Grace Shaw

Originally looking at my Better Lives unit of Fashion Activism it seemed as though this wouldn’t link in anyway to my creative practise of Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics for Performance, yet this was still something I was interested in learning more about. During the lectures I have realised the information I have learnt will help me greatly in the future as activism as a whole impacts all of our lives as consumers and this knowledge will personally help me for my future jobs in makeup and beauty. 

Fashion Activism is a way of using fashion as an effort to implement social and political change. This is something that is current in the world and I personally think is key for anyone to learn about as this can cover anything from mental health to sexuality. We should all be aware of how to get our message across in the right way when working in the industry of fashion or makeup. 

Beauty activism is becoming a rising trend throughout the years and for a beauty brand to get that right they can instantly gain a good reputation as a brand. In the UK 20% of customers choose to switch brands because of its societal issues, therefore having this knowledge and being sensitive to social issues can help me as a makeup artist.

In beauty, brands have become much more transparent about what they stand for, from their sourcing and supply chain principles to their views about gender, authenticity, diversity and inclusivity.

Brands that have used Beauty Activism:

-The Body Shop was a pioneer in beauty activism from its launch in 1976, when the brand and its environmental and human rights activists founder Anita Roddick, campaigned for cruelty free cosmetics. 

-Fenty Beauty’s launch in 2017 with its range of 40 shades of foundations spearheaded a movement for other brands to cater for all skin tones. 

-MAC, which has been serving the HIV/AIDS community with its Viva Glam Lip Products for 25 Years, has also extended its support of equal rights for women, girls and LGBTQ+ communities around the world. 

-Dove campaigning for body confidence and self esteem since 2007 by featuring different sized models with different skin tones.

As a whole, Better Lives has helped me see a totally different side to activism and realise how important it is to be socially aware as a brand and makeup artist. This will be crucial to help the way I work in the future. Not only that but working in a group and making something come together with people from all different backgrounds is perfect experience for when I have to do this in industry as I will have to work in a team, keep to deadlines, and make sure everyones ideas are included. 

From these first few lectures I’ve already learnt so much about the fashion industry and positive ways we can make a change by looking after the resources we have.. It’s made me think more about how we can all make a change to our everyday habits no matter how big or small It is and make a big impact on the future of our planet.

One of the main things that struck a cord with me from the first lecture was the questions that were asked at the end of the lecture by the audience. One question that was asked was what is the most sustainable way we can buy clothes? This is something I always struggle with as I find myself constantly going to the easiest route to buy clothes that are on trend and easily accessible to me. Which means I end up buying from fast fashion websites such as Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, Missguided and so on. And then always feeling guilty for how the workers could be being treated, or what materials they’re using or how they’re getting these materials for me to buy my clothes at such a cheap price. However the answer to this question made me feel much better about the way I buy clothes or how I could help out from buying these types of clothes. Julia suggested that it’s not always so bad buying your clothes on these websites, as long as you’re rewearing the clothes or when you want to get rid of them selling them onto people for them to be reworn, which is what I always make sure to do when I know I’m not going to wear something anymore using websites like Depop or Ebay, where people will go to buy used clothes at a reasonable price and repurpose something that would otherwise be thrown out. 

Another suggestion from Julia was to swap clothes with your friends whenever you’re wanting to refresh your wardrobe, this is a really good idea and something I will start to do with my friends as it’s an easy way to recycle your clothes but still get that new clothes feeling in your wardrobe.

It’s so easy to say you will go to a charity shop to recycle clothes but sometimes it’s not always as easy as it sounds, being realistic it can be difficult to find  clothes you like there and there’s not always an accessible charity shop near you, so these tips from the lecture will be a more realistic way for me  to help out the planet and something I think so many young people my age will benefit from as they can still get on trend clothes if they’re clever with what they do with the item when they don’t want it anymore.