles, which have to do with our African ancestry, parading these hairstyles on the street, in magazines, without shame of being what they are", she says.


For Carol, despite the advances, the beauty industry still needs to listen and hire more black professionals to develop its products, and invest, in terms of formulation, in more assets and pigments that favor black skin. "The mission of my job today is to show black people that they can be where they want to, in the professions they have dreamed of, doing what they want. And that black people are beautiful, and therefore we don't have to be ashamed of our color, do not have to be ashamed of our hair, and yes, we can be in any space", says the makeup artist, who today takes her knowledge to other areas, such as audiovisual, cinema, music, literature, spaces where "the people don't see each other".


When talking about her inspirations, she mentions her grandmothers and mother, examples of struggle for her. On the list of celebrities, Rihanna, for everything she built and the way she positions herself as a black woman in everything she produces. "The Brazilian Rosangela Negra Rosa has a very important trajectory and inspires me a lot for having built a makeup brand alone, going against everything the market said. She went there and created a line with six base tones for black skins", says. "Dona Jacira, mother of Emicida, a black woman who also turned nothing into all. Drik Barbosa and her mother, who came from a very difficult peripheral situation and are now sending positive messages, bringing empowerment to black women."



Entrepreneur, DANIELE DA MATA has a history of struggle to re-educate the beauty market. She is the creator of the first makeup school for black skin in Brazil, DaMata MakeUp. The company offers from self-makeup classes for beginners, with strong work around the self-esteem of black women, to courses and improvement consultancy for market professionals.


Be sure to learn more about the work of these amazing makeup artistes on their social networks mentioned above.

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