This episode is a journey inside my mind as I try to juxtapose five decades of incredible work with one (as far as we know) racist image. I'm talking about Grace Coddington; former Creative Director at US Vogue for almost three decades, known for her imagination and brilliant attention to detail and for creating memorable imagery that has inspired many around the world and impacted every single advert and billboard.
But it's that attention to detail that raised alarm bells back in 2019, when Grace was photographed at home, and in one of the images, she's standing in front of a collection of mammy jars. Many wondered why she had the jars - racist propaganda created to paint African Americans as ugly caricatures - while others wondered why they were on display.
Unfortunately I didn't know about the jars when I made this TikTok all about Grace's impact on the fashion industry.
So in this episode I have a lot of questions - can you be not racist but make a racist mistake; what is 'little old white lady' racism? Plus many others... I also throw makeup artist and brand founder Isamaya Ffrench into the mix, because she's been sailing very close to the wind lately, and her recent trip to Malawi has had some in the beauty community referring to her as 'cringe'.
I'd love to know your thoughts as always, so feel free to get in touch over @beautymepodcast on Twitter or Instagram, or find me on TikTok @charissekenion. Don't forget I also have a newsletter and you can read it for free at beautymenotes.substack.com. Finally, if you could take a moment to review the show and follow or subscribe, it would really help the podcast be seen more by people who might like it.
Links
Elisha Brown article in New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/arts/mammy-jars-black-history-month.html
Genna Rivieccio in Culled Culture on 'old white lady racism': https://www.culledculture.com/grace-coddington-mammy-jars/
Kackie Does Beauty; We Need To Talk About Isamaya Ffrench: https://youtu.be/COIVWDo5IKs
Do Mo Draper 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' on TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYUNtB1s/
BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast
BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/
BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com
BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion
BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme
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Ep. 254: Creator of The Black Beauty Effect Netflix series Andrea Lewis on being a multi-hyphenate, embracing pop culture and how to pitch a show
Ep. 253: Behind the scenes of Rose Glass movie Love Lies Bleeding with the costume, hair and makeup heads and why it’s the next cult classic
Ep. 252: Best hair and makeup from the Met Gala 2024 – let's focus on the positives
Ep. 251: The Week in Beauty: is this the end of Youthforia? With Cosmetic Scientist and brand founder Florence Adepoju
Ep. 250: 8 best hair and makeup moments of the Met Gala from 1999 to 2023
Ep. 249: Thoughts on Sam Taylor Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black and talking transformation with hair and makeup designer Peta Dunstall
Ep. 248: 6 multi-tasking makeup products for when you can’t be bothered - from Milk, to MAC, Make Up For Ever + more
Ep. 247: Rihanna gets ugly for Interview magazine cover with religious symbolism but Madonna did it first!
Ep. 246: The April issues – beauty all around on the latest magazine covers, including THAT Björk cover of Vogue Scandinavia
Ep. 245: Punk! Irreverence! Mundanity! Let’s discuss Chioma Nnadi’s first British Vogue cover featuring FKA Twigs
Ep. 244: Let’s catch up on the Oscars – from Jodie Smith’s viral skin to Kendall Jenner’s Margiela moment. Plus my mini Cécred review and a Byredo Mojave Ghost perfume workshop
Ep. 243: Creating the characters of Truman Capote and the original influencers for FX Network show Feud: Capote vs The Swans with makeup department head Jackie Risotto
Ep. 242: The Week in Beauty – Marc Jacobs celebrates 40 years with Pat McGrath; YSL Beauty announces Dua Lipa as global makeup ambassador, plus more discussions around Beyoncé and Cécred
Ep. 241: Chic is back! London Fashion Week hair and beauty round-up featuring KNWLS and Ancuta Sarca plus my NYFW faves Laquan Smith, Luar and Marc Jacobs
Ep. 240: Let's review YSL Beauty Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara
Ep. 239: The Week in Beauty – Hailey Bieber's GENIUS Rhode Lip Tint phone case; Cécred – new haircare from Beyonce, fashion icon Peter Dundas going into beauty and HAIR TALKS part 2!
Ep. 238: Three of my most treasured fashion and beauty books
Ep. 237: Let's review Neen, the latest brand from Stila founder Jeanine Lobell
Ep. 236: The Week in Beauty – Pat McGrath brings community back to Instagram, Kylie Jenner’s ‘new face’, Sza's lip line, Julia Fox talks OMG Fashun! plus Grammys beauty and more
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