#PullUpOrShutUP: Beauty Brands Are Asked To Release Their Numbers Of Black Employees And Execs
Over the last decade, the beauty industry has been perceived as one of the most inclusive industries in the world. With diverse influencers across the globe and an influx of black-owned businesses over the last few years, it seemingly had diversity and inclusive expertly managed. But in the wake of hard conversations about race in society, a serious challenge was issued to the industry to show us the receipts!
Pull Up or Shut Up is a digital campaign that challenged beauty brands who have released a statement of public support for Black Lives Matter, to publicly release the number of black employees they have in their organizations at corporate level/leadership roles. Started by founder of UOMA Beauty, Sharon Chuter, this initiative is fighting for economic opportunities for black people. "To at this point, to still be absolving yourself from the role you have played and continue to play in the marginalized and oppression of black people, shows that a lot of these efforts are just PR stunts," Chuter says in her inaugural call to action video.
The call to action spread furiously, with beauty influencers like Jackie Aina and Nyma Tang echoing the challenge on their own platforms. While the initial call was for 72 hours post statements, brands are continuing to pull up. The big powerhouse ULTA reported 18% Black board members and 13% Black executive team leaders, while Sephora reported 45% people of color in corporate offices, with 6% being Black. L'Oreal, a self-proclaimed company for multicultural women, reported 7% in corporate positions and 8% at the executive level is black. Since L'Oreal owns juggernaut brands like Maybelline, Essie, Carol's Daughter and Kiehl's, any increase at these brands would make a sizable difference in the lives of many black people.
The cruelty-free brand ColourPop reported 3% black participation and acknowledged there's work to be done. ColourPop's rise to fame coincides with the rise of the influencer, including black influencers like Ellarie and Shayla. PUR is 30% black; Boxy Charm is 8%; and fan-favorite Supergoop! has 2 black people in leadership roles. Smaller brands like Sunday Riley reported 9.1% in management roles, with 20% of the top highest compensated people being Black.
As we can see, many brands profited from black culture without consciously investing in black lives. Without transparency, we cannot start an honest dialogue about the changes that need to happen in our society. It's imperative.
In 2019, only four Fortune 500 companies had a black chief executive, down from seven less than a decade ago. There are more than 1,800 Fortune 500 companies; that discrepancy creates a serious disparity between the black community and other communities. The black community spends $1.2 trillion a year, and that number was projected to $1.5 trillion by 2021, pre-COVID. Black hair care alone raked in an estimated $2.51 billion in 2018.
The black dollar is extremely powerful, yet the black community benefits very little from it. The black dollar is not being reinvested into the black community, but instead into systems that actively neglect and oppress the black community in various facets.
This is about more than representation. It's rooted in the overall mission to build generational wealth for black families. Race-based economic inequality is a persistent feature of the United States that is at odds with the national narrative regarding wealth and racial equality. White households earning more than their black counterparts remained largely constant or even widened between 1967 and 2015. Historical and present-day forms of racism have systematically disadvantaged black communities in their pursuit of economic opportunities.
The profit of black culture without black participation has to stop.
Roughly 8% of people employed in white collar professions are black, and only 3.2% of them are in executive or senior management roles. An active and ongoing push to diversify corporate boardrooms and leadership roles drastically change the landscape for black families. It goes beyond beauty and skincare. Currently, challenges have been issued to Fashion Nova and Nike without any comment from the brands.
Personally, I would like to see other industries follow suit. The fashion industry is extremely underrepresented and has been since its inception. To see the makeup of your favorite glossies and brands would facilitate very interesting conversations, the kind needed to change our world.
Keep up with what brands responded to the challenge and released their numbers by visiting the Pull Up For Change Instagram.
Featured image via Atlas Agency / Shutterstock.com
Courtney is a contributing writer, based in Puerto Rico by way of Tennessee. Interested in the intersection of fashion and culture, she has an affinity for fashion, empowerment, and really good tacos. Keep up with her on Instagram (@hautecourtxo).
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Exclusive: Koryn Hawthorne On Her Miraculous Love Story: ‘I Was Never A Girlfriend’
Gospel singer Koryn Hawthorne has used her voice to let the world know about what God can do, and now the Season 8 finalist of NBC’s The Voice is sharing a miraculous act that led to her engagement.
The Praise This actress shared in an interview with xoNecole that prior to becoming engaged to her partner, Hunter Register, she passed over one particular title on her way to becoming a fiancée.
“I was never a girlfriend,” Hawthorn, 26, tells xoNecole.
“We've known each other since we were kids, so we just kind of always had this distant friendship. We would hit each other up on social media, and [I] slide up under things that he was posting,” she says. “We ended up hanging out together, and when we hung out, it was an instant immediate connection from all fronts. I think we just knew from the first day that I don't want to spend a day apart from you.”
Koryn Hawthorne On Her Miraculous Love Story, New Album, & More
She continued, "And yeah, we probably were boyfriend or girlfriend after — am I delusional? Then we were engaged a few months later.”
The Grammy-nominated singer, who became engaged in November of 2023, went on to share what her experience has been preparing to become a wife, exploring the personal growth, challenges, and emotions experienced throughout the process.
“It's a journey, I'm not gonna lie,” she says. “Relationships, in general, are hard, and whenever you think about marriage, is just different from being boyfriend and girlfriend because if you piss me off, I could just go,” she shared. “But marriage is an actual commitment. It's a partnership. It's a ministry.”
Hawthorne, 26, and Register, 27, were childhood friends growing up in Louisiana and sealed their love during a weekend getaway in New Orleans last fall.
For the gospel star, marriage involves more than lovely-dovey aspects, emphasizing how her relationship has allowed her to grow, mature, and learn valuable lessons through love.
“We were supposed to get married in May, but like for us to be mature enough to be like, ‘You know what? No, let's take the necessary time to make sure that we're fully prepared for this commitment such a beautiful thing,” Hawthorne reflected.
“It's a learning curve for sure, but our preparation for marriage would have been the only thing that brought this out of me. It's hard and it's scary at times, but it's God's purpose and His plan for our lives.”
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Featured image by Dia DipasupilGetty Images