The Sunday Mind: Racism in Beauty

I feel like The Sunday Mind is going to be a Save the World Wednesday type series where I think out loud. I know that it's probably better for the blog that I keep it beauty and lifestyle but at the same time, this blog should represent me and I have thoughts independent of beauty that I want to speak out about. But to tie it all in, here are my thoughts on racism in the beauty industry.

I don't know if many people have realized this (not sure how many people of colour read this blog or are having this problem) but there are not many darker shades of foundation. Going into Sephora, I can see a plethora of  lighter foundations and concealers but each brand seems to have 3 darker shades. I don't understand why - if anything there's a wider spectrum of shades and colours in darker skintones but why don't more companies cater to it? Why can I only find maybe 3 brands that carry my colour but every single brand (it seems) has the exact same shade of a pink under-toned, cool, light foundations.

And it's not just foundation and concealers, I can't seem to find any shade of bronzer dark enough to contour with. Do darker skinned individuals not need to contour? The cruel reality of racism even when it comes to beauty. If anyone has any recommendations for darker or mixed skintones, please comment below! I could just be looking for them in the wrong places (though I do believe the standard of beauty is geared towards European/whites).

This is also the case for nude lipsticks (or nude anything). They may be nude for lighter skintones but definitely not for darker ones. I posted my favourite nude lipsticks a few days back - hopefully they help someone who's having trouble finding a good, darker nude (I know it took me a while to find those three).

This may seem trivial to most (especially if you don't share the same problem) but I do think it's subliminal, subconscious and subtle racism (a little alliteration for ya). The standards of beauty are very much skewed towards lighter skin tones and I think it's a shame considering all the beautiful shades of white/tan/brown/black there are out there.

Do you ever find it hard to get makeup for darker skin? Or am I looking in all the wrong places? Leave any recommendations or comments below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!

STWW: Charlie Hebdo and the Ridiculousness of Generalization

I'm going to start off this post by saying, of course, that I condemn and am horrified by the recent attacks in France. It's shameful and cruel that a couple of extremists are doing heinous crimes "in the name of Islam". I am a Muslim and I have to make it clear that their religion is not mine - I view my religion as a way of peace, of showing kindness and of making myself better (my STWW are inspired by my Islam) while they are abusing the name of Islam and using it to justify their sick and unjustifiable actions.

But I am also horrified by ignorant people who are looking at all Muslims as though it is our fault. Anyone in their right mind would condemn this brutal attack, why is it that Muslims have to specifically condemn it and apologize for it? Two mentally unstable individuals do not represent the thoughts, minds and actions of billions of people around the world. I would never expect all American males to apologize when a few mentally ill American males choose to gun down kindergartners and high school students. In fact, I would be enraged if someone expected something of that sort. People are more than just their religion and generalizing everyone of that religion, based on extremists and terrorists, is shameful.

I'm grateful that I haven't personally faced this sort of discrimination but my aunt, who has been living in America for decades and wears the hijab (head-scarf), was yelled at and had a waterbottle thrown at her as she walked on the street. My old, kind aunt who tries to feed everyone who comes into her home and has a warm smile and generous heart.

To keep things light, I'm going to hand it over to Aziz Ansari who tweeted the ridiculousness of this generalization best:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's remember to stay kind to one another, to never generalize and to try to see the good in everyone. It's not about "Us versus Them", it's not about religion and it's not about money- it's about humanity. Peace and love to ALL.