Feeling #PrettyAF?
Since a little girl, I've had an instinctual interest in beauty and cosmetics. Growing up with a sister almost 8 years my senior, gave me an early front row view of the playful and explorative relationship between a teenage girl and her beauty products.
My sister was my role model. I silently adored everything about her, especially her eye for beauty and fashion. I watched as she created hair dyes using Kool-aid packets [and watched in the corner when my mom had a fit about her accidentally dying the house phone, too]. I paid attention to her makeup choices. The late 90's/early 00's brown lip liner and clear lip gloss combo is still unmatched. Let's not even get into her hairstyles because WOW! As she adorned herself with shell necklaces and popped her polo collar, it was like she put on her superwoman cape - or at least it was in my eyes.
But it was something she put on that you couldn't just buy from a store - HER CONFIDENCE. It was always her confidence I admired and she noticed this. So when she asked to try new hair styles on me, I tried my best not to show my "tender-headed ways". She once mimicked a hair style on me that Da Brat wore in one of her music videos and YOU. COULD. NOT. TELL. ME. NOTHING. on the playground the next day.
These experiences shaped my own self-confidence and formed my relationship with beauty and cosmetics. My mom really raised "beauty girlies" because not only did my sister enroll in John Jay Beauty College after graduating high school, but here I am now formulating the stuff I watched her masterfully use like an artist with a paintbrush.
But why am I saying all of this? Well since a little black girl, beauty and self-confidence has gone hand in hand. As I've gotten older I've become more aware of the influence black women ESPECIALLY have on the beauty industry. We are one of its largest consumers, but we are also the trendsetters and trailblazers with a keen ability to "PUT THAT SH*T ON"! And when we put it on, we're putting on our confidence too.
#PrettyAF is my way of highlighting this very topic. The PRETTY in The Pretty Chemist has multiple meanings:
attractive in a delicate way
a moderately high degree of
a creator of formulas that make you look and feel #PrettyAF (or handsome --> COMING SOON)
But, what is it about a black girl and her beauty products and why is it such a huge part of our lives? Why are we willing to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to look good and why does the world follow behind us in every new look we create? Studies show that beauty standards effect our mental health. The phrase "When you look good, you feel good" speaks to the positive impact a beauty regimen can have on a person.
What are the psychological effects of looking good?
Enhanced Self-Esteem
Improved Social Interactions
Reduced Anxiety and Depression
Greater Professional Success
Motivation for Self-Care
Positive Feedback Loop
Sense of Control
Body Positivity and Acceptance
With the rise in social media, our concerns of a personal image have increased. Some individuals succumb to the negative effects of the juxtaposition between beauty care and mental health, while some use beauty care to improve their self-image and highlight their personal uniqueness.
From a young girl to a woman in her 30's, I've witnessed and experienced the positives and negatives, but I always go back to what I learned from watching my sister -- It is not what you put on that makes you confident, it is the confidence in yourself that makes what you put on look good!
I'm grateful for all of life's experiences, but especially those that molded me into the confident woman I am today. It is with this self-confidence that I create beauty care products formulated to nurture, heal, and protect the inner and outer beauty of all who choose to use them. However, some of us did not have role models and motivators to affirm and uplift us, so I birthed the #PrettyAF movement to do exactly that.
Remember, beauty truly lies within. It is your self-confidence that radiates and leaves a lasting impression. Embracing your uniqueness helps you make smart and positive beauty choices, so you don't have to conform to societal norms and trends that don't work for you just to fit in. It's okay to stand out! Ask yourself, what makes me feel good? What makes me look good? And lastly, what does #PrettyAF mean to me?
Feel free to comment your answers to these questions. This is a safe, non-judgmental space.
Here, you are loved and appreciated for being you.
Stay dangerous! Stay #PrettyAF!
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