Model Leomie Anderson posted a TikTok video of her negative experience getting hair and makeup done before a fashion show.
In the video, Anderson showed herself arriving to get her hair and makeup done for a fashion show with text that said, “The realities of being a Black model during fashion week.” The video included more text that said, “I asked who could do Black makeup. Why do I look like I work in the mines?” with a photo of the makeup look.
The video, which currently has over 267,000 views on TikTok and over two million on Twitter, continued and she wrote, “I told him this wasn’t my [color]. He is trash.” Anderson also wrote that the “white leader” tried to fix her makeup. She still didn’t like it so she redid her own makeup.
Anderson added videos of herself walking down the runway in the final hair and makeup look, writing “Yes. I ate it up like I always do. But by the time I walked down the runway I wanted to go home.” She pleaded for the industry to hire more Black hair and makeup artists so models don’t have to go through what she just did.
The 28-year-old model has been walking in fashion shows since she was 17, working for brands like Marc Jacobs and Victoria’s Secret. Her video highlighted a long-standing problem within the fashion industry: not hiring enough people who work with darker skin or textured hair.
This is a problem that still persists despite recent calls for inclusivity and leaves more work for the models to fix themselves, as shown by Anderson, and not getting compensated for it.
Her video started a conversation across social media about how Black models are treated in the fashion industry. In her comments section on TikTok, one person wrote, “It’s unbelievable that professional makeup artists don’t carry makeup for all skin tones! Ridiculous! You should be paid more for your inconvenience!” Anderson replied to this comment and clarified, “Oh no he had it, this is just what he chose to do with it.”
Other TikTok comments argued that pushes for inclusivity from brands is performative. “This just goes to show that recent brand campaigns for ‘inclusion’ [are] just for show so they won’t be canceled,” one person wrote. “None of the work is actually being done.”
Anderson did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.
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