Blog tasks: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP
Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty
Read these articles on the Sephora campaign:
The Drum: Black Beauty is Beauty by RGA
Glossy: Sephora celebrates Black beauty in new digital and TV campaign
Complete the following questions/tasks:
1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?
1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?
Sephora was trying to be more inclusive for them to gain wider audience. They did this by using Black culture, traditions and cosmetics, leading to audiences imitating this style.
2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?
The scenes from the advert that are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles are:
- “When the camera pans over Black women waiting under dryers as na narrator says: “What is beauty without black beauty?””
- “White person applying a cut crease, then cuts to a trio of drag queens beating their face, then to vogueing at a drag ball”
- “Black mom who laid their edges as children and taught us to use thick lotions instead of that watery mess”
3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?
The TV channels and networks that the advert appeared on was BET, OWN Hulu and HBO Max. Some podcasts such as Vox and New York Magazines and The Cut.
4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'?
The Refinery29 article suggested that the advert ‘doesn’t feel performative’ because no one feels left out. The film has more inclusion in its under-a-minute runtime than two hour features have in their whole film. Rather than dipping a toe in “diversity,” Bradley and Sephora fully submerged us and created a beautiful film that sees us. And we didn’t even have to wait until Black History Month to be acknowledged.
5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?
15 per cent pledge is Sephora committing to fill 15 per cent of their store shelf space with products from Black - owned business. This is significant because it allows the store to gain more audiences and customers as they try to be more inclusive. However, this could also suggest that they could be trying to maintain their positive reputation by trying to be inclusive.
15 per cent pledge is Sephora committing to fill 15 per cent of their store shelf space with products from Black - owned business. This is significant because it allows the store to gain more audiences and customers as they try to be more inclusive. However, this could also suggest that they could be trying to maintain their positive reputation by trying to be inclusive.
Media language: textual analysis
Watch the advert again and answer the following questions that focus on technical and verbal codes. Use your notes from the lesson to help you here.
1) How does the advert use camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand?
The advert uses camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand by using wide shots to establish nostalgia which kind of links to persona identity. They also used close ups of facial expressions which shows their proud expressions, connoting their passion. There’s also a range of camera angles which also shows different age groups, suggesting that any age group or gender can be influenced by black beauty. Furthermore, they used an editing of Picture in Picture where it shows a tutorial, connoting to the idea that Black beauty is influencing other ethnicities.
2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?
Mise-en-scene is used to create meanings about black beauty and culture through the use of their props, where in the split screen scene it shows the mapping of the hairbrush which kind of give credits to Black individuals who created those products. They also used a mirror as a prop which kind of connotes the representations of past and present which could suggest that cultures have been passed down. As for lighting they used a warm lighting during the mother and daughter scene which kind of connotes comfort and recognisable setting and could also suggest that they’re passing down culture.
3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?
They used an editing of Picture in Picture where it shows a tutorial, connoting to the idea that Black beauty is influencing other ethnicities. They also used a fast-paced curs which kind of shows how there’s a range of different perspectives using Black beauty. The split screen of the hairbrush’s map could again connote the credits for the Black individual who created the brush. Also, they used a mirror effect which kind of emphasises the sophisticated make up as well as fashion that the guy on the screen is wearing. Furthermore, they used a collage of different people’s experiences with Sephora’s product showing how influential the Black beauty is.
4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen?
The voiceover connotes the narrative voice that accompanies the scenes in the advert, it further allows audiences to feel the authenticity of Black culture and how it carries the traditional beauty internationally.
5) What is the overall message of the advert?
The overall message of the advert is suggesting that Black beauty has influenced others who has different race and ethnicities. They have set a trend that most people use when it comes to beauty. It further suggest that Black beauty should be noticed more due to its ability to attract attention and help others find their own beauty.
Media factsheet
Finally, go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #259: Sephora Online Advert - Black Beauty Is Beauty. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can find our factsheet archive here (you'll need to use your Greenford login).
1) Look at the exam hint on the first page. How does Sephora as a brand and the CSP specifically reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts?
It reflects contemporary social and cultural contexts by allowing us to discuss relevant social, cultural and historical context as it is studied in detail, understanding how the conventions of advertising are socially and culturally relative, dynamic, and can be used in a hybrid way.
2) Media theory: how are Butler, Gauntlett, bell hooks and Gilroy applied to the CSP?
Butler:
Butler argues that gender is not strictly divided into two categories, male and female, but rather exists on a spectrum of gender identity. Gender is a social construct in which individuals “perform” their gender. This is represented in the advert when drag queens, who are anatomically male, perform traditionally female rituals by applying make-up.
Gauntlett:
The Sephora advert reinforces Gauntlett’s ideas that there is now a much broader range of representations in the media, challenging traditional notions of gender identity. Gauntlett discusses the idea that identity is not fixed, and audiences can use media texts to help shape their sense of self by selecting versions of ourselves we want to “adopt”. Gauntlett says, “Identity is complicated, everyone’s got one.” The text provides the audience with an array of options for how people of colour could present their identity.
bell hooks:
Hooks’ notion that black women are excluded from mainstream media representations is contested in this text. In the advert, the Sephora brand aims to attract a diverse audience, and all the females featured are people of colour. They are no longer marginalised; instead, “black beauty” is celebrated and recognised for its impact on the industry.
Gilroy:
Gilroy’s Postcolonial theory, which posits racial hierarchies, is challenged in this advert. The advert does not reinforce but rather challenges hegemonic standards of beauty, such as white, slim, Eurocentric features, etc. Individuals from the BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) community, who have historically been underrepresented in beauty advertising, have been selected to feature in this advert.
3) What aspects of media language are highlighted on page 3 of the factsheet?
The factsheet talks about a number of media language such as camera works, where they mentioned camera pans across the salon, creating a fluid motion as well as medium close ups of the tools used by Black beauty. The split screens and mirror shots highlighting the origin stories for tools and the binary opposition between the old versus new. Furthermore, they talked about the close ups of hairbrushes.
4) How does the factsheet summarise the advert on the final page?
The factsheet summarise the advert on the final page as a brand that is inclusive and diverse, allowing all races to be part of their beauty. They’re also seen as trying to be equal. Also, they seem to also highlight the power of black beauty due to the use of capital “b” in black beauty.
5) What are the four ideologies in advertising highlighted in task 8 on the final page of the factsheet? In your opinion, do you feel the Sephora CSP advert challenges or reinforces each of these?
The four ideologies were consumerism, identity, capitalism and gender fluidity. I think that Sephora both reinforces and challenges some of these such as gender fluidity. Sephora reinforces these as it shows in the advert how both male and female wear make ups suggesting that they don’t really follow fixed genders. Also, the idea of consumerism where the advert highlights the tools of black beauty, acting as consumerism as some customers use these too.
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