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
Ep: 79: Myths around periods, contraception and menopause with Medical Herbalist Natasha Richardson
Ep. 78: What Mental Health Means to Me
Ep. 77: Having a Beyonce work ethic and making content creation look effortless with makeup artist Ehlie Luna
Ep. 76: Skin First: with New York Makeup Artist and Clubhouse beauty pro Jaleesa Jaikaran
Ep. 75: Why colour matching is key and ditching gender labels with makeup artist Gabrielle Alvarez
Ep. 74: My Hydration Tips For Fighting Maskne
Ep. 73: Eyebrow evolutions and the stigma of creating content when you're a pro makeup artist with Isabel Rosado
Ep. 72: Why makeup is thrilling, therapy and more for photographer/director Brinsley Edwards
Ep. 71: From NOLA to NYC with makeup artist and content creator Jonet Williamson
Ep. 70: Beauty X Wellness; ‘where blood flows, life goes’ – the power of facial massage with Anastasia Goron
Ep. 69: Beauty X Wellness; Talking intentions and feeling feelings with Hanahana Beauty's Abena Boamah-Acheampong
Ep. 68: Beauty X Wellness; Microaggressions while working in corporate marketing with style influencer Ashley Griffin
Ep. 67: Beauty X Wellness; Beauty Editor Ava Welsing-Kitcher on burnout, beauty and moving house 27 times.
Ep. 66: My Top 5 Cleansers
Ep. 65: Learning to find resilience during lockdown with makeup artist Rachael Todd
Ep. 64: Zendaya’s hair and makeup in Netflix movie Malcolm & Marie
Ep. 63: Faking it - from dark circles and concealer to problematic deep faking
Ep. 62: Why freelancer Melissa Geczy finds skincare crucial in living with the daily pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia
Ep. 61: TikTok beauty creator Sonia Valencia on being a teen mom, having no filter and catering to an over-40 audience
Ep. 60: My Makeup Essentials Plus Tips for Acne-Prone Skin
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