I’m sure a lot of things come to mind when you hear the word “nude.” Perhaps first and foremost is a naked person.
Maybe you think of the fashion trend. Nude has nearly overtaken the clothing and makeup industries.
It’s all part of the “natural look.” It’s light and earthy, perfect for autumn and when you really just don’t want to match your eye shadow to your shoes.
But in this trend, the fashion and makeup industries have left out a large group of people: women of color.
When I think of nude, I see shades of beige, creams and tans. Maybe a few blushes, some ?off-whites.
If you Google “nude color palette” — and I must strongly recommend you include “color palette” — you will see the same colors I’ve mentioned in shoes, dresses, eye shadow, lipstick and foundation.
But these colors that are considered “nude” are only “nude” for a certain group of women. White women.
The nude for women of color is sorely ?misrepresented or, in some cases, no represented at all.
Nubian Skin was created to help change that. Nubian Skin is a lingerie brand looking to provide women of color with any sort of undergarment or hosiery in shades that will actually match their skin tones.
The founder of Nubian Skin realized what other brands were failing to see: that white women and women of color — whether black, Mexican or whatever — could not all live on the same nude scale.
Nubian Skin isn’t the first to look to service women of color ?exclusively. Covergirl created the Queen collection, a line of makeup for women of color.
IMAN is another cosmetics brand with tones primarily made to ?complement darker
complexions.
Lupita Nyong’o cannot wear the same nude pantyhose as Jennifer Lawrence.
Beyoncé likely isn’t going to wear the same shade of foundation as Miley Cyrus.
Lupita and Beyoncé are most likely not going to wear the same shade of nude in anything because even though they’re both black, their skin tones are drastically different.
Failing to see these differences makes shopping an Olympic sport. I can personally attest to spending 20 minutes or more in a cosmetic aisle trying to find the right shade of concealer.
If you’re lucky enough to find a brand that serves women of color, it usually consists of three or four shades of dark brown and one that is practically purple.
And they’re always given horrible coffee-related names such as “caramel cappuccino” and “mocha.” Women of color are either a Starbucks drink or Barney.
This is about more than makeup. It’s the 21st century, but women of color still have to go to greater lengths or create entire new brands and companies to get the products they need that will ?properly work for them.
Being white is still the advantage even in the fickle world of cosmetics.
People of color are still working just as hard only to be shortchanged in these small, but somehow meaningful, matters.
We still see in such simple black and white and ignore the dozens of shades in between.
lnbanks@indiana.edu
