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