Putting on a fresh face is crucial, especially since we live in a racist, oppressive society. So check out these quick tips for getting those eyes to pop, making his jaw drop, and realizing that bigotry is institutionalized everywhere around you!
Foundation Spotting (to Highlight Privilege)
Applying small spots of foundation with a makeup sponge can not only blend your blemishes into flawless skin, but can also demonstrate how some people do not have the privilege to blend in and are instead compulsorily othered and made to feel foreign in their own communities.
Eyelash Curling (to Show Lack of Visibility)
Adding a little heat to your eyelash curler will give your lashes a cute flourish and also open up your eyes to how the lack of equitable representation of marginalized groups in mainstream media is damaging.
Contouring (to Display the Prevalence of Eurocentric Beauty Standards)
Using an angled bristle brush and some low-shimmer bronzer will show off those sexy cheekbones while allowing you to remember how entrenched the Westernized ideal of the slender, fair-skinned, able-bodied woman really is.
Lip lining (to Prove the Wage Gap Exists)
Lining your lips ensures that your lipstick color will last, which means bolder color, fewer smudges, and an empowered smile that will shatter in the face of a straight white male earning an average of twenty more cents on the dollar than anyone of color of either gender.
Blush Dabbing (to Call Out the Exclusion of WOC from Mainstream Feminism)
Dabbing your favorite rouge onto the apples of your cheeks is a great way to brighten your face — the face you use to witness how often feminism does not include the histories of women of color. The face you use to turn away from how statistics on the lived experiences of men and women are often within a white paradigm. The face you use to hide the fact that WOC are put into boxes and made to feel that consideration of their rights is an exception or a privilege — separate — and something to be earned after the more “normalized” white woman’s struggle is dealt with first. You will be blushing — from shame.
So with this quick guide, you’ll polish up your makeup techniques and say, “How can I be an ally? Racism is still a pervasive problem in the post-colonialist landscape we live in” in no time flat!
