Illustrator Brittany Brown has created a collection of illustrations titled “Dark Girls”. These beautiful pieces aim at challenging the rigid conventions of the beauty and fashion world. Her series opens up a perspective on the urgency for more diversity in the beauty product realm. Brown is a young illustrator, 24, who works in Brooklyn. This collection has been met with tremendous acclaim.
Brown describes that her inspiration came from noticing a lack of diversity among popular beauty images, specifically face charts, used by beauty brands. The illustrator describes her motivation for challenging these norms, saying, “Representation matters so much; things seen in popular culture and the media we consume shape who we are and what we aspire to be.”
Brown’s pieces use pencil, ink, and watercolor materials. The illustrations are specifically concerned with darker skinned women, even though her actions make a much larger statement.
Each image shows a stunning illustration of a woman with makeup with a list of particular product suggestions for attaining the look below it.
On Brown’s blog page she writes, “My medicine cabinet is filled to the brim with beauty products despite the fact that I only wear two makeup looks; winged liner with a strong lip and a strong brow with a strong lip. Groundbreaking, really. I’ve been thinking a lot about representation in the fashion industry and how that relates to my experience as a black girl. The industry is still very behind in terms of diversity. Representation matters.” Certainly, no group should feel excluded from beauty experimentation because guidelines for them don’t exist.
Brown’s piece serves as a necessary reminder that all types of beauty must be embraced in popular culture in order to promote confidence in every woman. The media has such a profound impact on the social aspects of society that such movements are necessary.
Brown discussed why this project is of great importance to her, stating, “The fact that people are recreating my illustrations in their everyday lives is really amazing. If my work helps someone with their confidence and self-esteem, that’s what I care about. I want this series to move people.”
Photo: Brittany Holloway Brown
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