Fashion, Beauty, and Identity: The Power of Complete Styling
Fashion, Beauty, and Identity: The Power of Complete Styling
However, fashion is not just about clothing․ It includes makeup, hairstyle and how the outfit is put together to create the image of the person who wears it․ I love fashion and beauty, and how they can be used to create strong visual storytelling․
Styling becomes even more important in media, fashion shows and social media where the way someone styles their outfit, makeup and hair can completely change the message they are sending about themselves to others ranging from exuding confidence, creativity, elegance to celebrating culture․
In these thought-leadership pieces, I take inspiration from Afrofuturism in beauty and fashion, cultural respect in how we dress, and the storytelling power of full styling to explore the intersection of fashion and makeup and hair․
Afrofuturism in Fashion, Hair, and Makeup
Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines African culture and history with futuristic imagination․ In the domain of fashion and beauty, Afrofuturism entails forward-thinking styles including hairstyles and makeup, projecting a vision of the future while celebrating Black culture․
As an example, Black Panther was designed to have costumes, wigs and makeup by Ruth E․ Carter that both represented Africa and also appeared futuristic and innovative․
Braided hairstyles, facial markings, and brash colors were among the design traits used to suggest cultural and power-related aspects of a character's design, implying that clothing is not the only part of a character's design that can be explored in this way․
I love Afrofuturism because it teaches me how fashion, makeup, and hair show our culture and imagination․
The Power of Full Styling In Storytelling
Hair, makeup, and accessories are as much a part of great styling as clothing, and they provide yet another layer of narrative in terms of the look․ They combine to create a complete, holistic image․
In fashion editorials, films and social media, stylists can correlate the clothing with the makeup and hairstyles and their designs with the theme of a shoot, film or media appearance, for example, dramatic clothing with heavy makeup and structure as opposed to soft clothing with light makeup and house styling․
The phrase is often applied to social media influencers, who may upload GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos that present the process of getting ready with makeup, hair and clothes․
As a person who makes GRWM videos on TikTok, I think a lot about how styling can affect the impression you give and your personal brand․ You can think of styling as a form of visual language․
Cultural Appreciation in Fashion and Beauty Styling
Cultural appropriation is often seen in the fashion and beauty industries, which frequently borrow elements from other cultures, making it critical that designers and stylists understand the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation․
When designers and influencers wear or use cultural styles, such as clothing, hairstyles, or makeup, without knowledge or acknowledgement, the example of cultural appropriation erases the historical roots of this cultural practice․
Cultural appreciation, by contrast, would mean learning about the culture, crediting it, sometimes collaborating with the community which created the style, and treating cultural traditions with respect while still sharing them with others․
As a lover of all things styling, hair and makeup, I think things should be respectful in how we explore fashion, meaning that we should be celebrating culture rather than appropriating it․