In an industry where the standard of beauty is still quite homogenous, a few remarkable women make it their goal to stand out and stand up for change. In honor of Black History Month, here we’ve thrown the spotlight on a few of those modern-day women who break ground in the name of not only diversity, but self-love and acceptance.
1. Alicia Keys
When Alicia Keys decided to say goodbye to makeup completely back in 2016, she proved you don’t need to cover up to feel beautiful. She told Lenny Letter, “I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.” Amen!
2. Rihanna
For such a long time, women of color had to mix, match and dig their way through the makeup counter just to find a halfway decent foundation shade. Rihanna’s release of Fenty Beauty last year turned the whole beauty industry on its head. With 40 inclusive shades of foundation (and more on the way), RiRi made sure that every beautiful skin tone could find their perfect match.
3. Maria Borges
Maria made history back in 2016 for being the first model to wear natural hair on the Victoria’s Secret runway. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, she’s now the spokeswoman of L’Oréal Paris.
4. Nyma Tang
Like so many others, Nyma became frustrated at the lack of consideration for diverse skin tones in makeup. To raise awareness towards the issue and help out her fellow makeup junkies, she started a YouTube series where she tests out the darkest shades of different foundations, concealers and contour kits.
5. Zendaya
No stranger to making a statement through fashion, Zendaya often makes the biggest statement with her hair. Not only has she sported her natural, brushed out tresses in all their glory at the Met Gala, she also wore an afro on the red carpet as an homage to her family and roots.
6. Pat McGrath
The makeup industry as we know it today would not be possible if it weren’t for Pat McGrath. She’s been lauded as the most influential makeup artist alive, and for good reason. Her wildly creative and innovative skills have been sought out by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, CoverGirl and so many more.
7. Beyoncé
Of course, no list of amazing black women would be complete without the Queen herself. Through both of her pregnancy announcements, she portrayed motherhood and the strength of the female body as ethereally beautiful.
Header Image: Nyma / Instagram
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