Hollywood Has a Hair and Makeup Diversity Problem. The Black Beauty Roster Is Here to Help.

COMING TOGETHERHollywood Has a Hair and Makeup Diversity Problem. The Black Beauty Roster Is Here to Help. With the help of established pros like Sir John, this organization provides education and access to jobs for Black hairstylists and makeup artists.April 28, 2022A headshot of Sir John wearing a black shirt in front of a white background.Sir John

Black women have been trendsetters since the inception of time. Across every decade, from Billie Holiday to Grace Jones to Beyoncé, we have seen the profound global impact that Black women have. However, that innovation often goes uncredited, alongside enormous amounts of cultural theft and appropriation at the hands of the beauty industry. Today, we still feel the effects of this appropriation across most fields, perhaps most often in the entertainment world. 

Many actors like Gabby Sidibe, Yvette Nicole Brown, Tati Gabrielle, Monique Coleman have spoken out against the lack of Black makeup artists and hairstylists who are hired on set, and how this lack of diversity not only caused them to pick up the slack of some who hasn't been trained to work with their hair texture or skin tone, but also caused them a great deal of trauma. In light of this, there is now a network of passionate advocates working to fight against the on-going lack of diversity and create a new industry standard. This team is known as the Black Beauty Roster (BBR).

Founded by Simone Tetteh and Maude Okrah as an accessible directory made up of diverse beauty professionals of color, BBR advocates for inclusion that extends beyond the surface level "check-list" of DEI efforts that major corporations rely on. 

As a unit, they run an Accelerate program, which pairs up-and-comers with established names so the next generation can form the types of connections necessary to get hired in Hollywood. "A lack of Black stylists on set can be a traumatizing experience for so many," Tetteh tells Allure. "We also recognize that it is not an inclusive experience for beauty professionals of color. It's very difficult for them to navigate system, whether it be union or non-union work, and get to the ranks where they're able to be on set, be in the hair and makeup trailers and really work with talent."

By building a strong, collaborative network of support and mentorship, BBR has been able to knock down doors that have traditionally been gatekept against young artists. The most recent addition to their network of mentors is the legendary makeup artist Sir John, who is known for his work ethic and iconic looks on superstars like Beyoncé, Naomi Campbell, and Serena Williams.

A headshot of Sir John wearing a black shirt in front of a white background.Sir John

After learning about the organization from his good friend Larry Sims and hearing his client Gabrielle Union speak at BBR's annual summit, Sir John instantly knew that the organization was deeply aligned with his own personal mission.

"I'm really passionate about making sure that I advocate not just for myself, but [that] I advocate for us," Sir John says. "The core of my existence is to make sure that we continue to just take up space and also campaign for each other, and that is what I really love about Black Beauty Roster."

Sir John adds that the BBR allows him to "lead by positive change." What does that mean? "I'm making sure that I'm using any bandwidth I have to call agencies, or have conversations to figure out things like, how hard it is to get in the union for younger makeup artists, what that even takes, or do people even have an idea of what a [DEI] checklist looks like. For so long, that's been an invisible territory," he explains.

"I'm really passionate about making sure that I advocate not just for myself, but [that] I advocate for us,

Alongside Sir John, the likes of Tyra Banks and Gabrielle Union have partnered with the roster to provide members with very candid advice. They have shared their experiences about navigating the industry from a diversity lens, opening up about how they got to where they are, and even sharing tips such as the difference between doing makeup for a film and television show versus the red carpet.

Sir John referred makeup artist Nia Hicks to the BBR. "I am very pro-woman and I'm very pro-Black woman," Hicks says. "[When I heard about this project], I was like, 'This is Black girl magic at its finest. And this is inspiring. And if I can be part of this or even be in the same room as the brains behind this? I'm honored.'"

As part of the program, BBR paired Hicks with an established pro, which allowed her to work on various projects and become more established in the beauty industry. This means she has been able to partner with Kosas, who recruited her through BBR to advise on a shade range extension for the brand's recently launched Revealer Foundation. As part of the gig, she crafted shades for medium to darker complexions. 

While working on these projects, Hicks was able to ask the BBR founders for help and advice along the way. "I asked a lot of questions and [they] never made me feel like it was too much," she says. 

A selfie of Nia HicksNia Hicks

This kind of education is one of the core principles of BBR, but at its helm, the organization works overtime to provide jobs and access to Black beauty professionals who wish to work on major productions and sets. This is precisely why WarnerMedia has partnered with BBR to advance diversity in hair and makeup on set. 

As Variety recently reported, WarnerMedia and BBR launched a "support website," where producers can find a list of hair and makeup professionals who are fluent in working with diverse hair textures and different skin tones. Both collaborators hope this will directly translate into more Black beauty professionals being hired — and paid comparably to their white counterparts — to staff makeup trailers. 

When describing the intersection between the two companies' new partnership Yvette Urbina, vice president, equity & inclusion – pipeline and content at Warner Media, tells Allure, "We have three pillars; we have a workforce pillar, a content pillar, which I'm part of, and a program pillar. It’s not just about creating programs to get people into the pipeline, but also looking at how we work with them once they've gone through a program. And once they're in the pipeline, how do we continue to work with them on our content?" By teaming with the BBR, Urbina hopes Warner can increase access to hair and makeup artists of color.

This sort of wide-scale change is much needed, given the current climate of discrimination that can be seen across the country, and not just on set. In January of 2020, a young Black teenager in Texas was forced to cut his dreadlocks to be permitted to walk at graduation, and many students across classrooms and sports have spoken up about being kicked off teams, harassed, and discriminated against based on their natural hairstyles. 

These cases are not rare, in fact they have become a dangerous and frightening normality, which means there is a strong and urgent need for legal reform such as The CROWN Act, a bill that prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture by extending protection. The bill was recently passed in the house, and is on its way to the Senate. (The Biden administration has announced it supports this bill.) 

The bill was created in 2018 by four Black women: Esi Eggleston Bracey, Kelli Richardson Lawson, Orlena Nwokah Blanchard, and Adjoa B. Lawson tells Allure that the collective purposefully hired a team of Black women to advance the bill. 

"There was intentionality in making sure that this work was done by Black women, because we understand the issue," Lawson said. "We understand how it feels to be discriminated against and how it feels when a young girl says, ‘what's wrong with your doll’ or ‘what's wrong with your hair?’ And you’re like, 'Nothing, my mom just did my hair this morning.'" 

Ultimately, she says, the collective goal is to make sure that Black people everywhere across the United States are protected. "We want to get all 50 states and we want to get federal legislation," Lawson said. "That's been the north star. The bill has been introduced multiple times, and it's passed in the house now for the third time. This time, we even have a letter from the president's office supporting it, which is incredible. So, we’re halfway there."

While hair and makeup discrimination is systemic and won't go away overnight, the purpose of The CROWN Act and BBR are ultimately similar: to advocate for the promotion and safety of diverse talent everywhere, whether it's in schools or on set. 

"It's really important to make sure that there are spaces for people to continue to chart and push past boundaries," Sir John adds. "I hope [the legacy] that Black Beauty Roster is able to leave on a generation is how to be invited back into these spaces. And not that we need to, not that we are looking for any invitation, but it's always good to have your name ring bells year after year, because you're doing something right."

Read more about Black hair and makeup artists on set: 

  • Dear Hollywood: It's (Beyond) Time to Start Hiring More Black Hair and Makeup Artists
  • "Why Are You Contouring My Nose?" Black Canadian Actors Describe Hair and Makeup Discrimination on Set
  • The CROWN Act Makes Our Hair Just as Protected As Race, Sex, and Religious Beliefs

And now, watch Janet Jackson break down her most iconic music video looks:

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Talia Smith is an investigative journalist who has a deep passion for documenting and investigating political, social, and human rights violations that affect overlooked and underrepresented people across the globe. When she's not reporting, she's watching endless amounts of Studio Ghibli films.Keywordsdiversitymakeup artistshairstylists

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Originally posted on: https://www.allure.com/story/black-beauty-roster-sir-john-profile