We’ve always looked at culture through the lens of beauty, like it’s a magnifying glass for both bigger and subtler things going on. Crazy-new ingredients reflect innovations in tech; an absence of products altogether, like Stella McCartney’s models’ hair styled only with water, suggests beauty is, refreshingly, whatever it is you’ve already got. Glossier develops products based on blog post comments. Allure’s beloved former editor-in-chief Linda Wells now leads creative at Revlon. In short: lines are blurred, and norms are challenged, and that’s always the way forward.
We planned this story a month ago without an exact date in mind, and in the time since, International Women’s Day has evolved into a full-on strike in America, with women opting not to work in solidarity with other strikes around the world, and women for whom taking a day off isn’t an option. And that’s another conversation entirely, but something we can’t not acknowledge.
So: here are five women from very different places who embody their own versions of beauty right now. There are tips, product recommendations, affirmations, and miniature mission statements in the form of captions—and there’s plenty of inspiration.
#beauty #globalbeauty #truebeauty
@elianagilrodriguez
We first came to appreciate the Venezuelan-born creative director’s calm approach to self-presentation when we came across this quote on Vogue.com last December: “Getting ready alone can be very meditative. It allows you to be creative without being influenced by others’ opinions. Isabella Rossellini said, ‘True elegance is for me the manifestation of an independent mind.’ I love that.” Her beauty aesthetic is that, manifest: natural waves, full eyebrows, and skin that looks happy.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Followers: 11k
@jennytique
The “face for radio” joke both does and does not apply here—Jenny Tique hosts a show on Das Hit and has this low key urban vibe to her look that seems right at home in her city.
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Followers: 8,112
@meejmuse
Jeniffer Kim personifies optimism. It’s easy to see both her Australian and Korean influences in her love of color, her dream-state soft filtered photos, and her belief that happy people are beautiful people. Just this morning, she revisited her six-year-old beauty motto: “Does anyone remember? In the old Youtube days 5-6 yrs ago😂, when we used to have a little space for our channel motto at the top, mine used to be “beauty from within.” As I grow older I truly believe that inner beauty is soo much more beautiful and valuable than what is on the outside. We can groom and pout but no matter what, our smiles and eyes just won’t light up with the radiance that comes from within without a healthy, positive, genuine heart that cares for others. I still stand by this motto 6 yrs later with a ‘without’ at the end…😊 #letsfindittogether #truebeauty @musebeautyofficial 💓🕊”
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Followers: 85.4k
@dimmaumeh
There’s an underlying sense of curiosity about how beauty products can live with us—not overtake us—that drives Dimma. She’s just as likely to ask questions as she is to sing a product’s praises. “First time trying a facial oil…Still not sure if I’m a fan of facial oil movement but I have detailed review on the blog,” she wrote a few weeks ago. She listens to her readers, and it shows in her very lively comments.
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Followers: 60k
@minal_beauty
Damn. Minal is a henna artist in every sense of the word, sharing her approaches to symmetry and technique and posting videos that break down her process. Two seconds on her feed, and her love of things classic (bold hues, polished hair) and new (an airbrushed, flawless complexion and precision brow) immediately stands out.
Location: California
Followers: 59.2k
THE GET
Attend a Brooklyn art show that explores what it means to “feel” the works you see—Thursday night, The Living Gallery hosts curator Sarah Lillenberg’s In Due Form.
