Carol's Daughter-No Darkies Allowed?

When looking at the new ad campaign for beauty brand Carol’s Daughter featuring “singer” Cassie, singer, Solange Knowles and model Selita Ebanks, all who appear to be black with varied racial backgrounds, I feel like the company may as well just put up a sign that says, “No Darkies Allowed”. I feel like the next time I even think about entering a store someone might just rush me and hold a little piece of a paper bag next to my face.

This new ad campaign is supposedly emphasizing the multicultural makeup of today’s society. Hmmm… To be honest I have no idea what’s going on here because investor Steve Stoute’s explanation makes no sense.

What we’re doing now is moving into a polyethnic space. We want to be the first beauty brand that truly captures the beauty of the tapestry of skin types in America. When I say polyethnic, I mean women who are made up of several ethnicities. If you ask them what they are, they’re going to use a lot of different words to describe themselves. That’s in line with the Census data coming out — people are checking much more than two boxes. We believe we’ve put together a shoot that celebrates many different ethnicities, to become a mirror of what America’s really becoming.[...]They will serve as cultural ambassadors in bringing forth this acceptance that the definition of beauty is now colorless. There are no longer boxes of white, black, Latina, Asian. More and more women are checking the other box, they share the vision and embody the messaging in their attitude, appearance, projects and core values.

Okay let’s break this down. First of all, historically Carol’s Daughter has always been a black brand that’s been marketed to black people, and we come in all shades, not just café’ au lait tones. Now, if Stoute is indicating that something has changed and the company wants to capture the “tapestry of skin types in America” then why are they only featuring black women in the ad? If Stoute’s point is that more and more black women and women in general are actually of an ethnically diverse makeup then this ad still lacks logic because there are “polyethnic” people who have dark skin and coarse hair.

It’s also as if the company is subliminally communicating that if you’re just plain ol’ black with naps, you’re not exotic enough and therefore not beautiful. It’s the same hogwash that’s communicated to dark-skinned black folks since we were brought over in boats. 

And what’s this malarkey about beauty being “colorless”? Why can’t we be beautiful people of color in a multi-racial world? Why should one’s ethnicity have to be erased to communicate that society is diverse? How does that celebrate diversity? If Carol’s Daughter feels that beauty has no color then just do what the brand Clinique does and don’t even feature people in the print ads. Don’t dictate or attach your idea of beauty to the brand. Stoute’s statement is one long contradiction.

Mainstream media consistently overlooks the importance of racial and ethnic diversity, particularly with dark-skinned people (unless you’re male). You can be a dark-skinned black A-lister if you’re a man. But when a brown woman is allowed to sneak through to the A-list, typically she’s light-skinned. Outside of Hollywood’s token “plus-size” celebrity, Queen Latifah, who magazines drag out whenever they want to talk about “curvy” women (a dubious honor Jennifer Hudson earned before she lost weight), Beyonce and Halle Berry, are practically the only black women allowed to grace the covers of mainstream magazines (and yes there is a list), and even their skin is lightened in photos. And now you have the newer crop of A-listers like Zoe Saldana and Paula Patton who both demonstrate mainstream media’s fascination with light, mocha tones and straight hair.

So it’s one thing as a dark skinned person to be discriminated against by mainstream media, but it’s a whole other level of insult to be discriminated against by a black company. But if you notice, ever since Carol’s Daughter went corporate, it’s always seemed to promote lighter complexions, having Jada Pinkett Smith as their first model, wearing a long wavy (good hair) weave. Even when I went to the website to the hair section, there was a photo of a light-brown woman with soft, curly hair. I would like to see a range of skin tones and hair types. I haven’t seen anyone who looks like me in the Carol’s Daughter images. (I tried that Hair Milk and it did nothing for my naps!) 

I’m very disappointed in the new Carol’s Daughter ad campaign. I thought black folks had come farther than this-still promoting light skin using the “polyethnic” cop-out. I think Carol’s Daughter either needs to come clean about what they really feel is beautiful or change up the campaign to reflect true diversity-or at the very least get a new spokesperson who makes sense. I want to see a range of images from a “light-bright skin-ded” sista with the roughest toughest naps you ever broke a comb through, to the darkest most ebony-toned woman with long, naturally curly hair-because THAT is also reality. THAT is what I see on the streets every day. THAT is diversity. And it’s all beautiful.

What do you think about the new Carol’s Daughter ad and the explanation?

Wendy Williams, Dancing With the Stars and Confronting Fear

Talk show host Wendy Williams was booted off Dancing With the Stars this week. Frankly I never understood why she agreed to do it. I didn’t think she needed the added exposure already having a solid fan base. How famous does one need to be? But despite my objections to Williams featuring her two left feet on national television, I respect her decision to do something different, challenge herself and face her fears. I’m taking a Hip Hop class right now and can completely relate to the issues Williams was having with being able to shake that thang!

I’d been wanting to take the Hip Hop class for a while but was hesitant and I couldn’t figure out why. I discovered I was afraid of looking stupid, and for good reason. When I finally summoned the courage to go to my first class I was a mess. I couldn’t get the steps; I was uncoordinated and very frustrated. I didn’t understand how I was such a klutz when I was good dancer in high school. I was not only part of a small dance troupe I was the choreographer! So I couldn’t understand why I was having such a problem distinguishing my right foot from my left and couldn’t make sense of anything. Part of this was physical.

First of all I’m nearly six feet tall, and though when I watched music videos I could tell that all the dancers were small, I didn’t realize what an impact height can have on one’s ability to move gracefully. When I first started my Hip Hop class I felt like I was all arms and legs. There are two other tall women in the class who I discovered felt the same way. So on top of my inability to “internalize the steps” to remember the routine as my instructor said, I was also grappling with the fact that I’m not a small girl and my size makes it even harder for me to move swiftly with ease. And I noticed that with Williams.

In addition to being able to understand the difficulty Williams was having executing the steps as a tall woman, I also never felt as if she was comfortable with her bold frame. The interesting thing about Kirstie Alley is that, though she may not like her body, she seems comfortable with it. And Williams, who’s always boastful about her size six dimensions, did not seem comfortable in her skin on the dance floor. And that is something I discovered in my class about myself.

Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, who plays Tasha Mack on The Game was on The Wendy Williams Show recently. Robinson, who used to be a dancer, said that dancing is “ninety percent mental and ten percent physical.” That made a whole lot of sense to me. I had to make a mental assessment of my confidence in my body. Once I connected those dots in conjunction with learning what to focus on when studying the routines, things got better. I decidedly became more confident and more outgoing in my movements. Now I can at least get the steps down. I may not do them with the correct amount of precision, but I’m seeing progress. I’m still not the best dancer, but I’m having way more fun, having let go of some of my inhibitions, insecurities and fear.

So though Williams proved the stereotype wrong that all black folks can dance, I applaud her pluck! It takes guts to face a fear especially in public where you risk being judged. I am proud of Williams and myself for continuing to stretch and be challenged. There is such a victorious feeling when you throw caution to the wind, confront a fear and do your best; whether you soar or fall flat on your butt! (And laugh at yourself!) So with that in mind, in my book Williams won! “WERK”! ; )

Is there a fear you’re having trouble getting past? If so, what are you going to do about it?