I wanted to address a reaction to my videos that's baffled me completely. I didn't feel this issue is in particular need of a video but I just wanted to talk a little about it.
I get a lot of requests for advice on Asian/Black/Hispanic/etc skin for colours to wear, skincare issues and general requests for help. Now, as someone who is clearly very pale white and not a make up artist, I've never had experience of those skin tones and skin issues. So, when recieving those requests I recommend a Youtube guru who matches their particular "type" of skin. I figure that's got to be better than giving advice on a subject I know nothing about first hand.
I get plenty of comments back thanking me for sending them over to a guru who can give then the answers, then there are the ones that reply as the title of this post. I don't get it.
I've had numerous requests for (and I'm quoting here) "get an authentic *insert ethnicity* person and do make up on them".
Firstly, I've never given any sign on my channel that I'm going to be applying make up on anyone but myself. There are plenty of channels out there that do precisely that (check out Enkore's channel especially for the Be-You-tified videos), but it's not something I've got plans to do. Secondly, I live in a very small town in the East Coast of England's countryside. An area not known for its diversity. What am I supposed to do? Drive an hour to the nearest big town and wander round until I find someone of *insert ethnicity* who will let me record them as I apply make up?
Surely it's better for me to refer someone who's asking these questions to someone on Youtube who can help them? Who has had the same skin issues?
Yes, I'm reading up on various skin types, tones, textures to improve my make up knowledge and there may come a day when I feel I'm confident enough to give the specific advice. But right now I'm helping in the best way I can. I've never claimed to be a qualified make up artist, I've repeatedly said this is a hobby to me. I have applied make up to to other people, but I'm not a trained make up artist. It's been mainly friends and family.
Tell me what you think. Am I missing the point here? Is refering these questions to someone who can help the wrong this to do?
heya, please don't let people get you down. As long as what you're doing makes you happy and makes lots of us happy, keep going!
ReplyDeleteI don't expect you to know what would suit my ethnic type - I'm asian - or my skin tone. Its something that we all have to experiment and learn by ourselves.
I do enjoy your color combinations and application styles. Please don't stop.
*hugs*
Wow, it would never even have ocurred to me that people would infer racism from you not being able to advise on ethic skin tones!
ReplyDeleteSome people are just idiots.
xx
I don't think it's you missing the point. People expect so much sometimes and it's only wise not to give an opinion on something you're not familiar with. It makes your opinion/advice more valuable when you do give it - more reliable. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing exactly the right thing. In fact, one of the reason I started watching your videos is because I noticed that you and I are almost the exact same shade of pale and I figured that the looks you do would look good on me for that reason. :)
ReplyDeleteI do watch other gurus who don't "look" like me, as it were. I usually have to modify the looks though, but still receive a lot of inspiration from most vids I watch. I also go out of my way to watch gurus that use mostly MAC products, as that's what's readily available to me. I live in the Southern US, so I'd never even heard of Barry M until you started talking about the Dazzle Dusts. Now I have a very good friend in Belfast sending me some. Can't wait to try!
Wow. I've really rambled. I really just wanted to say how much I appreciate what you're doing.
Some people are really not intelligent enough to worry about... its obviously better for you to tell them to seek advice from someone who will know more about ethnic skin tones - how do they expect you to know about that?!
ReplyDelete@Frond - it's not getting me down, but it's baffling me! I just don't get it!
ReplyDelete@Emma - I know! I thought refering to someone who can help was the best way to go about it.
@Elizabeth - Thankyou :)
@TennesseWaltz - I watch gurus who are nothing like my skintone as well. You're going to be addicted to the BarryM now!
@Mizzworthy - I know! I even refer them to someone! It's not like I say "no idea, bye".
Hey! You aren't doing ANYTHING wrong!! . You take you're time to read and to answer requests and questions. And if you feel not confident enough to answer, you kindly redirect them to other guru's (which you aren't obligied to do, but you do since you want to help!)
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that people want an answer right away and don't want to be redirected, since they "want the attention" now ( don't mean that in a bad way ). Since they dont get it right away, the only thing they can come up with are things like: you dont have knowledge, you "omg, ur liek sooo racist!!!11!!" which is totally NOT nessacairy ( and always the easy road to take .
I think that people who are really sinscere with their questions, requests and such do say thank you, because they are feeling helped.
Greeties Silvia
(Silvinka82 on youtube)
P.S. sorry for the loooooooong ramble
@Sirvinya lots in life baffles me... guess you can chalk it down to "different strokes for different folks". :)
ReplyDeletelike Silvia says, they're probably just attention needy... *grin*
oh ppl are stupid! don't worry!
ReplyDeletebut hey do you know any makeup gurus who are hispanic/latin? Pointing me in some direction would be great!
i love the purple eye look btw its awesommeeee
@Silvia - I expect it is the quick attention fix. I suspect these are the same people who send me messages "omg prom in 2 days, I'm wearing a green dress why won't you do me a video now!!!!
ReplyDelete@la fille bleue - Thanks, I'm glad you like the look. Hmm, I had a list of different gurus on my old omputer but not now. And I'm really useless at assuming which ehtnicity someone is. Possibly julieg6713, but as I said, I'm not very good at assuming!
Jeez. I can't think of anything useful to say as I am baffled also by this reaction. Take heart Becks, you're not at fault here at all.
ReplyDeleteTo the poster of the comment: It's not a good way to get want you want by playing the race card. You will no doubt suffer discrimination in the future but it will be because you are annoying and childish. No amount of make up will make up for that character flaw.
@OxfordJasmine
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I quite understand your post. Do you mean that I'm annoying and childish? Or people who react with the particulair topic frase are annoying and childish?
Anonymous, she's refering to people who respond to my help with basically the title of this post.
ReplyDeleteHas to be a US problem... ppl there are totally weird with their race issues.
ReplyDeleteDear Sirvinya,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to respond as an obvious woman of color. It is complete and utter B*LLSH*T (pardon my profanity) to call somebody racist if they send the person to someone who's more experienced in dealing with other skin-tones. If you don't have any experience with different skin-tones than you don't and there is nothing wrong with that. The word racist is being misused so often and it really bothers me. People are racist when they act on negative preconceptions that they have of people of another race. It is a very strong accusation to make and in this case complete and utter B*LLSH*T! Lately I've seen a lot of it on YouTube where people take offense to the smallest things people do or say and then labeling it racist. 99.9% of the time completely unjust. What is worse is that if people keep abusing a serious word like racism, when racism actually occurs people who fall victim to it are taken less serious. And second consider the hypocrisy of this situation: I'm brown but nobody would dare to call me a racist because I don't have experience with applying make-up on fair skin.
So please don't think all people of color blow everything out of proportion because we don't all react so unreasonable. And if you decide to learn about other skin-tones please do it because you want to and not because somebody bullied you into doing so. Again keep in mind that nobody would hold it against me that I (as a woman of color) don't know anything about fair skin. So why would anybody have the right to accuse you?