Update: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is proving to be the beauty ambassador we all desperately needed. In an interview with Racked, the feminist scholar and face of Boots No7 makeup dropped some serious wisdom, especially in the weeks following the election.
Adichie said, "I think America is at a strange place now. But I think women still need to know what damn moisturizer works in the winter! As I mourn, and for me the election result is a case for mourning, I still want to know what moisturizer will keep my winter skin from being too dry. One of the things that I think is important is that we shouldn’t moralize makeup... There are different forms of resistance. Sometimes just the fact that one continues to do what one is doing is also a way of speaking out for something." You heard the woman: Fighting the patriarchy and practicing self-care are not mutually exclusive ideals.
This story was originally published on October 19, 2016.
Landing a cosmetics campaign is a big deal — they're few and far between, and, to be frank, they're where the money is. Even among A-listers, it's considered a major coup to become the face of a beauty brand. Which is why it's rare for someone who isn't a household name to score one, and almost unheard of for that someone to be a writer — not to mention, a feminist writer. And yet, it seems the tides are turning. One week after CoverGirl announced its groundbreaking first CoverBoy, feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was just named the new face of Boots No7 makeup, as reported by Vogue U.K.
Even if you aren't familiar with Adichie's award-winning writing and place in African literature, you likely know who she is. That's because Beyoncé sampled from her TedX talk, entitled "We Should All Be Feminists," on the "***Flawless" track, and more recently, Dior sent a T-shirt emblazoned with her phrase down the spring '17 runway. In her famous lecture, Adichie said, "I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity and I want to be respected, in all of my femaleness, because I deserve to be." Those are some fighting-for-a-campaign words, if you ask us. She cemented her beauty-icon status with this quote: “I love makeup and its wonderful possibilities for temporary transformation. And I also love my face after I wash it all off,” she said in a statement to Vogue U.K. “There is something exquisitely enjoyable about seeing yourself with a self-made new look. And for me, that look is deeply personal. It isn’t about what is in fashion or what the rules are supposed to be. It’s about what I like. What makes me want to smile when I look in the mirror. What makes me feel slightly better on a dull day. What makes me comfortable.” Yes. Girl.
Landing a cosmetics campaign is a big deal — they're few and far between, and, to be frank, they're where the money is. Even among A-listers, it's considered a major coup to become the face of a beauty brand. Which is why it's rare for someone who isn't a household name to score one, and almost unheard of for that someone to be a writer — not to mention, a feminist writer. And yet, it seems the tides are turning. One week after CoverGirl announced its groundbreaking first CoverBoy, feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was just named the new face of Boots No7 makeup, as reported by Vogue U.K.
Even if you aren't familiar with Adichie's award-winning writing and place in African literature, you likely know who she is. That's because Beyoncé sampled from her TedX talk, entitled "We Should All Be Feminists," on the "***Flawless" track, and more recently, Dior sent a T-shirt emblazoned with her phrase down the spring '17 runway. In her famous lecture, Adichie said, "I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity and I want to be respected, in all of my femaleness, because I deserve to be." Those are some fighting-for-a-campaign words, if you ask us. She cemented her beauty-icon status with this quote: “I love makeup and its wonderful possibilities for temporary transformation. And I also love my face after I wash it all off,” she said in a statement to Vogue U.K. “There is something exquisitely enjoyable about seeing yourself with a self-made new look. And for me, that look is deeply personal. It isn’t about what is in fashion or what the rules are supposed to be. It’s about what I like. What makes me want to smile when I look in the mirror. What makes me feel slightly better on a dull day. What makes me comfortable.” Yes. Girl.