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Alfred Fornay
had little to do with these changes other than to play
“catch up.” Those of us in the industry should be the
trendsetters not the watchers, hangers-on or chasers.
This article will attend to this evolutionary occur
rence, the causes, and what the industry needs to do in
order to fully address the needs of African-American
women who, by the way, constitute a three billion dol
lar market.
Over the last two, the African-American female has
had a dearth of material produced by our industries
informing and educating her on the proper care of her
skin and hair. There has been little information avail
able advising her on the appropriate choice of colors,
shades and tones designed for her facial features and
skin quality. Nor has there been sufficient information
advising her on choices of hair styles appropriate for
her hair texture, head shape, and facial construction.
The industry has generally employed white standards
to the African-American women. It has simply
changed or darkened the paint on white dolls to make
them Black dolls. Thus, all too often African-
American women used inappropriate skin treatment
systems, chose colors, hair styles, and fashions that
were not them, which gave them the perception that
beauty was the white unattainable standard.
Unlike the white female, who has at her disposal a
plethora of beauty and fashion magazines, as well as
other visual mediums designed to provide her a sense
of self and choice in everyday society, the African-
American woman has been largely neglected in the
projection of herself with regards to beauty; few visu
al mediums address her directly. Consequently, stars
of stage, screen, and music have always been there to
greet them, i.e., Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge and
6
Alfred Fornay is a former Beauty
editor of Ebony and Essence, and
editor-in-chief of EM Magazine.
Author of Fornay's Guide For
Women Of Color published by Simon
& Schuster, 1990
r I Yhe beauty industry for the
woman of color has gone
through a major development
over the last twenty years.
Unfortunately, the industry has
later, model, Beve , R g iy
Face An¢iEitaE ! 2
With nowher wome e nei
ther so fair of fae i
fully use wihite s, 1
entertainmet p
the 70’s, . were pa
women who affected
Leontyne. Pricé, Dion
Abby barg -
Makeba joment '
featu kin
majority of Affican-
The ¢ ind :
swa ' Blac
This wal
panies and™a gro ‘
industry that Africa
market. In time, Revl®
other companies soon
seen as the sophisticated
sional Black women emul
soft subtle shades for the e
was in contrast to the thea
colors employed by the Mot@
Hair Coloring And Styll&
Just as the 70’s brought colors ,
tainment models, these same fe
African-American women wore,
their hair. Dionne and Nancy begj
lights - rarely had Black women
Dionne and Nancy used permar
irons to straighten their hair.
American women of the 70’s had
women whose hair textures ran fror
um, to soft and straight. Therefore, ¢
styles, treatment, and methods that
hair and desires. Unfortunately, they o
any, professional help from the beauty
The African-American woman began
color of her hair as her image makers cha
They ranged from Platinum blond to Jet §
L The extremes were of their
on, . Dionne Warwick and Nancy
were, incerned that the colors used
e appropria fin tone, facial features, hair
and of . occasion. From this early
ng, ha for Black women boomed.
ilson i Warwick have even gone
hey gy hair fashionable. Nancy
er g itoday, many Black women are
the ghanges did not rest with
' ring variety of lengths also
pgue, most noted, because of
and the Afro. What made it
nt w. hat the hair was left nat
re. Two of Afros are popular -the
fro and r, sculptured Afro, which
pular tog ig many college and pro
women.
comes ob in reviewing these twenty
he degree to which African-American women
ind their own way with limited products and
| professional support. Now that the Black
has arrived and proven that she intends to stay
r for her face and hair, and utilize skin and hair
ent products, we should provide this three bil
lus consumer market with what it wants and
. This is the most under tapped market in the
y field. It is ready for visual and written materi
informs African-American women in terms that
rce their self-pride, conveying appropriate infor
about their skin and hair needs, appropriate
d hair styles based on hair texture, skin tone,
, etc. Finally, there needs to be an increase in
duction of skin and hair treatment products
available for their use. They are a loyal market
g and developing, coming into their own.
as prediction goes, they will be among the
ty of American consumers. The beauty industry
d take early advantage of this coming phenome
and prepare to greet African-American women
unger for their self-identity as a woman of color.