We use cosmetics to enhance our appearance, to highlight certain features, and to make
us feel beautiful.
We even use it as a form of self expression.
But how would you feel if you didn't have the opportunity to use cosmetics at all?
This happens more often than you think.
For some, cosmetics just simply aren't accessible.
Growing up through the years and working towards a professional qualification, there are days
which are very important and you need to look like a sharp shooter.
Having that in mind, I went across to the market and look for some foundation for myself.
This is one of the shades they gave me.
I think this matches, is this a good match to my skin?
Would you walk around like this in a corporate world?
Definitely not.
All they would suggest to me, why don't you buy two of them and mix them about, which
means it doubles my cost and makes my bag heavier, and that wasn't fair to me.
I felt I wanted something that made me look like me, made me look right, didn't push me
back, but made me feel super confident.
Doesn't everyone deserve that?
I remember, five years ago if you entered a shop, the products that were offered usually
weren't exactly marketed or targeted to the male population.
It's usually just a very generic and general ones.
If a guy would just walk into a shop and say, hey, I would like to buy something.
What would be offered or recommended is going to be something that's usually meant for the
ladies.
Doing this beauty blogging and reviewing products and stuff, I remember going into the shops
to just look at the products and the staff would just come up to you ... come up to me
and say, hey do you need some help?
Men's products are over there.
But I'm like, no, I just want to look at products, not just men's products.
I think one of the more practical way to show that ... the communicate be more inclusive
is to have more male representation in print ads, in commercials, in your collaterals,
because men, in a macro perspective, you want to feel like we can relate.
But in a micro perspective, we want to know that this product is something that I can
use too.
If you often see ... if you always you female in a print ad and talking about a product,
you just cannot feel like it's generally engineered to work with a female consumer in mind and
not the men.
Besides maybe putting on some lip gloss and maybe a little blush now and then, I very
rarely wear makeup.
Then came rosacea when I turned 40, and all of a sudden I had redness all over here and
red bumps.
I was uncomfortable with that.
I wanted to do something about it so I would go and try to find out more.
Tried liquid foundations, this and that.
Got all the different advice.
I have found it to be an extreme challenge, even after all of this time, for anybody with
sensitive skin, issues with your skin, who's a beginner, and just is not interested or
has the skill to feel comfortable enough, I guess.
I'd like to see more out there for different abilities, different skin issues, and more
for mature skin, which I don't think that there's enough.
We shouldn't have to be a makeup artist in order to make our skin look good and be comfortable
in it.
That's why I'm celebrating #globalbeautyday, alongside In-cosmetics Global, in Paris on
April 3rd.
And I'm hoping you're going to celebrate with me.
Let's put a spotlight on how the industry can better serve gender, ethnicity, LGBT,
identity, different skin types, body types, different abilities and more.
It's also an opportunity to celebrate those companies that are promoting diversity and
inclusivity in cosmetics.
That's right.
I'm talking about you L'Oreal.
Nice job.
You can share a motto, a personal story.
Give a pat on the back to a company that's doing inclusion right.
Or a raspberry to ones that don't.
It doesn't matter, really, because taking a few moments to think and discuss these issues
makes all the difference in the world.