Black Girls Don’t Blush – Power, desire and the practice of colour cosmetics’

While the generic definition of the use of makeup is positioned as a prop for the assimilation of youthfulness and desirability, Black women and their cosmetic beauty practices have been historically defined by the way they are viewed from a Eurocentric perspective. This gaze aligns itself with the value of whiteness and racial capital, and in turn informs the ideal of blushing. That blushing occurs in all racial ethnic groups is less surprising than the need to debate whether rouge is appropriate on deeper skin tones as it doesn’t appear ‘natural’, (a phrase that needs to be contested also). In addition, the societal attitudes and reinforced media messages attached to the use of rouge, inform self esteem, job acquisition and social advancement, while informing perceptions of immoral behaviour and status that are akin to that of colourism.   And yet the aesthetic celebration of the blush can provide a more nuanced appreciation of black skin for its users, precisely because the aim of its application is to add attention, and not minimize or diminish.

This talk aims to question whether the cosmetic construction of blushing and Black beauty ideals is advanced if the aesthetic definition of blushing changes. How should the current connotations of the application of rouge for Black skins be challenged? With an increasing market focus on the Black consumer, a revision of blushing and the use of rouge products can provide the cosmetic industry with the opportunity to consider new interpretations of what Black Beauty is, and could be.

Key Takeaways:

1. Revise interpretation of blushing for Black consumers
2. Challenge market focus of rouge products for Black skin tones
3. Encourage Black consumers to engage in a wide range of cosmetic products, but without minimizing their experience
4. Utilise development of Black Beauty ideals to expand the product reach for the cosmetics industry