Each year, black consumers circulate $850 billion through the economy; 90% of those dollars are channeled to non-black owners. Many Black-owned businesses are opened out of necessity for the community. The economic state of any community is partially related to the amount of money spent within it.
Unfortunately, money is not put back into the black community as black-owned businesses are not supported. This stigma derives from the thought that Black-owned merchandise is not as valuable or as high quality as products provided by big companies. Instead of supporting multimillion dollar corporations that do not care about those who support it financially like Gucci, H&M, etc, we should discover businesses that support people of color.
To that end, Grassroots DC is hosting a Health and Beauty Expo at the Black Worker’s Center this Sunday, April 14 at 2500 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
It’s particularly important that we support black-owned businesses that provide health and beauty products because Black people spend a disproportionate amount of their income on those products. Despite this, the beauty industry overlooks many people with rich skin tones and thick hair textures and does not provide a variety of diverse products aimed at people of color. This shouldn’t be unexpected.
Thanks in large part to the media, it is unacceptable to wear many natural hairstyles to school or work. In fact, the United States has a long history of banning Afrocentric hairstyles. The history of the tignon (a hairdresser to conceal hair) was worn by free slave creole women, the law enacted by Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miro. This law was created so men can pursue affairs with Creole women. Even today, many brands promote white standards and perpetuate racist stereotypes that black hairstyles are unprofessional. People of color continue to be humiliated, shamed, and banned for their hair styles even when they are trending
The booming market of $2.56 billion dollars that people of color spend on products has caused many companies to began to cater to them. You also must be aware that brands do use dark skin women as props to show they are inclusive. An example of advertising “light is bright” notion is the 2017 Dove commercial ad. The implication of a Black woman changing into a white woman represents “clean” shows that many big companies have hidden racism.
Even when a company like MAC Cosmetics offers a wide range of products, they’re not really designed with all of the issues brought about by darker complexions. In order to create a custom foundation many people of color mix two colors for the perfect blend. Hormones, stress levels, climate, diet and lack of sleep all affect how your foundation no longer blends with your skin. To address this, many brands that market to women of color create dark shades in order to attract customers.
Brands such as Fenty, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, appear to be challenging stereotypical and regressive notions of beauty by creating color swatches they claim will create. But hexadecimal color codes show how many of these companies shades that are for dark skin people are not.
In the commercial world, brands like Fenty have Photoshopped swatches in order to create the illusion of diversity.
All this “inclusive” marketing by major corporations leaves small, black-owned companies in peril. Major corporations with unlimited resources successfully tap into the buying power of people of color without ensuring their needs. Beauty brands are becoming inclusive because it is now mainstream, but is this a good thing?
Many products that have been advertised to African Americans actually contain hazardous chemicals that can lead to cancer. The Environmental Working Group analyzed 1,177 beauty, personality, and hair care products that are marketed towards people of color. Out of those products only, 25% were considered low hazard compared to the 40% marketed to the general public. Hair products that are used to straighten hair actually promote hair thinning and loss. Toxic ingredients such as lye have been found in hair relaxers while formaldehyde has been found in straightening treatments. But even products that contain no lye can cause chemical burns. Other health issues associated with beauty products include hormone disruption, allergies, reproduction damage, and even cancer.
The federal food, drug and cosmetic act of 1938 and the fair packaging and labeling act of 1967 is a government safeguard that is supposed to protect people from misbranding. Neither of these acts requires cosmetics to be approved by the FDA before hitting the market. The gap between Black and whites health outcomes reflects a disparity of Black doctors. By including more Black people into these professions, industries, and research, Black needs are more likely to be met.
The Health and Beauty Expo will be covering and talking about these discrepancies and products that are aimed for black women but do not hit the mark. The goal of the Expo is to educate and uplift the community by highlighting local black owned businesses that specialize in our health and beauty needs. The “Sip and Shop” will feature a variety of black-owned businesses that sell everything from Beauty, Hair, and Make-up services to vitamins, holistic healing, and plants, & more. Please come prepared to shop as vendors will be offering deals and you don’t want to miss! We will be discussing the “Pros and Cons of the Beauty Industry: How it Affects our Community and How can we Build.” The panel will include 5 specialists from cosmetologist to doctors that are licensed and certified. The Panel will also include you, you read it right “you”. Everyone is encouraged to join in the conversation. Topics will include colorism, common health issues in the black community, generational wealth and entrepreneurialism. The closing of the event will feature a stress-free hour to mix and mingle with other attendees and see some work showcased by some on the vendors. This event is free and all ages are welcome. Everyone in the community is encouraged to come. We really hope to see you there.
The federal food, drug and cosmetic act of 1938 and the fair packaging and labeling act of 1967 is a government safeguard that is supposed to protect people from misbranding. Neither of these acts requires cosmetics to be approved by the FDA before hitting the market. The gap between Black and whites health outcomes reflects a disparity of Black doctors. By including more Black people into these professions, industries, and research, Black needs are more likely to be met.
Health and Beauty Expo will be covering and talking about these discrepancies and products that are aimed for black women but do not hit the mark. The goal of the Expo is to educate and uplift the community by highlighting local black owned businesses that specialize in our health and beauty needs. The “Sip and Shop” will feature a variety of black-owned businesses that sell everything from Beauty, Hair, and Make-up services to vitamins, holistic healing, and plants, & more. Please come prepared to shop as vendors will be offering deals and you don’t want to miss! We will be discussing the “Pros and Cons of the Beauty Industry: How it Affects our Community and How can we Build.” The panel will include 5 specialists from cosmetologist to doctors that are licensed and certified. The Panel will also include you, you read it right “you”. Everyone is encouraged to join in the conversation. Topics will include colorism, common health issues in the black community, generational wealth and entrepreneurialism. The closing of the event will feature a stress-free hour to mix and mingle with other attendees and see some work showcased by some on the vendors. This event is free and all ages are welcome. Everyone in the community is encouraged to come. We really hope to see you there.
