How can the Beauty industry recognise and be inclusive of the LGBTQ+ Community.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”; these are powerful words that extend to so many areas of our life.
What do you consider beautiful?
How you do conform to beauty norms in order to feel attractive and accepted?
Do you feel comfortable to express your vision of beauty and be accepted in the world?
The beauty industry has long been something that both embraces and shuns difference. It promotes and embraces our differences yet still tells us that we need to look a certain way!
This month is Gay pride, an opportunity to look at ourselves and those around us, embracing all of our wonderful differences; the very things that make us a diverse and beautiful human race.
How can we as beauty professionals and beauty consumers make an impact on our industry to embrace and welcome every individual to feel confident, beautiful and accepted in this world?
The beauty and fashion industries have had a long and deep relationship with the LGBTQ+ community operating at all levels of the trade. In fact many of your favourite brands and products have been designed and developed by innovative individuals from this community. However, there is still a long standing disparity between this community and the people that enjoy the fruits of their labours.
We have been conditioned by a century of innovative yet culturally biased marketing and advertising campaigns. Very often, our beauty standards have been prescribed to us and ingrained in us since birth, by beautiful adverts and packaging with gorgeous models that all look a certain way; by our parents and friends following trends and styles that are heavily influenced by these campaigns. This influences what you find beautiful but it does not really reflect the diverse spectrum of beauty that includes all humans!
How can we make the world a place where we can all feel beautiful and accepted? No matter our colour, shape, size or preference?
We need to realise our own cultural bias and expand our horizons on what is beautiful. To be beautiful is to be human. The beauty industry has heavily impacted our very image of what a human is!
When we browse any cosmetics section, we are inundated with pink and delicate packaging for women and harsh black packaging for men, our industry has conditioned us into accepting these pre-defined gender-norms, this hyper sexualisation in society must be broken down. The separation between the masculine and feminine, your sexual identity or preference does not define you, your tastes or your preference in shampoo or face wash.
Our media is heavily influenced by beautiful people who nonetheless all look very similar! We are inundated and conditioned to shun diversity if it does not fit what we are comfortable with and see on a daily basis. This can, must and will change!
The inclusion of every healthy body must be acknowledged and included in our magazines, tv shows and packaging.
There is hope and things are changing. Big brands are under more pressure than ever to equally represent people of all colours, bodies and preferences. We are seeing ever more beautiful faces, black, asian, mixed, masculine, feminine and everything in between.
Diversity is becoming a part of popular, mainstream culture. It is our duty to as consumers and industry professionals to recognise and embrace this at every opportunity.
As a society we must;
Recognise our own bias.
Take into account equal representation of all minorities and races in all aspects of our lives.
Educate ourselves.
Support brands and movements that strive for equality and acceptance.
MindBeauty recognises and celebrates the diversity of our amazing community of spas and users and strives to provide the highest level of service for all, no matter your gender, race, body, orientation or sex.