Leomie Anderson might be a Victoria’s Secret Angel, but in my book she has just gained her wings for being one of the realest models out there.
Fed up with how unprepared makeup artists and hairstylists are for women of color, she made a video that is the greatest clapback and wake up call for the always diverse fashion industry.
Anderson, starts “The Black Model’s Survial Kit” by saying that being a black model is “extra hard.” Then she launches into her own stories as a model who seems to forget that there’s more than one color out there.
She tackles the lack of makeup options that makeup artists carry with them and that some of them even have absolutely zero experience working with darker skin. Anderson says “you turn to the mirror and you’re mad gray and mad ash” and that “the worst feeling in the world is knowing that you are going on the runway and you look like sh*t.”
She also offers honest insights on how professionals in the industry treat her and other models of color, even talking about a time someone backstage said to her “why do you think you get to use a different products than everyone else.” Pretty self-explanatory.
She casts a ton of well-deserved shade to the industry, but also offers a lot of helpful beauty tips to keep in your back pocket.
Anderson is sassy, fierce, and it’s hilarious that she even still has to create this video. It’s disheartening that anyone would need a “survival kit” for models of color, but let’s celebrate Anderson for bringing the topic up in a funny way that calls out these industry professionals. With most things, it will take some time for complete change to happen, but women like Anderson remind everyone that change can start with us and YouTube.
Check out the hilariously honest and surprisingly informative video here: