- 21 hours ago
Jennifer Ford talks Beauty Beyond Borders with Nandi Madida, and Shalom Blac
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00:00Hello, my name is Jennifer Ford, Associate Beauty Editor here at Essence, and thanks so much for
00:10joining me today for our Beauty Beyond Borders conversation. We are going to be talking about
00:15all things beauty today, and we know that beauty is worldwide, and we also know that beauty has
00:20the power to bring together women from all walks of life, and beauty influencers in particular
00:26have the power to shift entire industries simply by using their platforms from YouTube to Instagram
00:33to Facebook, and today I have the pleasure of talking to some of the world's most popular
00:38black beauty influencers. With me today I have Nandi Medita. Hi, Nandi. Hello, thank you for having me.
00:47Hello. Thank you for joining me today, and I also have Shalom Black. Hi, Shalom. Hi. Thank you for
00:55joining me today. Thank you. And in our conversation today, we are going to talk about diversity,
01:05why using your voice in the beauty industry matters as a black woman, and also we're going to talk about
01:11how these ladies are using their platforms to inspire change. So without further ado, I'm going
01:17to go ahead and get started. So ladies, I am curious to know, why did you decide to pursue your love of
01:23beauty with the world? You want to go first, Nandi? Well, thank you so much. You know, I think you have
01:33such a beautiful story as Africans, and of course, the African diaspora as a whole, where we are
01:38unapologetically ourselves, but also unapologetically beautiful. You know, it's in our ancestry, it's in our roots.
01:44We just stand out without even trying to. And so for me, coming from South Africa, we have a similar
01:51story to yours of oppression, colonialism. And so being in the media as a media personality,
01:58so musician, but as well as a TV host for, you know, channels like DT Africa, and even being a host for Afropunk,
02:06I realized that a lot of our continents had been somewhat oppressed, but the diaspora as well. And,
02:14you know, there was almost a low self-esteem for who we are, and who we were. And even having something
02:20like natural hair, which I've always, you know, had, and I'm proud of for the longest time,
02:25was almost a bold, big step in my country, because we were told to be unwise, and that you were less
02:32of, you know. And so it was paramount for me to kind of change that narrative. And so essentially,
02:40whether you have a weave or not, it was more important that even if you don't have your weave,
02:44you feel just as beautiful as when you do have a weave. By the way, ancient Egypt,
02:48people were wearing weggs as well. So we were doing everything.
02:51We were doing it.
02:52And I think that's also important. You know what I'm saying? We were always taking them off,
02:55having fun, you know, as we do. So we've been doing that. But it's important that
03:02you don't feel less of. And so for me, I always, I love the quote,
03:07with the crew watching, what did she do? She was herself and she did it all.
03:10I want every single Black woman, all male around the world to feel they can be
03:15unappreciated in themselves and so beautiful. And that's what I always strive for. Yeah.
03:20I love that.
03:22I think for me, my choice kind of started off because of my scars, being that I didn't see
03:31anyone that looked like me. I mean, there was a lack of dark skinned women on like YouTube and
03:36stuff. So when I got on and I discovered the whole beauty community and stuff, I was like,
03:41I want to do this. But also I would be learning how to do makeup on my skin. Because when I go to
03:50makeup artists to do my makeup, everybody just does not know what to do with my skin. First of all,
03:55my skin tone and then having scars. So I decided like, okay, you know what, I know a few other burn
04:01survivors that are struggling. Let me get on here. I kind of teach, even though I at that time, I
04:07honestly didn't know what I was doing. But I think just being out there, putting myself out there to
04:15sort of like teach and also learn, sort of like the beginning for me. And that was kind of the reason why
04:22I got on. But loving makeup had kind of started when I was young, seeing my mother takes translucent
04:28powder, and just like dab it on her hands and just put it all over her face. That was the makeup. And
04:34then she puts a black lip liner on and Vaseline. And that was like the lipstick. So I love that. And
04:41I was doing that when I was growing up. So coming to America and being introduced to makeup from the
04:48hospital, I got my surgery. I was like, wow, this is amazing. So I kind of how I started getting into
04:54it. And then I decided to make a platform, not really knowing that that was what I was doing at
04:59that time. So yeah, that's kind of the beginning for me. Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. And
05:06then Shalom, you said that the journey kind of began for you when you moved over here. So could just for
05:11our viewers who don't know, could you ladies tell us where you all are, where you both are from?
05:15Well, I am from Nigeria, born and raised. I came to America when I was about 11 years old.
05:23Okay. Thank you. And I'm from South Africa, right at the bottom of Africa.
05:28Go ahead. So we're proud of African gold. All of us are Africans.
05:34Yeah. Yes. And just speaking from where you both are from, you both are from different parts of the
05:41world. And you have such a large, large platform, like millions, almost followers. So how does it feel
05:49to like have a global audience? And do you create content for the women in your hometowns? Or do you
05:57just create content for women abroad across the board? And we can start. Yeah, we can start with
06:05you, Shalom. Oh, I think for me, definitely for everyone around the world. I didn't know at first
06:13that I had that audience all over the world until I went into my analytics. And I'm looking, I'm like,
06:20what? Like, I have people in China, I have people South Africa, all of that. I was like, wow, that's
06:26amazing. So I think when I do my content, I really make sure that everyone anywhere can relate to the
06:33content, you know, and I think that is the reason why we kind of have that audience because we are
06:39relatable, you can be that relatable to everyone. So yeah, I do cater my content to every ethnicity,
06:49every, you know, country, world, women. So sometimes I think it's kind of like,
06:58when it comes to sort of going into the analytics, it can be like, weird to see
07:06certain countries be so low being that I am Nigerian. I thought that my analytics for Nigeria
07:12would be like on the highest. Yeah, but actually, it's like, I think probably like the fifth on
07:19on YouTube, and then maybe like the third on Instagram. And I was like, wow, I need to start,
07:25like, I wanted you to really connect with my Nigerian sisters and stuff. So of course,
07:31like I started doing sort of like African food, stuff like that. And I really, yeah,
07:37that really like bought that audience because I'm like, I mean, it's my people. So I kind of like that,
07:44but still like other people are still watching that content, especially like people that are
07:49interested in like learning all this African stuff. So yeah, let me stop.
07:54Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for sharing. And Nadia, how about you?
08:01And for myself, it's, you know, with any content that I share, the most important thing is to be
08:07authentic. And whoever kind of vibrates with that, then we're cool. And so I've been fortunate enough
08:14that the world, there are a lot of people who just want authentic content that they can relate to,
08:19or even not relate to, but just, you know, somehow find it interesting. And I think that's also important,
08:24just that narrative. I may not be able to relate to, but I think that's amazing, you know, and also
08:30just the history. I like to provide a lot of history, especially to the diaspora. And I mean,
08:34the African diaspora where people can be aware of their roots, where they're from, why we're so much
08:40alike and also why we're different and how our stories branched off. And just all of that for me,
08:46I, it's almost like, um, I want people to feel a sense of, of home when they, when they see my
08:53content and to celebrate who they are and feel beautiful, uh, whatever the aesthetic may be.
08:59Um, and so, uh, funny enough, my followers are obviously, um, African first when it comes to my
09:04analytics. And then secondly, uh, people from America, which is, which is amazing. And just,
09:14I think more than anything, the world's getting smaller and smaller. And that's beautiful. We've
09:17seen, um, such a great advances of the fact that there is social media, of course, um, it is so
09:24much still controlling. So we're not fully seen and, and that aspect, but the fact that we can,
09:29I mean, I know everyone here that I'm speaking to, you know, I've seen all of you on social media,
09:35and that's such a beautiful thing. The fact that we can communicate this way and follow each other
09:39and be inspired by one another. So empowering. I love that. And that's the thing about beauty.
09:44It has the power literally to bring people together from all walks of life, whether you're from Nigeria
09:51or you're from California or wherever you are in the world, that's the beauty of beauty,
09:56just bringing people together. So I really love that. Um, my next question for you ladies is with
10:02your platforms, a lot of people, um, look to you as like, I don't want to say the standard of black
10:10beauty, but they look to you as sort of like, I want to say like, like you embody the essence of
10:17being a black woman. So how does that make you feel when people are looking at you in that light?
10:22And does that inspire your content at all on your platforms?
10:25And we can start with you. Can I go to this one? I'm ready to jump. I'm like, no, I'm ready.
10:35Um, no, as long as, first of all, Africa is the most genetically diverse continent in the world.
10:43And that includes the diaspora. So I just hope when anyone's looking at my content, especially when it
10:48comes to beauty or anything aesthetic related, that they know that as much as they see me, that they've
10:54been given a beautiful package that's different, um, but theirs. And so as long as, like I said,
11:00they feel good when they're seeing the content and also embracing their flaws as well. And knowing
11:05that being different is cool. I'm fine with that. I never one day to be a standard, uh, of any beauty.
11:12And it's so good to see that, um, as well now people embracing themselves and also, uh, particularly
11:18with African people in the diaspora, seeing, well, finally people starting to appreciate and acknowledge
11:24the fact that we've forever been inspiring the world where they come to our aesthetics, you know,
11:29for the longest time, our booty was made fun of and these lips were made fun of.
11:34I know, right?
11:35Mm-hmm .
11:37And you're going to get that, you know, um, the fact that people are starting to be honest
11:42about that character, um, is really important. We had a lady called Sarah Bartman, uh, in the late 1700s,
11:49early 1800s. She died, um, in the early 1800s. And she was known for her butter, her booty. Um,
11:57and that was appropriated. And so you saw, um, medieval times, uh, around those times,
12:03uh, colonial times where other women would kind of, uh, replicate the same thing.
12:08Yeah.
12:08And you see it happening even now.
12:10And, um, I just want, you know, to be acknowledged our, our continent, us as, as a people, as black
12:16people to be, um, acknowledged for so that we inspire so many people. I don't mind inspiring the
12:22world. I think it's beautiful that we inspire the world, but just that acknowledgement and appreciation
12:26and respect, uh, for what we do and for that greatness, I think is important. So as long as you
12:31love your beauty and your practice and that the content I feel makes you feel that way,
12:37then I'm always great.
12:38Nice. Thank you.
12:39Yeah. I, I completely agree with you because I think, um, like having a standard, it's kind of
12:46tricky. Um, and I think like with my, my whole thing on my channel is be your own kind of beautiful
12:54just to basically promote your beauty because I mean, we all, we all struggle with our insecurity
13:03and stuff. So to put that standard of like, oh, this is how a standard of black beauty should be
13:08or a standard of whatever it is, you know? So to own your beauty, basically, if I inspire you, I,
13:14I want to inspire you for you to own your beauty, not to say, oh, I want to be like Shalom,
13:20we'll be like Nandi or look like this person, but find the love in yourself and your skin tone.
13:27And I'm the beauty basically. So I love like what you say, Nandi.
13:32I shouldn't be a standard.
13:35I love that. And that kind of goes into my next question is like, you know, you want to be authentic,
13:41as authentic as possible on your platforms. But also there's also sometimes pressure that comes with
13:47that. And I was wondering if you ever feel pressure to come across in a certain way,
13:55or do you ever feel pressure not to do something because you're afraid of what your followers or
14:02your fans might think or perceive you as? Has there ever been an instance like that?
14:07Yes, there is a pressure. I feel like we don't really talk about it. But maybe we talk about it
14:20like in our own little group and stuff. But yes, there's definitely a pressure. There are times that
14:26I don't say things because I'm afraid, like, especially now, um, everybody like,
14:35pick everything that you say, you might not mean it, you know, but because if you're not speaking for
14:41the general, it's like, Oh, no, that is not the way that it should be. Like recently, I just started
14:47doing this, you know, my Instagram where I want to basically do a color theme. And I've been wanting
14:53to do that forever. But I just, I don't know, it's kind of hard. And I've seen other content
15:00creators that do and I'm like, wow, I just love going on their page and just seeing how everything
15:03is like nicely colored and everything. And so I'm like, I want to do that I posted and I have some
15:08few people that commented like, Oh, just because if you do if you do that, you're not going to get any
15:13more followers or likes and stuff. I'm like, but I'm not really doing it for that. Like, I just really
15:19love seeing it on other people's page and I want to implement it on my page, but it's like,
15:24I cannot like anything. I have to like what you like for me to do, but it's my platform. So yeah,
15:31there are times it's like, well, it's either you just say, Hey, I'm just going to go ahead and do
15:35it. Or are you going to cave in and be like, okay, fine. Let me not do it because they're going to think
15:39this of me or this of me. I was on this platform probably like when I was about 19 and now I'm 24.
15:47I have grown. So there has been a lot that has changed about me, the way that I look at the
15:52world, the way that I speak and stuff like that. But you will have some people who that will come
15:56on and they expect me to still be this 19 years old girl with the same mindset. I'm like,
16:02it cannot be like that, you know, oh, you change. So I'm unfollowing you. Like, what do you expect?
16:07Do you want me to be 19 all my life?
16:10Yeah, it's definitely a pressure. You just have to find that balance where you're like,
16:21I'm just going to do what I want. Move on. You like it. You like it. If you don't, leave it.
16:27I feel you. I totally feel you on that. Do you ever feel pressure from your fans or followers to
16:35either post something or not post something? Like, how do you deal with that type of pressure?
16:40Oh, yeah. I don't know if you guys saw my ring even fell off. I was like, oh, yes.
16:48Yeah.
16:49A lot of pressure. You know, that's, you know, there's the gift and the curse of social media
16:55as a whole or any digital platform because you have people viewing you and they have views, of course.
17:01I'm someone who's very quirky. I'm very vocal about my views because, you know, they are inherently mine.
17:07But unfortunately, there can be some backlash to that. I know, for example, when I had given birth
17:14to my daughter, you know, I was just thinking, can I show my body as it is? Because I don't know
17:22what people will say. So you're overthinking everything. And so, so much you are controlled
17:27as well as, and I love, you know, influential people in the digital world, rather. I don't want to
17:35speak about it. But, you know, you also have brands who are constantly watching. And there's
17:40something so beautiful that happened during, you know, COVID-19 now, and particularly with Black Lives
17:46Matter. It put me in a state where I almost had to make a decision. You know, do I go completely
17:54like capitalistic person who just is all about the money, the bag, you know, and kind of be quiet and
18:00pretend I can't see what's happening around the world? Or do I tap and see who I am authentically
18:05and what is morally right and just? Even if it means, you know, leaving the bag or missing that or
18:12not being endorsed by certain brands. And my conscience, as well as I know my ancestors, wherever
18:18they are, it was important for me to stay true to who I am. And so even decisions like that. So
18:25my narrative, um, well, it's always been about, you know, the African diaspora, but now more than ever,
18:32we've just had to be more honest and that enough is enough, you know, and, and, but at the back of
18:37your mind, you know, that not all brands are going to be okay with that, you know, because of that history.
18:44But things like that, you do feel pressure, but I, I think there's something beautiful that happened
18:50during this time. I was at home and I just said, no, I have to be true to my people.
18:55And I, I, I felt the same way too, because like in creating content online, it's just like,
19:01does this brand that I'm about to feature really speak to my community? Uh, does this brand that I'm
19:07about to feature, you know, have black lives? Um, do they have our best interest in heart? So it's just
19:14like, it makes me, I feel my, I put a little bit of pressure on my own. So, you know what I mean?
19:20Just to be true, just to be true and to be more conscious about, you know, the brands that I'm
19:26working with and the content that I'm creating. And that I actually brings me to my next question for
19:31both of you. I'm sure you get approached from a lot of brands to work and collaborate with them.
19:35Have you ever turned down a opportunity to work with a brand because it wasn't right for your community?
19:42Um, and then in that, um, how do you think that helps to champion inclusivity in the beauty industry?
19:49When you say no, because it's just not right. Um, yeah, there are some few brands, you know,
19:55that would reach out. I think my first thing that I do is so I just go on their Instagram and see like,
20:02who are you guys posting? How often do you post people that do look like me?
20:07Um, how often do you work with people that do look like me? And there have been some few that
20:12honestly, you go in there, you see, you know what I mean? And then you see one drop of like,
20:19um, you know, black person in there. And I'm like, no, I do not want to work with that brand.
20:24And there would be times also last year, I had exclusive exclusivity with a certain brand for
20:32an entire year, which was honestly great. It was a great blessing and stuff like that. But
20:38working with the brand wasn't the issue, but the middle man that they had working for them,
20:43because you guys know it's always a middle man and the middle man, they was just not,
20:49not it at all. Um, and so when they came back to me to give me a second year contract, I had to like,
20:58refuse that because I'm like, nah, like, you guys literally had me having anxiety. As soon as I see
21:04your email, I'm freaking out. And my health is not good to be freaking out about you guys, you know?
21:10Um, but I know when they were doing the whole pulling of people to work with, I can't say the
21:18brand, but if you know, you know, um, I did like definitely cause I was one of the top three content
21:25creators that they picked. And then we got a choice to pick smaller, uh, micro influencers. And so my
21:32thing was, okay, I see all the people that you guys have. I was like, well, let me pick some of my,
21:38you know, black people and bring them in here and especially like black, um, gay men. They didn't
21:45really have a lot of them, um, in the group that we got to like select. So like the few that were in
21:50there, I was like, I mean, these people are so talented. Why not? So, um, I think that's kind of
21:57like when I really started like speaking up and I felt like my voice was loud, even though I didn't
22:03agree to work with them for another second year, I felt like, okay, they might have taken, uh, some
22:10advice to be a bit more inclusive, which is what we need right now. So for a black person, if you are
22:18able to get your leg in those companies and stuff, definitely bring in, you know, your people with you
22:25in there. Um, I don't know why brands do not do that already. Uh, but hey, I'm glad to be in the
22:33position that I am to sort of like have a voice. And I definitely like respect the brands are actually
22:39willing to listen and not just listen, but also take it and implement it to make a change versus
22:45like, okay, let's just, okay, we hear you. Cause there are some times, you know, you would talk
22:49or they would not even giving you, give you the opportunity to actually tell them exactly like
22:55how you feel, you know, and that is the issue. So. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing it.
23:01And, and I, I have been there. And so I understand. Um, and, and just before we go 90, I want to hear
23:09if you've had to deal with that at all. Um, you know, with your work and having to reject a partnership
23:14or a collaboration with a brand, just because they weren't inclusive or just wasn't a fit
23:19for your audience or our community. Oh, absolutely. I was so excited. So went to
23:26New York, Manhattan and met with this amazing global brand. And they had an issue with the
23:31fact that I raised up. So I. Featured something with you three years before the meeting I had,
23:38and it was a black man who said to be just police brutality in America. And the guy was
23:44been hit on his head on concrete. And I said, wow, this is so sad. Slavery still alive, you know,
23:50in America. And they asked me, I've treated my whole life, literally. And they'd asked me about that
23:58to me and said, is there any way that I could delete it? And my manager and I, at that moment,
24:06had to make a decision. And I just said, no, I'm so sorry, because that's exactly who I stand for. But you
24:14have to understand this is New York City, Manhattan, beautiful. You are going to be the face of,
24:19you know, this is like a dream come true. And the fact that they wanted me to believe that changed
24:26everything. And it's actually the reason why I'm launching a color beauty app, because we need to,
24:33you know, own our narrative. Here's the faces. But let's be the executive. That's also changed,
24:40you know, behind the scenes and in front as well. And I think that was a moment that really changed
24:46everything and just put a different perspective on what is my legacy and what is our legacy as a
24:53people? Do we just want to be faces? Or do we also want to be able to kind of change the narrative and
24:59make sure that it's coming from a good place? Right. And I love that. And I love this conversation.
25:07And you two have been, you know, paramount in, you know, just using your platform just to inspire
25:16change in that regard. You know, making sure that brands are challenging brands to be more inclusive,
25:22showing black women what's possible and just so much, you know, that we are there's a reason why
25:29we're your fans. You know what I mean? And so I just want to thank you all for having this conversation
25:35with me today and joining me for our virtual Essence Festival. So thank you so much. Of course,
25:42we're out of time. I wish we could continue this conversation longer. But I do want to thank you
25:47both for being here today and sharing your time with me. Thank you so much for having us. Thank you.
25:53Thank you. Bye.
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