Issa Covergirl: Issa Rae On Importance Of Representation
By: Kayla Pasacreta
Issa Rae, photo via StyleCaster
Issa Rae, everyone's fave awkward black girl, is influential in more ways than one. Since her rise from her YouTube comedy series "The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl" to becoming the creator of the HBO hit series Insecure, Rae is constantly embodying Black Girl Magic. Now, she's taking on CoverGirl, serving as a beauty ambassador for one of the biggest makeup brands in the world.
Not only is Rae beautiful on the outside, what makes her even more admirable is how in touch she is with other black women. In an interview with Refinery29, Rae talked about everything from Black Girl Magic to the importance of representation. She gave her own on-point definition of Black Girl Magic, "My personal definition of Black Girl Magic definitely comes in the support we have for one another. That's BGM to me. The uplifting, the love, the loyalty. That's pure, and that is magical." In one of our fave parts from the interview, Rae addresses the myth that dark girls can't rock a bold lip, "There's a narrative that Black girls can't wear bold lips. That's a lie, cuz we look great." Tell em, Issa. Check her out rocking a bold lip, below.
Rae for CoverGirl
She explained CoverGirl's inclusion is a major reason she was down to collaborate with the brand,
“I’ve always identified as awkward and an introvert and things like that, so to be the face of a beauty campaign that really uplifts other women... the variety of women feels so special.”
Issa's words are refreshingly encouraging. Even though black women are mega beauty-consumers, we often have to search to see people who look like us, and represent us properly in the industry. Rae continued to explain she was happy to see "black women and women of color" behind the scenes to create these campaigns. CoverGirl is clearly doing it right (seriously, Dove should take some notes). Including black women in the beauty industry, both in front of and behind the scenes, is pivotal not only to brand success but making a positive impact on little girls of color. Just look at the success of Fenty Beauty. The brand has found killer-success not only because of their bomb makeup, but also their inclusive marketing, diverse models, and 40+ foundation shades that don't leave out any skin tone.
Issa, we couldn't be prouder you're representing us, girl.
