Dressing up was at once both Mami’s idea, and not. Her vanity is so deeply rooted in the Dominican culture of decency and propriety that it’s practically encoded in her DNA. . .
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Women
Unlearning my experiences as a South Asian woman
Growing up, summers meant time with family in India. During the day I would visit different relatives’ houses, eating delicious, fresh food and various temples around Chennai. It’s a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, where my parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents were born and raised — and where I’ve always felt safe,…
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Brown Girl Hands Makes Space for Black Individuality in Beauty
Founder Hannah Harris is paving the way for the next generation of Black women and brands to rise.
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What I Want the Beauty Community to Know Right Now
Last week, I was asked to provide a quote for an article for Fashionista.com — with the aim to speak to the beauty industry/community as a whole and share my thoughts, feelings, frustrations, or reflections. Below is my reflection and response. — Alice Where do I begin? There are so many things that I want…
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Dreaming in Gujarati
By Shailja Patel The children in my dreamsspeak in Gujaratiturn their trusting faces to the sunsay to mecare for us nurture usin my dreams I shudder and I run. I am sixin a playground of white childrenDarkie, sing us an Indian song!Eightin a roomful of eldersall mock my broken GujaratiEnglish girl! Twelve, I tunnel into…
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How I Learned Self-Care Despite My Immigrant Mother’s Asceticism
Because there’s a difference between survival, self-preservation, and self-care.
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Black Hair at Home: Mandela Cocores
The pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone or their routines, especially Black women and their hair. Since lockdown, we’ve faced an aesthetic and philosophical reckoning. We’ve had to ask ourselves: What happens when we suddenly decide to let colleagues see our natural hair? How does learning — or relearning — how to nurture and style our…
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Black Hair at Home: Kim Mupangilaï
In part two of “Black Hair at Home,” we consider how the pandemic has forced black women to have an aesthetic and philosophical reckoning. Since lockdown, we’ve had to ask ourselves: What happens when we suddenly decide to let colleagues see our natural hair? How does learning — or relearning — how to nurture and…
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Black Hair at Home: Kristy Lyons
There’s no doubt that the pandemic has upended our lives. Since March, it’s disrupted the way we work, shop, socialize, and, of course, do our hair. For Black women, this change has forced an aesthetic and philosophical reckoning. We’ve had to ask ourselves: What happens when we suddenly decide to let colleagues see our natural…
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The Beauty of “In-Between” Skin Tones
If my skin were a cup of coffee, it would be Bustelo with a dash of cream. Add a pinch of brown sugar, and there you have it. A perfectly in-between blend of light cocoa and cinnamon tones. This is the skin with which I was born, an olive-caramel hue that exists between worlds — and…
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