By Elizabeth Phillips
EMS Press
Traverse City East MS
1st Place Division MS, News Writing
Diversity Coverage
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Topic relevant to the school or students and reflects lifestyles, challenges and potentials of those from a diverse background
- Sharp, attention-getting lead grabs reader and arouses curiosity
- Shows thorough reporting skills through research and interviewing
- Effective use of facts/quotes from both primary and secondary sources
- Balanced, fair and sensitive presentation
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar; use of third person
Makeup. For the majority of females and some males, it’s part of their everyday routine. Eyeshadow, blush, contour, eyebrows, concealer, and foundation. They all seem so simple, but foundation is much more complicated. We’re not saying that it’s hard to apply, (And, if it is, there’s a Youtube video for that), or hard to find in stores. What’s so tricky about foundation? The shade range. If you are caucasian, it might not be a problem. But for a woman of color? It’s a totally different story. Picture yourself in a makeup store, trying to pick out a foundation shade. Some brands, such as Fenty Beauty, have a wide variety of shades to choose from whether you are black or white. But other brands do not have many shades for women of color although they have many options for white people. Eigth grader Aisha Laureus doesn’t usually wear much foundation. “When I do shop for foundation, it is very hard to find my shade,” she said. Aisha is African American and her problem is common for women of color. Yet, they make up more than 13.7% of the U.S population. Yes, there may be more white women in the world, but by no means does that make it okay to not have many make up shades shades for women of color. Brands like Fenty Beauty by Rihanna or Urban Decay have many shades for both caucasians and women of color. Fenty has a whopping 50 shades, making it likely that you will find something that matches your skin tone. Urban Decay is similar, with 26 shades, a bit less than Fenty, but still very good. And both brands have very positive reviews. Many people who have tried their products are very happy with them. They love the outcome on their face, and the fact that they have many shades for everyone also make the reviews positive. Other brands are not as good with making shades for a variety of complexions. Brands like MAC cosmetics or Covergirl have a limited number of shades. MAC has many shades for some of their foundation products, but the other products are very limited, with only nine or fewer shades and most desinged for whites. Covergirl can be the same way. A representative for MAC said they update their shades once a year, but did not know why the company does not have more foundation shades for people of color. But some brands are working to improve on their shade range. When Benefit Cosmbetics was contacted about their limited shades, they responded by saying: “We’re sorry to hear that you are unsatisfied with the selection of colors for our foundations. We have forwarded your feedback to our product development team for further consideration. We really appreciate your feedback!” Tarte Shape Tape foundation received major backlash when releasing their foundation two years ago in January. The 15-shade range only consisted of three black shades–none of which were even that dark. Tarte received negative attention from most people, and promised soon after to change their shade range. Now, they have many other shades, for caucasians and women of color. It’s time for make-up companies to realize we are multi-faceted and create makeup products that are as well.