Fashion & Shopping
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Fashion And Beauty Brands Pledged To Support Black Influencers. So How Are They Doing?

Kristen S. Sykes
The #BlackOutTuesday Instagram hashtag went viral in the summer of 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Photo: ERIC BARADAT via Getty Images)

The #BlackOutTuesday Instagram hashtag went viral in the summer of 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Photo: ERIC BARADAT via Getty Images)

In the summer of 2020, the world finally took notice of the disproportionate rate at which African Americans were being murdered at the hands of law enforcement. People on social media took these injustices to task and drew attention to the plight that has long affected the Black community.

Black beauty and fashion professionals used their online platforms to share experiences of discrimination and unfair treatment in their respective industries. Out of fear of “cancel culture,” many brands scrambled to assess their history for signs of complicity and made promises to hire diversity officers and support Black voices in social media moving forward.

Now that 2020 is behind us, are those brands fulfilling their promises? We spoke with industry insiders and

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Fashion Trends
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From surreal black dresses to mouse ears: this week’s fashion trends

Kristen S. Sykes

Refinery 29 UK

It’s Nearly Impossible To Be An Influencer In Cuba. This YouTuber Is Doing It Anyway.

Social media access in Cuba has changed the way Cubans are telling their stories to the rest of the world. Thankfully, the conversation is no longer strictly contained to how Cuba is a traveller’s paradise, or of the turbulent politics, but is finally centring real Cubans and their lives. Specifically, social media has spotlighted the ways Cubans are existing and interacting with dual realities: that of the lives they lead under the state, and their online lives as global citizens who might lack common privileges like at-home internet access, yet still wish to share their everyday experiences. For years, Cubans have used social media to interact with politics or form groups like Movimiento San Isidro, which protests against government censorship of artists on the island. Cuba’s constitution prohibits private ownership of media

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Online Shopping
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Changing my phone to black and white for a week

Kristen S. Sykes

As of late, I have been glued to my phone. From social media to online shopping, I have created an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with my hand-held friend. During a quarantine-safe hangout, I noticed that my friend’s phone was completely in black and white. Upon questioning her, she told me it helps reduce her screen time. That was exactly what I needed. I’ve done digital detoxes before but had never heard of this method. So I, too, set my phone to the gray scale mode and tried it for a week.

Going into it, my screen time was an embarrassingly high six hours per day (mostly due to TikTok). I wanted to cut that down to by at least half. Immediately, the usual vibrant assortment of apps and red notifications were replaced by dull shades of gray. Texting and calling still felt somewhat normal, but when I scrolled through apps that

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Face and Body Spa
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5 products these Black beauty founders always recommend

Kristen S. Sykes

The lack of shelf space traditionally given to Black-owned beauty brands has rightfully been spotlighted in recent months. And while independently owned brands may now be slowly, surely gaining the recognition, support and opportunities they deserve, the fact remains that there are few major retailers making products for Black skin a primary focus.

This is exactly what makes Candour Beauty so exciting. Jacqueline Kusamotu and Abi Lawrence-Adesida’s newly launched e-tail platform successfully mixes content with commerce, delivering an all-round luxury shopping experience.

The brand roster spans hair, skin and bodycare, and offers big-name brands (think Olaplex and Dr. Barbara Sturm) alongside new and niche ventures, from The Afro Skin + Hair Co to the anticipated Melyon skincare. Black Girl Sunscreen – a cult hero in the States – has been snapped up, as have textured hair heroes The Mane Choice and Cantu.

This content is imported from Instagram.

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