- 7 weeks ago
When we show up to win, we do it in style. From Flo Jo's iconic nails to Venus and Serena's legendary beads, we've been on. For many athletes and coaches, hair and makeup artists are just as essential as their trainers in creating one-of-a-kind looks that help them perform at their best. Peek behind the curtain to learn what inspires these beauty artists and athletes' game-winning looks.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00How we doing I cannot tell you this is the most beautiful room I have seen
00:08What's up Essence?
00:10It's your favorite coach's favorite coach
00:15How y'all doing?
00:18Hey y'all. Show them the nails, show them the nails. These are the nails!
00:22Look at the fit, look at the material. Yes, yes. Hello everyone. How we feeling Essence Fest?
00:30Yes, Beautycon day two. Yes looking gorgeous everyone. My name is Akili King.
00:36I'm senior beauty editor here at Essence magazine. Super, super excited to be here at the L'Oreal panel today.
00:45All about playing the game, getting that look, and we're going to talk about all things beauty, sports.
00:52We have some phenomenal panelists here today. First off we have Ms. Kenia Haug who is an
00:59incredible Olympic nail tech and creative artist. If you've seen any of, you know, Sha'Carri Richardson's
01:06press-ons on the field. Kenia was likely behind those. Incredible work. And then we have coach Don Richardson,
01:15aka the diva coach. We see the material. Looking gorgeous. Head coach of Alabama A&M University.
01:25So honored to have you as well. And then we have the amazing Aubrey Maslin. Give it up!
01:34Our VP of L'Oreal group. What a fantastic panel. I'm so excited to be here. How we feeling?
01:41I feel good. New Orleans is turning up. This is great.
01:45Yes, absolutely. I feel blessed and highly favored to be on this stage with such incredible,
01:50incredible women. Yes, absolutely.
01:53Amazing. Well, I would love to just kick things off for each of you to tell me about your own personal
02:01journeys, what inspired your career paths, and kind of what led you to this point in your life.
02:06Starting with you, Kenia. Hi, everyone. I started doing nails because I'm an artist.
02:15And I think that my biggest inspiration has been just black women and black culture.
02:22I think since a young age, I always looked up to black women, the black women in my family,
02:26and seeing how we present ourselves and how we dress, what clothes we wear to the nails that we
02:34have. It's always been an inspiration. So I said, you know what? I think it's time that I started
02:38getting into nails and expressing my creativity that way. Yes. And tell us about the inspiration
02:44behind these nails you're wearing right now. These are incredible.
02:47Oh, these nails. A lot of my inspiration, like I said, comes from black culture. I love how bougie
02:54black women are unapologetically. And for these, I love the curved nails. I think the curved nails
03:00are always so exciting when I've seen them because a lot of your nails just grow naturally like that.
03:05But for these on TikTok, I just saw a trend and it's the, it's the nails that you can, there's two
03:12in one. So they come off. Oh, wow. Wow. Yes. Clap it up for that. That is very innovative. Yes. Okay.
03:21I hope to be purchasing some of your own press-ons very soon. Yes. Very, very beautiful. And coach
03:28Dawn, tell me about your journey. I want to hear what led you to this incredible point in your career.
03:34You know, um, growing up, I'm from Jackson, Mississippi and shout out to Mississippi in
03:41the building, right? Come through. Um, you know, and so basketball has always been a passion of mine,
03:47uh, just being able to influence young women and be a role model and just being able to inspire
03:53young women and young girls as they're going into adulthood. And that's been really important to me.
03:58Um, the fashion part for me is honestly, I was bullied growing up and I was shame of my height
04:05because I was always so tall. And one day I just woke up and I was like, I'm gonna just be my
04:10unapologetic self and just be who I am. And that has worked in my favor, obviously, uh, especially
04:18since I've been at A&M and A&M has been wonderful. Shout out to Alabama A&M in the building.
04:22I want to pick up on that thread from coach Don. So this notion of being able to show up
04:29unapologetically. So I started my career in finance and strategy consulting, very,
04:34very different types of industries. My hair was not locked. I was not able to show up with
04:38my nails express, right? Beauty is about our own individual identities. And I felt like I was
04:43covering it up a little bit. So I've been with L'Oreal now for three years and I love my job.
04:47And it's because I get to do this, right? I get to ensure that the world's largest beauty company
04:54is making sure that the products we're creating, the assets that we're leveraging on social and
05:00in advertisements, et cetera, they reflect us. Because for far too long, how many folks in this
05:04room grew up not seeing our own interpretations of beauty reflected, right? And so we now have that
05:10opportunity to ensure people feel seen and considered. And that's really what brought me to
05:14L'Oreal and what keeps me there. Yes, absolutely. Amen to that. And off of that note, perfect segue,
05:22because my next question, I'm curious, why to each of you is it so important to showcase this kind of
05:29self-expression and storytelling through beauty and fashion on the court, on the field, et cetera?
05:36Why to you do beauty and sports go hand in hand? Well, I would just say, honestly, I think that
05:44this day and age and where we're at with women and women in sports and how we're evolving,
05:49we're really and truly embracing that femininity side. It's okay to be yourself, to show up and just
05:56represent who you are as an individual. How many times as young women are we told what we can't do,
06:02what we can't wear, what we can't go, rooms we can't walk in, but what about now just going into
06:08that room and just being who you are and understanding that you are enough? And it
06:12doesn't matter how other people feel about you, as long as you know you're led by, I'm led by God,
06:17I can't, you know, I do things the right way, then the platform will work for itself. Just show up and be
06:22yourself.
06:23Yeah, like Flo Jo said, fast, fierce, and feminine. And so for me, it's always been,
06:33I don't know, black women have been the inspiration for everything. We're always told we're too loud
06:38and not everything we do has been ridiculed. But I think at this day and age, we've said we're not
06:44taking that anymore. And honestly, we're the blueprint. And I think that it shows on the field,
06:50that it shows for the basketball players, they get their nails done too. I've done a couple of
06:54them and they always, they always make sure to show out. So I think in every segment of our lives,
07:00in black culture, black women run the world. Absolutely.
07:06Just to add to that, right? These, these athletes are not just incredible at the performance of the
07:11sport that they provide, you know, on the court or on the field, the track, etc. But they're shaping
07:15cultural trends. They're shaping the ways that we're shifting fashion, beauty, etc.
07:20And for us, it's about ensuring that these individuals who are so impactful in cultural
07:25narratives or receiving their due flowers, right? These athletes show up, they're bold,
07:29they're fearless, they're unapologetic. And that's what we want beauty to be as well,
07:32right? Beauty isn't just one sort of specific stereotype or archetype of what it should be.
07:38Beauty should be boundless. There should be as many beauty interpretations as there are people on the
07:43planet. And as these ladies have said, right, black people shape these culture, cultural trends,
07:48not just in this country, but across the world. So it's about elevating us and ensuring that we are
07:54consistently getting the flowers that we so deserve after all this time.
07:58Yes, absolutely. Period. Thank you. And Coach Thornton, from your, yes, we love her. Love her down.
08:09So from your experience, you know, how has this self-expression translated to confidence?
08:18How have you seen that in your players when they express themselves via their hair, their nails on
08:24the court? How have you seen their confidence transformed? Well, I tell our young women all the
08:29time, you are a brand. And the way that you represent yourselves every day is another opportunity for you
08:35to impact someone else. So when I walk into the locker room, you know, my stylist is there. I don't
08:40know what I'm wearing until an hour before the game. She just brings it in and like put it on.
08:46And my kids can understand how that transforms my confidence as well. Because there's something
08:52about as a black woman, when you, when you put it on, you know, and we know that, you know,
08:57we looking how we looking, you know, that, that level of confidence raises. And when they know that their
09:02coach is confident and she can walk in and exude confidence in a room and in a gym, wherever you
09:09are, I like the, for them to have that as motivation to play. And they do that also.
09:15Double tapping on that, right? You are creating a model for these women to follow because until you
09:19show up and take up the space that you so rightfully deserve, other people, they don't necessarily feel
09:24like they have that permission. And I just want to like give her her flowers for that, right?
09:28Yes, absolutely.
09:29Because how many people are going to come up after Coach Dawn and say, she did it. And so
09:32now I feel inspired. I feel confident. I feel like I have the permission to do it too.
09:36Yes, absolutely. Couldn't agree more. And curious, who are your biggest fashion and beauty inspirations
09:42right now? You know, I really love Sarah Jakes Roberts, Kelly Rowland. It's just so many. I have so
09:54many different forms. It's basically how I feel. So I dress how I feel. So sometimes you'll see a
10:01little razzle. Sometimes you'll see a little dazzle. Sometimes you may say she's doing too much. And
10:06that's fine too, because that's who I am. So it's okay. Exactly. I love it. Love all those women you
10:11named as well. And Miss Kanaya. So where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to creating
10:18your nail art? And also how do you balance function and also just self-expression?
10:26So I get a lot of my inspiration from the person who I'm working on, because everyone is different.
10:33Everyone expresses themselves differently. Sometimes people like to be loud, but sometimes people like
10:37to keep it a little, they muted, like the princess nail. Everyone likes a little nude number. But I
10:45like a loud number personally, and a lot of my clients do as well. Hence why they come to me,
10:51because I take their fashion and however they style themselves. And I apply that to their nails.
10:58I take whatever race that they're doing and wherever they're going to be. And I make it functional by
11:05working with them on the length. I make sure that I use good products so that they stay on and so that
11:09they're durable. But a lot of the inspiration comes from the athlete themselves.
11:15I love that, that personal touch. Absolutely. And then Aubrey, you know, from a brand perspective,
11:22how is L'Oreal thinking about supporting athletes and expressing their beauty on and off the court field,
11:28et cetera? Yeah. So I just want to just want to be clear on this. L'Oreal has been investing in women in
11:34sports for almost three decades now. We were one of the first, that's right. You can clap for that.
11:41The first brands to partner with the WNBA back in the nineties. And that partnership has evolved
11:46over time, right? We have our SE, our performance nail brand that's partnered with the New York Liberty.
11:51So we've been standing 10 toes down with the women of summer for a long time. We're so glad to see that
11:57other folks are catching up and they're recognizing the incredible impact that these athletes and these
12:02performers have. But we've been doing that work. And for us, it's not philanthropic. It's not charity.
12:07It's good business sense, right? You've heard them express how they're driving cultural trends,
12:11how they're shaping different narratives, whether it's fashion, beauty, film, and music. And so for
12:16brands to tap into this, you not only have an athlete who can be an incredible ambassador for
12:21the amazing performance of your product, et cetera, but you can tap into the values that the athlete cares
12:25about. So I'll give you an example. We signed a partnership with the WNBA Players Association. It's a union for the
12:31players late last year that gives us access to every single player across the league. And it's more
12:37than just placing a logo. It's really recognizing that the Players Association is focused on equal
12:42pay for equivalent work, right? Pay equity. We at L'Oreal are focused on equal pay for equivalent work.
12:47So that alignment of values is so much deeper. It's so much richer than getting to put a L'Oreal logo or
12:52one of our brand's logos on something, which is important, but it's how do we enable these incredible
12:57athletes, the league, the teams to tell their stories, which again, are, are, are, are phenomenal
13:03at expressing how you have resilience, how you show up and you take up the space and how you leverage
13:08your own unique style and identity to show the world why, again, you deserve your flowers.
13:13Yes, absolutely. It's a team effort across brands, across coaches and artists. So exactly.
13:22And Coach Thornton, what advice do you give to your athletes when it comes to embracing their style,
13:29their beauty on the court, especially in places that don't traditionally seem like they're built
13:34for that sort of thing? What do you say to them? You know, one of the, the most important things that
13:41I think that we try to, um, communicate with our athletes is when you walk into a room,
13:48you should own it. You know, you have to walk in with your head held high, you know,
13:53walk in with your, looking in your phone, you know, be confident. And if you look good,
13:58you play good, you play good, you pay good and all of that. And I, and they are understanding that
14:03as athletes now because of the new, the new era of NILs and that's a whole nother story, but you know,
14:10but still though, just getting them to understand that level of confidence as they are a brand now.
14:15And so that's something that we really and truly push the force with. Let them understand that
14:20it's okay to be who you are. You don't have to fit in. It's not built for you to fit in because
14:25God made you in his own image and you are enough. Yes. Amen. Yes. That's exactly why to that exact
14:32point, right? Our Knicks professional makeup brand signed on Juju Watkins last year.
14:38She is the first collegiate basketball player to be signed to a professional makeup brand.
14:43And it's, it, for us, it's a, it's a beautiful marriage of shared values, but also shared
14:47expression. Knicks stands for bold, boundless self-expression and Juju shows up every single
14:52day like that. So I don't know if Coach Don, you've been chatting with her about showing up,
14:56owning that space, taking over that room, but whatever you're instilling in these players
15:00is clearly working. Thank you. Yes, absolutely. And Ms. Kanaya, how have you seen black women athletes
15:08use nails as a form of personal power and visibility and even for yourself?
15:15So I was actually, I just did my friend TT's nails. She's TT Terry. She's an Olympic athlete.
15:21She's amazing. And she is a style icon. And I just asked her, I was like, why do you get your nails
15:27done? Like, what does it make you feel like? And she said, it makes me stand out. And a lot,
15:31a lot of the times we shrink ourselves to fit into rooms. But I think that at the end of the day,
15:36one thing black women are saying, we're not going to do that anymore. We're not going to do that.
15:41And so for her, she said, it makes me stand out. It makes people recognize me and see me.
15:45And it makes me feel good. And like Sha'Carri, for example, her nails are long. Everyone says,
15:50how does she run with those? And how do you function like that? But she said, this is me.
15:55And when I come to the track, this is what makes me, me. And I think that is the point of it all,
16:00is saying, you know, I'm an athlete, but I'm not doing this just for visibility,
16:06for your entertainment. It's also for the fact that I am who I am and you appreciate me for that.
16:11So, absolutely. You're describing armor, Kanaya, right? These, these, the way that we show up,
16:17it's our armor to take on what can sometimes be difficulty in spaces that weren't built for us.
16:22So, I love that. Exactly. Yes, absolutely. And I know you mentioned Nick's Aubrey,
16:28but do you have other examples of how beauty collaboration or partnerships with athletes
16:34or others that have sort of uplifted them and in turn is shifting culture and business?
16:40Absolutely. So, I mentioned the partnership with the WNBA, the girl, the women of summer.
16:44So, we're really excited at a rookie orientation just recently in April.
16:49We did a partnership where we said, we approached Terry Jackson, the executive director and said,
16:53what do you need? What are you looking for? And believe it or not, no one had ever provided
16:59the players with a glam suite or glam services, right? These are incredible, incredible icons in
17:05their own right. But again, they weren't receiving their proper due or their flowers. And so, we said,
17:10bet, we got you. Rookie orientation happened in April. We went to their headquarters in New York
17:17and we created an entire glam experience. We had about 15 to 20 of the players come through.
17:22The next, the following Monday, this was on a Saturday, the following Monday,
17:25eight of them went on to be the top draft, top 10 draft picks, right?
17:29Yeah.
17:29And we heard them, just even in conversation, say,
17:32making me feel special like this, making me feel like I am a celebrity, making me feel like I'm
17:38important in that the ways that I show up are welcomed in spaces that traditionally weren't
17:45always welcoming. That speaks volumes, right? Because for us, it's more than just, again,
17:51we want to sell our products, but we want to use our size, our scale, our reach to ensure that
17:55everybody who has historically not felt a part of the beauty conversation feels a part of that beauty
17:59conversation. They feel seen, supported, and really celebrated for the unique individuality and
18:04identity that they bring to the court as well as in these stages like these.
18:09Absolutely. I love it. Love it. And off of that, you know, each of you
18:14spend your career servicing and uplifting your communities, but how are each of you kind of
18:20practicing your own self-care in between all the busyness? What is that looking like for each of you?
18:26I think just for me as a mom, a single mother, it is very challenging at times, you know,
18:32just really trying to find the balance. You know, as women, we impact so much of everybody else's
18:39weight on us and just trying to be a sister, a friend, a mom, a coach, you know, a daughter,
18:45all of that. And I think that you have to find a way to take some time to yourself so you can have
18:51that balance. Because if not, um, we can always, you know, we can lose ourselves and getting caught
18:56up in, in our daily routines. And so I always take a little time for myself so I can reflect and
19:03meditate and just kind of recharge my battery. Girl, I'm tired. I'm so tired. I'm like, uh,
19:11that's a great question. What do you do for yourself? I'm also a mother. And you know,
19:16when it comes to being a single mom, what do we do for ourselves? I buy my kid a lot of things.
19:22And for me, I take trips sometimes. So, so my self care would be waking up in the morning and
19:28doing what I love, which is nails and doing art because art is meditation to me. So for me,
19:35I like traits. I get tattoos and nails and hair and stuff. And that's what I do for myself is I love a
19:41barter system and I love to utilize the community. And so that's what I do as well.
19:48Now I'm a Taurus, Taurus sun, Taurus rising. So I love creature comforts. For me, uh,
19:55self care is like, I want to sleep in on a Sunday. I want to get up, maybe get a massage. I want to do
20:00a 12 to 15 step skincare routine and, and really just reinvest in myself, but not to be trite,
20:07but radical community as well is important to that. Right? So we're in, we're facing interesting
20:13times around the world and ensuring that you have the people around you who can pour back into you
20:18so that you can pour into your communities is vital. And so I take time to prioritize the
20:22relationships with my friends, with my family, with the people who light me up and pour back into me.
20:26Beautiful. That community care. So important. Well, thank each and every one of you for your time.
20:35Thank each and every one of you. Clap it up for yourselves. Clap it up for these incredible,
20:40inspiring panelists. So honored to have shared the stage with each and every one of you. So appreciate
20:48you all. Please enjoy Essence Festival and I'll see you all soon.
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