Beauty & Inclusivity
Beauty should not be a tool used to distinguish, but rather beauty, self-care, and dressing up are more an act of celebration of individuality. Along the passage of time and human history, there was a dichotomy, a forced distinguishing, creating a division and a re-defining concept of beauty, both culturally imposed or misrepresented.
“The Future is genderless” (1)
What does it mean to appreciate Beauty?
Simply put, it means to be like an aesthete. An aesthete is someone who can appreciate the beauty in everything or someone trained to appreciate the beauty in art, design, or nature. The Beauty Industry is intricately tuned into the world of art, culture, and design.?
Beauty standards have always catered to unrealistic expectations for both, men and women. Most of this had to do with European beauty standards. Culturally imposed upon generations of Asian, African, and Latin nations who had to adjust to the standards that were not appreciative of their unique beauty. Generations have spent money to fit that role model that has endured until the awakening of the new millennium.
Towards the end of the 20th Century, we saw a wave of artists and designers question this ideal form of beauty, influenced by the socio-economical changes globally and the growth and prosperity of a growing diverse professional class, it made more business sense to stop ignoring the ethnic markets within the US and EU.?Opening up to the African and Asian market that was ready to shop and demand more trends that suited their beauty and self-care needs. Leading fashion houses and beauty brands began making products that catered to African and Asian skin tones. More recent brands like Fenty and Milk with their super wide range of foundations, covering all types of skin tones, brands like Revlon have Priyanka Chopra Jonas as its spokesperson, and Maybelline redefined its foundation range with the Fit me Foundation to address inclusivity. Today, Inclusivity in Beauty is more mainstream and here to stay, the Gucci 2020 award-winning campaign Unconventional Beauty reflects changes in this attitude.
India’s Journey with growing awareness for Inclusivity in the Indian Beauty Industry?
The idea of Fair or “Gori” or “ Pale White Skin” is the ultimate beauty benchmark inherited from the colonial era. An unrealistic standard that has been culturally imposed and misrepresented without any reference to reality. Generations of Indians have been misled by the ideals of the White skin standards - that went beyond gender.
The 1990s saw the growth of India’s women's beauty pageant winners from Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, and Priyanka Chopra to Lara Dutta - showcasing the diversity of beauty in India.?
Brands in India took notice of this trend and began incorporating more ethnic faces. This included foreign beauty brands making a foray into the Indian Beauty landscape. Today, the future of Indian beauty is more fluid, making beauty more genderless, with society becoming more open towards the concept of fluid dressing, makeup, and self-care. Vogue magazines with India’s various campaigns that strove to break the stereotypes highlighted leading personalities who are breaking barriers at various levels. India also saw the launch of its first trans lifestyle magazine called Trans News.
Campaigns and Social awareness drive to create space for Inclusivity?
Niche social awareness campaigns have been highlighting the ideal beauty bias here in India. Brands like Dove Campaign with its ?#StopTheBeautyTest, and other noteworthy campaigns like - #NotFair, #IndiasGotColour and #DarkIsBeautiful.
Self-care is not limited anymore to women, increasingly men also want good skin. Beauty Concepts has been catering to products for men's grooming, gradually growing beyond just shaving creams and after-shave care. From 2017 onwards, more diverse models are being selected for both International and Indian brands. In recent years, much smaller niche makeup and skincare brands have come up with more options for a more gender-inclusive world of beauty.
Where do we go from here?
While the trend towards more gender-fluid fashion and beauty, inclusivity and diverse ranges in makeup and skincare are growing global phenomena. There is still a lot that needs to be accomplished. Post pandemic world is witnessing more buyers in the beauty segment who are more belief-driven buyers according to a survey in 2020, by Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company. This is an exciting time to witness changes, both you and I are part of this change and as people who appreciate the beauty we need to keep encouraging and pushing the boundaries encouraging more options and inclusivity.
Bibliography:
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#stop the beauty test
#not fair
India’s got colour
Gender Neutral brands that the family can use (L’occitane) Beauty concept (link here)
Local brands embracing change and cashing in on the growing movement are Gen z and Millennials?