My name is Tobi Oredein, and in my humble opinion
mainstream fashion brands still make women of colour feel invisible.
Nude lipsticks, nude-coloured nails, nude dresses, even nude underwear,
stays fashionable season after season.
But nude seems to mean weird shades of pink and multiple shades of beige.
People, often women that look like me,
don't fit the fashion and beauty industry's idea
of what a nude should be.
Let's face it - I'm more of a deep brown than a honey beige.
And I'm not alone in needing a brown rather than a pink
when it comes to finding the right shade of nude.
By not creating nude products that match the complexion of black women,
women of colour,
not only are mainstream fashion brands losing business,
but they're telling women that look like me that we don't matter,
that we don't exist.
Of course, there are bigger problems than me finding a bra
that matches the complexion of my skin,
but it does highlight how little the fashion and beauty industry
values black skin.
By not creating diverse products to cater to customers
it shows why we're still battling for diversity on the runways
and on magazine covers.
It seems that the fashion and beauty industries
only work to serve the needs of white women, and white women only.
However, some independent fashion and beauty brands have taken charge
and started to create nude products for women of colour.
Yes, the beauty industry is starting to put women of colour
in their campaigns,
and it is starting to make nude products
for women of darker skin tones.
And yes, change is happening,
but we can't just rely on smaller beauty and fashion brands.
High-end and high street brands
need to make sure that all women of colour
have an option when it comes to buying nude.
So right now it's not the bra I'm wearing underneath my white top
that's invisible, it's me.
So let's champion brands who help women of colour feel visible.