New Style Idea

Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, many different issues of systemic racism and injustices have been brought to light. If there's one thing that we should all take away from this powerful social justice movement that we're in the middle of right now, it's that long-term change needs to happen. To help put actions in motion, many Black members of the beauty industry are vocalizing what that looks like.

In addition to just encouraging consumers to support more Black-owned businesses by simply spending money at them moving forward, Sharon Chuter, founder and CEO of Uoma Beauty, launched the Pull Up or Shut Up Challenge asking brands to share the presence or lack thereof of Black people in leadership positions at their companies, and Aurora James set forth the 15 Percent Pledge, asking major corporations to commit to carrying more Black-owned brands on their shelves.

There's even more room for change in the beauty industry, specifically pertaining to Black beauty experts like hairstylists and makeup artists. Naeemah LaFond, global artistic director at Amika, created a guide on how to support Black hairstylists, which inspired New York City-based makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran to do the same for her field of work.

"There needs to be a deeper look into the normalized and continual injustice faced in work places and on sets," Jaikaran wrote in her caption on Instagram. "Often times the opportunities given are such at a high disproportion that sometimes even us as artists tend to shut out other black artists because of the fear of that 'ONE spot' already being filled."

Keep scrolling to read her guide on how brands can support Black makeup artists.