A Level Media - Sephora “Black Beauty Is Beauty” advert - Media Language and Representation

Summary

The Sephora 'Black Beauty is Beauty' advert is a powerful media campaign focusing on representation and inclusivity. It celebrates black history's contributions to beauty trends and products, highlighting inventions like the hairbrush by Lydia Newman. The video challenges stereotypes, showcasing a diverse cast and positive images to counter negative media portrayals. It also addresses the lack of black-owned beauty brands and experiences of discrimination in stores. Directed by Garrett Bradley, the advert promotes a message of unity and equality, positioning Sephora as a leader in the fight for diversity in the beauty industry.

Takeaways

• 🎥 The video is an educational guide focusing on media language and representation, particularly relevant for A-Level media studies students.
• 🖼️ The use of split screens in the video draws parallels between black history and modern beauty, highlighting the contributions of black inventors and culture to the beauty industry.
• 🪄 The video celebrates black inventors like Lydia Newman, who invented the hairbrush, and includes references to black culture-specific beauty terms and practices.
• 💇‍♀️ The advert addresses the underrepresentation of black hair in media, showcasing various black hairstyles and the intricacies of their creation.
• 👩‍👧‍👦 It portrays positive images of black communities, such as a mother doing her child's hair, to counteract negative stereotypes often seen in media.
• 🛠️ The video discusses the DIY aspect of beauty for black women, who historically had to create their own products due to a lack of market offerings tailored to their needs.
• 📸 The advert features a diverse cast, including different ages, genders, body types, and ethnicities, emphasizing inclusivity and representation.
• 🏳️‍🌈 The inclusion of drag queens and male-presenting characters highlights the representation of diverse gender identities and the LGBTQ+ community in the beauty industry.
• 🔄 The video critiques online cultural appropriation and misrepresentation, where credit for certain beauty trends is often not given to their origins in black and LGBTQ+ communities.
• 🌟 The campaign by Sephora aims to support and celebrate black beauty, positioning the brand as a leader in promoting ethnic diversity and equality in the beauty industry.
• 🔍 The video addresses search engine bias, where searches for 'Black Beauty' returned irrelevant results, and the campaign's goal to change this by encouraging the use of the hashtag #BlackBeauty.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Sephora 'Black Beauty is Beauty' advert?

The main focus of the Sephora 'Black Beauty is Beauty' advert is to highlight media language and representation, particularly the history and contributions of black people to modern beauty trends, products, and tools.

Why was the split screen technique used in the advert?

The split screen technique was used to draw parallels between black history and modern beauty, showing both the contrasts and similarities between the past and present, and to emphasize the contributions of black inventors to beauty products and tools.

Who is Lydia Newman and what is her contribution to beauty mentioned in the advert?

Lydia Newman is a black female inventor who is celebrated in the advert for inventing the hairbrush, which is a significant contribution to the beauty industry.

What does the advert aim to challenge regarding the representation of black hair in media?

The advert aims to challenge the underrepresentation and westernization of black hair in media, by showcasing the intricacies of black hairstyles, the tools and products needed, and the variety of looks that can be achieved.

What positive images are presented in the advert to counteract negative stereotypes about black communities?

The advert presents positive images such as smiling, dancing people, and a warm, loving scene of a mother doing her child's hair, which help to counteract negative stereotypes often represented in the media.

Why did black women have to create their own beauty products and mixes?

Black women had to create their own beauty products and mixes because there were no products marketed specifically for them, leading them to invent their own solutions to meet their unique beauty needs.

How does the advert address the issue of cultural appropriation in beauty trends?

The advert addresses cultural appropriation by showing the origins of certain beauty trends within the black and LGBTQ+ communities, and by emphasizing the importance of crediting these communities for the styles they have created.

What is the significance of the diversity shown in the advert?

The diversity shown in the advert, including people of different ages, genders, body sizes, and ethnicities, signifies an inclusive message and represents Sephora's commitment to celebrating all people's ability to enjoy and appreciate makeup and beauty trends.

What is the purpose of the phrase 'join Sephora' in the advert's conclusion?

The phrase 'join Sephora' invites viewers to be part of the brand's mission to support and celebrate Black Beauty, positioning Sephora as a leader in the fight for equality and inclusivity in the beauty industry.

How does the advert's unconventional approach differ from typical beauty advertisements?

Unlike typical beauty advertisements that focus on specific products or brands, this advert focuses more on the message of inclusivity and representation, without prominently featuring Sephora's logo or products.

What was the strategy behind releasing the advert on YouTube, Oprah Winfrey channel, and BET?

The strategy was to target a wide audience, specifically black audiences, by placing the advert on platforms that are popular and relevant to the community, thereby increasing the visibility and impact of the campaign.

What did Sephora discover regarding search engine bias and how did they address it?

Sephora discovered that search engine results for 'Black Beauty' were biased, often showing unrelated images like horses instead of black beauty trends. They addressed this by launching the 'Black Beauty is Beauty' campaign and using the hashtag #BlackBeauty to influence search engine results and promote accurate representation.

Who is the director of the advert and what is significant about her involvement?

The director of the advert is Garrett Bradley, a black female director who has won several awards. Her involvement, along with a black female crew and production companies, likely contributed to the more inclusive and positive representation of black women in the advert.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Media Representation and Black Beauty

This paragraph discusses the media language and representation in the Sephora advertisement titled 'Black Beauty is Beauty.' It is designed to be relevant for A-Level Media Studies students, as it will be a part of the curriculum from 2024. The video uses a split-screen technique to contrast past and present, drawing parallels between black history and modern beauty practices. It highlights the contributions of black inventors, such as Lydia Newman, who invented the hairbrush, and uses Black Culture slang to represent the community authentically. The advertisement also addresses the underrepresentation of black hair in media, focusing on specific styles and the products used within the black community. The video portrays positive images of black people, challenging negative stereotypes, and emphasizes the need for inclusivity and representation of black culture in beauty trends and products.

05:02

🌟 Inclusivity and Diversity in Sephora's Campaign

The second paragraph emphasizes the diversity and inclusivity portrayed in the Sephora advertisement, which features individuals of different ages, genders, body sizes, and ethnicities. The advertisement aims to engage a wide audience and represents the brand's commitment to equality. The split screen is used to show the impact and involvement of diverse individuals in creating beauty trends. The inclusion of drag queens and male characters applying makeup reflects the growing acceptance and representation of diverse gender identities in the beauty industry. The advertisement concludes with a call to action, inviting viewers to join Sephora in celebrating and supporting Black Beauty. This campaign is particularly significant for Sephora, given past controversies related to racial discrimination, and the advertisement's unconventional focus on message over product highlights the brand's dedication to promoting ethnic diversity and equality.

10:02

🔍 Addressing Search Engine Bias and Promoting Black-Owned Brands

The final paragraph delves into the research and motivations behind Sephora's 'Black Beauty is Beauty' campaign. It discusses the discovery of search engine bias against black beauty, where searches for 'Black Beauty' yielded irrelevant results, indicating an erasure of black history in beauty. Sephora's response was to launch a campaign to change search engine results by encouraging the use of the hashtag 'Black Beauty' to tag relevant content. The campaign also addresses the underrepresentation of black-owned beauty brands, with only three percent of beauty brands being black-owned and many shoppers experiencing racism in stores. The advertisement was strategically placed on platforms like YouTube, Oprah Winfrey's channel, and BET to target black audiences. The director of the video, Garrett Bradley, a black female director, and the use of a black female crew further emphasize the campaign's commitment to authentic representation.

Keywords

💡Media Language

Media language refers to the way information is communicated through various forms of media, such as advertising, film, and television. In the context of the video, media language is used to explore how black beauty and culture are represented and communicated in advertising. The script discusses how the Sephora advert uses media language to challenge stereotypes and highlight the contributions of black individuals to beauty trends and products.

💡Representation

Representation in media refers to the portrayal or depiction of individuals or groups, particularly in terms of their ethnicity, gender, and other social identities. The video emphasizes the importance of accurate and diverse representation, as seen in the Sephora advert, which showcases black inventors, beauty practices, and fashion icons, thereby providing a more inclusive and respectful depiction of black beauty.

💡Binary Opposites

Binary opposites are a concept where two contrasting elements are set against each other to highlight differences or similarities. The script mentions the use of a split screen in the advert, which creates a visual binary between past and present, old and new, to draw parallels between historical black contributions to beauty and modern beauty practices.

💡Black History

Black history encompasses the experiences, culture, and achievements of black individuals throughout history. The video script highlights how the advert celebrates black history by acknowledging the inventions and trends created by black people, such as the hairbrush invented by Lydia Newman, and the beauty terms and practices that originated within black culture.

💡Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of elements from one culture by members of another culture, often without understanding or respecting the original culture's history and significance. The script discusses the issue of cultural appropriation in online beauty communities, where credit for certain beauty trends and styles is not given to their original black and LGBTQ+ creators.

💡Inclusivity

Inclusivity refers to the practice of including and accommodating people of diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives. The video script notes the diversity within the advert, featuring people of different ages, genders, body sizes, and ethnicities, which aligns with the theme of promoting inclusivity in beauty standards and practices.

💡Diversity

Diversity is the state of being composed of different elements, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, and age. The advert's portrayal of a wide range of individuals reflects the theme of diversity, showing that beauty is not limited to a single standard but is multifaceted and inclusive of all people.

💡Gender and Sexuality

Gender and sexuality are aspects of identity that are highlighted in the video for their importance in the portrayal of diverse beauty. The script points out the inclusion of drag queens and male-presenting characters applying makeup, which challenges traditional gender roles and promotes acceptance of diverse gender expressions and sexual orientations in the beauty industry.

💡Search Engine Bias

Search engine bias refers to the tendency of search engines to produce biased or skewed results based on certain criteria, such as ethnicity. The script explains that Sephora's campaign was partly a response to search engine bias, where searches for 'Black Beauty' were returning irrelevant results, thereby erasing black history and contributions to beauty.

💡Capitalization of 'Black'

The capitalization of 'Black' in the phrase 'Black Beauty is Beauty' is a deliberate choice to emphasize the importance and power of black identity. This stylistic choice in the video's title suggests a movement towards recognizing and celebrating black beauty as an integral and dominant aspect of the broader concept of beauty.

💡Unconventional Advert

An unconventional advert is one that deviates from traditional advertising techniques, often focusing on a message rather than promoting a specific product. The script describes the Sephora advert as unconventional because it prioritizes the message of celebrating black beauty over showcasing Sephora products or stores, which is a departure from typical advertising strategies.

Highlights

The video focuses on media language and representation, especially relevant for A-Level media studies students.

A split screen is used to draw parallels between black history and modern beauty products, emphasizing the contributions of black inventors.

The hairbrush in the advert celebrates Lydia Newman, a black female inventor, highlighting black contributions to beauty tools.

The advert uses Black Culture slang terms like 'cut creases' and 'beat faces' to represent specific beauty techniques.

Black fashion icons are featured to emphasize the influence of black culture on iconic beauty looks and trends.

The advert addresses the underrepresentation of black hair in media and highlights specific black hair care practices.

Terms like 'baby hairs' and 'laid edges' are mentioned to represent black hair care in a more inclusive way.

Positive images of smiling and dancing people challenge negative stereotypes about black communities.

A woman making her own shea butter represents the DIY approach black women had to take due to lack of suitable products.

The advert credits black women for inventing beauty products and techniques that are now widely used.

The video includes images of people vlogging and posting online, reflecting the modern context of beauty sharing.

The editing technique contrasts a white woman with black drag queens to highlight the origins of certain beauty trends.

The advert showcases diversity in age, size, gender, and ethnicity, promoting inclusivity.

Sephora positions itself as a leader in the fight for equality and ethnic diversity in the beauty industry.

The capitalized 'Black' in the advert title signifies the importance and power of black beauty.

The unconventional approach of the advert focuses on the message rather than specific products.

The advert's relatable images suggest that Sephora is a familiar and relatable brand.

The advert was strategically placed on YouTube, Oprah Winfrey channel, and BET to target specific audiences.

Sephora's campaign aimed to address search engine bias and promote black beauty online.

The director, Garrett Bradley, and the predominantly black female crew contributed to the positive representation in the advert.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to my easy to

understand Guide to the Sephora advert

black beauty is beauty this video is

going to focus on media language and

representation and is going to be

particularly relevant for you if you are

studying a QA a-level media studies as

it appears as a set product on that

specification for exams from 2024

onwards the scene is established within

a salon at the beginning here and we get

a split screen showing kind of past

versus present creating these binary

opposites perhaps for old versus new but

also helping to draw similarities

between old and new as well and this

split screen has been deliberately

chosen to draw parallels between black

history and things that have been

invented by black people and modern

Beauty modern beauty products and tools

so for example the hair brush here

celebrates Lydia Newman who was a black

female who invented the hairbrush

there are also mentions of things like

cut creases and beat faces which is a

kind of um slang term used within

particularly within Black Culture

um to refer to kind of extreme contoured

faces

they use the phrase these icons and

they're kind of referring here the

archive footage of black fashion icons

just to really reiterate the fact that

black people black culture black history

is responsible for so many iconic Beauty

looks and Trends today I've spoken in my

videos lots of times before about black

hair and how typically in in videos in

the media black hair is often

underrepresented it's often westernized

the intricacies of how it's done and

what tools are needed and the different

products that are needed and the

different looks that can be achieved are

often not mentioned in the media at all

whereas in this advert they actually

mention things like baby hairs within

the advert

um they talk about laid edges as well we

see close-ups of these so there's a real

focus on things that many black

audiences are going to be able to relate

to but also just helping to include and

represent those black issues the image

of the mother and doing her child's hair

it talks about my mother's love we get

this very warm light here it's very cozy

it feels very loving and appreciative

and then that's fired closely by a lot

of shots of smiling dancing people these

are very positive images that help to

challenge some of the more negative

stereotypes about black communities that

are often represented in the media

there's a scene here where a woman is

kind of making her own shea butter

um and it even says doing it yourself

within the lyrics

um and she's kind of mixing it up

potions and stuff and it kind of helps

to represent this idea that actually

there's a lot of products out there that

black women had to invent themselves

because they just weren't made by

companies there were no products that

they needed that were actually marketed

specifically for them and so many black

women had to actually kind of come up

with their own potions mixes they had to

do their own

um gels and creams because the products

just simply weren't there for them and

so many black women were actually

responsible for creating these products

as well as things like the mixing of

products cut creases contouring I also

mentioned things like acrylic nails uh

glitter extensions a lot of these

products people uh you know in modern

audiences just have no idea that they

came from black history

there's some images here where the um

words of the advert say the uh the

Styles we can't wait to post and we see

a picture

um we actually see picture in picture as

though somebody is vlogging or posting

online on their social media and this

perhaps reflects the context of the fact

that so many people are online now we

get a lot of Beauty vloggers Online in

particular but it perhaps also reflects

this idea that there is a certain amount

of cultural appropriation or

misrepresentation online where a lot of

beauty vloggers or influencers

um celebrities often take credit for

ideas for Styles as though they've

created them themselves without actually

crediting the very real history in

particular of minorities that were

involved in creating those looks and

Trends the editing here really helps to

emphasize this idea of cultural

Appropriations so we see what appears to

be a white woman doing a cut crease on

her eyelid and then this Cuts straight

to some black drag queens doing very

similar cut creases and extreme

contouring and is this editing technique

that helps show actually this is where

that Trend came from you know this very

much was established in the drag queen

community so within the lgbtq community

but also within the black community as

well

this also perhaps suggests that lgbtq

communities are often also denied credit

for trends that they create the

diversity within the video is obvious

there are people who are younger older

male female thinner larger so it's it's

quite diverse it's quite inclusive and

perhaps that's the message of the advert

is about inclusivity and the 12 picture

split screen helps to emphasize that the

sheer amount of people that have been

affected the number of people who have

been involved in the creation of Trends

it shows um you know it's trying to

attract a wide audience and engage a

number of people from all different

backgrounds

as well as inclusivity in terms of

ethnicity within the advert size body

shape age there's also inclusivity of

gender and sexuality as well so for

example we see drag queens in the

montages we see

um male presenting uh characters within

the video putting on makeup as well so

um it's it's really all about everyone

enjoying makeup and all people being

able to enjoy makeup and appreciate the

history of these Trends and tools

and perhaps reflects this rise in more

diverse gender representations in the

media perhaps more acceptance

particularly within the beauty

industries that there are more male

Beauty influencers and vloggers so

perhaps that's why they've chosen to

include uh male characters drag queens

Etc as well at the end of the advert it

says join Sephora in supporting and

celebrating Black Beauty the idea of the

phrase join Sephora suggests that

Sephora is at the front as a brand there

at the front of this fight for equality

um so it's presenting the brand as being

very included and part of and not just

part of but leading this campaign and

this is obviously something they want to

do to promote their brand particularly

because in the past they've had some

issues and controversies in the media

for perhaps some racial discrimination

within their stores so this is a very

deliberate Choice by the brand by the

who made the advert to present to the

company as being

interested and able to and willing to

fight for uh ethnic diversity and equal

equality

the fact that the word black is

capitalized at the beginning as well

it's this idea of black power and

importance and dominance

as an advert it's quite unconventional

most adverts Focus very much on

particular products or a particular

brand so for example they would show the

Sephora logo or they would show products

that are sold within Sephora stores or

they would show a Sephora store this

advert doesn't really show those things

at all so the focus is very much more on

the message rather than the product so

that's that makes us quite

unconventional there's lots of images

that are relatable within this advert so

the images of people in their own homes

their bedrooms hair salons it makes it

feel like this is quite relatable and

familiar to an audience and perhaps

suggests that Sephora is a very

relatable familiar brand as well when

the advert Was Made It was obviously put

onto YouTube which is a great way of

targeting an audience it was also put

onto the Oprah Winfrey channel and the

BET channel so it's that's Black

Entertainment Television in America and

this is there to specifically Target

black audience season in particular

black American audiences where Sephora

the brand was primarily based more

recently Sephora has moved to the UK as

well but when the advert came out this

was primarily for an American audience

it's really useful if you're studying

this advert to watch the extended

version on YouTube by Sephora that shows

the kind of context behind the advert

and there's also a link to their website

as well which gives more context and

this explains that Sephora was

researching something called search

engine bias which means that when people

were searching for things like Black

Beauty Asian beauty British Beauty

American Beauty

um you know they were finding different

search results so for example somebody

searching uh Korean beauty was seeing

images of Korean models beauty products

Etc the history of Korean beauty

somebody searching French Beauty was

seeing those answers but somebody

searching Black Beauty was actually

finding images of horse is because black

beauty is a very old book and film and

and the idea that there was very little

in the search engines about beauty and

black history

um and so um it kind of felt that black

audiences were getting very biased

search results whereby their history was

being erased so Sephora decided to start

the campaign

um and uh again you know we could be

very cynical and say that this is all

about creating kind of um a great

reputation for the brand but also they

did use a hashtag which was Black Beauty

um and they wanted to start this trend

they got audiences tagging photos of

themselves or videos anytime they found

a video with a black influencer or black

Trends black tools Etc online they would

tag it with black beauty in an attempt

to actually manipulate the search engine

results

the research that they found When They

carried out these surveys and

questionnaires and they did research

online found that only three percent of

Beauty Brands were actually black owned

um they found that 78 of Shoppers found

that they don't see enough Brands made

for people from different ethnic

backgrounds

um and that two out of five Shoppers

actually experienced racism

discrimination based on their skin color

in stores and so there's a very

legitimate reason why Sephora have

decided to create this campaign with

these representations

the director of the video is a lady

called Garrett Bradley who's actually

won several Awards She's a black female

director she used deliberately a black

female crew and production companies as

well and again that perhaps might

explain why the representations in

particular of black women are very much

more inclusive and positive than they

are perhaps in other media products so

that was my easy to understand Guide to

the Sephora black beauty is beauty

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