As the name implies, New York Fashion Week is usually about the fashion, plus the beauty looks that complete the scene. But Thursday evening saw a new frontier: Models of diverse skin tones, shapes, and abilities walked in “skinvisibility cloaks” without any makeup, in a very interesting first for the runway. The show was held by Olay for the brand’s new “Face Anything” campaign, and where it’s usually easy to spot a brand stunt from a mile away, the individual triumphs of the models who walked actually made it feel groundbreaking.

The show’s roster included two-time Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, beauty influencer Jackie Aina, comedian Lilly Singh, curve model Denise Bidot, and fashion blogger and cancer survivor Mama Cax, among others. It’s impossible to look at those names and the rest of the cast, and not see the ties. All raised their voices, largely through self-made social media platforms, to take on restrictive, harmful norms and double-standards. The show paid those facts attention: before each woman walked, a clip played of her addressing the thing that she’s always been told she’s “too much” of.

Too strong, too defiant, too emotional, too ambitious—the collection sounds like the press before the last election. As Cax points out, none of the traits are a negative when a man is associated with them. In her words, the campaign sees women refusing to dim their lights, instead striking out the “too” and owning what they are.

While 2018 has brought a flood of campaigns dedicated to empowering women, there’s a fine line between those that ring true, and those which use the guise for corporate gain. There is a hint of capitalism here, despite the invisibility cloaks (which camouflaged against the runway, as inspired by Harry Potter). Each of the women completed Olay’s 28-day challenge ahead of the show, using Olay Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer, Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream, Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Daily Face Moisturizer, and Olay Eyes Deep Hydrating Eye Gel (and to be fair, their skin did look great).

But Bidot says that in her experience, the brand asked all the right questions. “The first time I met with them, they were asking me about where I feel we’re at as women, what we feel is empowering, and how they can help the community. Those are the dialogues and the narratives that we need to continue to push. Because alone, we can only get so far.”

Bidot, who started modeling 12 years ago, says that she’s walked runway shows since 2014, but it’s taken until now to see an actual shift in terms of inclusivity. “We always said [plus-size women] we could do beauty campaigns and skin care campaigns, but no one was willing to give us a shot,” she tells Glamour. “Now here we are, breaking the norms.”

Growing up, Bidot, 32, says she “didn’t really see girls that looked like me, not just ethnically, but also physically. And I always wondered why that was. I couldn’t imagine why we couldn’t be the leading ladies—why we couldn’t have all the same careers that everyone was allowed.” The work’s not over yet, she says, both in models and who’s invited to shows. While size-inclusion surged this time last year, the last two seasons left her wondering whether designers saw it as a fad rather than a movement.

“We need to make sure we support the brands that support us, and keep pushing the brands that aren’t quite there yet,” she says. “We’ll wait. You can’t make people move faster than they want to, and we’re not going anywhere. I think that’s what this solidifies.”

Related Stories:
–One Year Later, This Is the Real Effect Fenty Has Had on the Beauty Industry
–Sonoya Mizuno on Stereotypical Beauty Ideals: ‘I Don’t Compare Myself to Anyone’
–Makeup for Melanin Girls Isn’t Just Making Products for Women of Color. It’s Listening to Them.

Source link