Better Lives – Blog 2
I think the three themes of Better Lives are very current issues within the fashion industry which need to be addressed throughout all specialisms within fashion.
Within my specialism of hair and makeup for fashion I have to consider all of these themes within my current and future work. Through all of the lectures within this unit, it has challenged my thinking when creating my work and has made me reflect on what I could/may change in the future.
Diversity is still a large issue within makeup with many brands not creating makeup for all skin tones and types which has caused a big uproar. Very often in the media we see criticism towards brands and their new releases of foundation and concealer due to a lack of inclusivity within their range of shades. However, newer brands such as Fenty Beauty have realised this issue and are focusing on creating a fully diverse shade range to facilitate to a wider range of skin tones. Diversity doesn’t only apply to skin tones, it also effects any community who aren’t represented enough in the media especially within fashion. In my future work I would like to use a range of models, of different skin tones, dress sizes, disabilities etc to create a more inclusive fashion industry.
Within makeup, sustainability is an issue which brands are trying to encourage within their products and ethos. Over the years the impact of beauty products on the environment has become more apparent which has forced brands to make changes. The packaging of many products is causing harm to the planet due to single use plastic and non recyclable/excessive packaging. Due to hygiene of tools used to apply makeup I go through a lot of single use tools such as q-tips or disposable wands, as these have an impact on the environment I am trying to find products which don’t use plastic or are as biodegradable as possible in order to reduce my impact on the environment.
Social responsibility is an important idea for brands to consider, with many using a percentage of their sales to help out charities. Charlotte Tilbury has created a lipstick which she pledges £1 million of sales will go to the charity Women for Women International and help women survivors of war rebuild their lives. This encourages sales of her products as well as generating money to help people in need. Many other brands also support charities which allows them to use their popularity and income to give back to people less fortunate.
In my future work I have to consider the brands and products I use within my work. Through the themes of diversity, social responsibility and sustainability and the exploration of these themes within this unit, I will look a lot closer into what brands I should be supporting when purchasing items for my makeup kit. This will also make me consider what types of brands I want to work for in the future due to the morals and policies of the company in order to help out as much as I can.
7th May 2020 @ 12:10 pm
After reading a few blog posts in search of a post I could relate to, I came across a blog post by Zoe Lee. From her blog I read that she does Makeup like myself, but with her approach to it took a different turn than mine did which I really liked and caught my attention. I thought how the blog broke down the themes of better lives and explained how makeup links well with them really helpful and made it very clear to see how we as Makeup artists can utilize the themes, something at the beginning I personally struggled with.
You can tell she really did her research past the point of the just the lectures, talking about current issues, but also ways these are being solved. I found all these really engaging to read and reminded me of the issues that are happening around us, that I may have otherwise forgotten about. The post made good points about diversity, in ways I hadn’t considered, I enjoyed reading of where someone else’s mind had gone.
I appreciated that with each point she made how clear it was what she was going to do with this information when going ahead in the future, really taking on the ethos of Better Lives. I feel like with all the points she made, they can also add to how I want change in the future and have helped show me that I have power to change if I am more mindful of who I support when I have the choice.
I think I would have liked to have known what lectures she watched that have inspired her thinking into the better lives themes she looked into, I think that would round off and give really nice references to the great research that was done.
10th May 2020 @ 6:00 pm
After reading a few blog posts in search of a post I could relate to, I came across a blog post by Zoe Lee. (https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/04/28/better-lives-blog-2-3/?unapproved=106&moderation-hash=d5854693bb1b35c2bf27e536727fce8d#comment-106)
From her blog I read that she does Makeup like myself, but with her approach to it took a different turn than mine did which I really liked and caught my attention. I thought how the blog broke down the themes of better lives and explained how makeup links well with them really helpful and made it very clear to see how we as Makeup artists can utilize the themes, something at the beginning I personally struggled with.
The sustainability element of her writing helped me see how much there is that needs to be done. I considered a few of these points myself when I was thinking about the blog posts, and how going forward looking for more sustainable brands should be the way forward. I do think this is easier said than done however and isn’t always accessible or affordable for everyone, maybe an additional point could be to make it so everyone is able to be this way, not just the ones in privileged positions.
Social Responsibility was one I don’t think I went into much detail on, only about how we should think about others more. This blog really went further with research to the simple ways we can all go about being more conscious, such as supporting brands who support other people. I hadn’t heard about the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, but will definitely be on the lookout for companies that help in the future, as should everyone.
You can tell she really did her research past the point of the just the lectures, talking about current issues, but also ways these are being solved. I found all these really engaging to read and reminded me of the issues that are happening around us, that I may have otherwise forgotten about. The post made good points about diversity, in ways I hadn’t considered, I enjoyed reading of where someone else’s mind had gone.
I appreciated that with each point she made how clear it was what she was going to do with this information when going ahead in the future, really taking on the ethos of Better Lives. I feel like with all the points she made, they can also reinforce how I want change in the future and have helped show me that I have power to change if I am more mindful of who I support when I have the choice.
I think I would have liked to have known what lectures she watched that have inspired her thinking into the better lives themes she looked into, I think that would round off and give really nice references to the great research that was done.