If we
thought we were getting a ‘new normal’ over the next few weeks, the world feels
like anything but that right now. Team
Fake Bake have been talking recently about the last decade on our social
media, and the Blog, which we set up
to talk about tanning, obvs, celebrities, trends, fashion, beauty and style.
While we still talk about those things, there has been so much change over that
time. And that’s just in terms of our own industry. When we talk about what has
happened over the last few weeks, it feels a bit odd this week to just talk
about how we look.
As a team,
we subscribe to British Vogue and we
have been so heartened to see, and read, the new issue. Last month’s issue,
cover-starring Judi Dench, was
remarkable. This month’s glossy is whole-new-level groundbreaking. As the
ultimate style bible, of over a century old, it still stands for luxury, and
the type of looks that most of us can only dream about. But now under the eye
of Editor-in-Chief, Edward Enninful, more
and more of us are reflected in those glossy pages.
Recently, Enninful sent photographer Jamie Hawkesworth out to observe
London, from a social distance, to make visual contact with front line workers
whose roles are more vital than ever. The results are quite simply astonishing
and groundbreaking and now British Vogue
has three new cover stars: Narguis Horsford, a London overground train driver,
Anisa Omar, a supermarket assistant, and Rachel Millar, a community midwife.
As well as
featuring the work and lives of these three amazing women, the magazine is
packed full of amazing images and stories of everyday workers who have kept us
going during lockdown, and we think this pic of post worker Karrie Scott is simply stunning.
It’s a brave
and bold move for the nation’s most noted fashion magazine to keep moving away
from the past blueprint of supermodel covers. Of course, they will always have
their place. And we always love to look at couture, and dream about what we
could choose if we were able to. We all want to feel inspired. But in fashion’s
growing democracy, where what we wear and who we are is so intertwined, the new
impressives aren’t always noted names wearing the latest designer names.
They are,
quite simply, people doing far more vital work than just looking good.
We also want
to give a shout out to everyone in our industry right now who are giving of
their best, at the same time waiting for things to change in terms of being
able to open. Millie Kendall and the
great team at the British Beauty Council, NHBF, BABTAC and The Guild, to
name but a few are keeping us all informed and in the know. We hope there is
good news soon. This time of the year is usually such a busy one for our
industry, getting people ready for summer events, the races, parties, holidays
and weddings. We just hope they are all ready to fix our mistakes. Of which,
there are many having a little look around our Zoom meetings. (We are naming no
names but if you think Team Fake Bake are
immune when it comes to dodgy roots and wonky eyebrows, you are very much
mistaken!)
The last
week has been a hugely difficult one and we have joined our colleagues across
the UK, Europe, the US and beyond to try to show our support for the Black Lives Matter campaign. But we
know that change means more than just a blackout square on Insta on a Tuesday.
Of course, we wanted to join in, but we know from our conversations that we all
need to know, and do more. The beauty industry is now hugely diverse in the UK,
and of that we are very proud. That one-size-fits-all notion of a single
definition of beauty is long gone, and in our industry we know from our contact
with fellow brands, through our salon friends and major beauty event
attendances that the availability of products and services available to
everyone is getting better.
But over the
last few days, in particular, we have come to know that just change within our
industry is just a starting point for teams like us. It is a huge learning
curve and we all have to start with ourselves in terms of education, listening,
and awareness, just for starters.
We have
appreciated all of the books and educational resources that have been
pinpointed online, and we have especially appreciated the words of Dr. Ateh Jewel, who has written some
brilliant pieces, including one about why Meghan
Markle felt she needed to leave the UK. As a team, we realised at the end
of the piece is all we really know about her is what has been presented by the
press. It started off brilliantly (remember the wedding?) but soon turned a
corner. If you go to Glamour UK you can
read Ateh’s words.
What can we
do to help at this time? We are an independent brand, which is brilliant,
because we make our own decisions, but we are not part of a huge international
conglomerate. Like many independents, we just want to help as best we can, and
so our efforts to help as we move out of lockdown are still in place.
Our
Fake Bake Mystery Bag is still available on our website - priced at just £20,
it is packed full of £100 worth of goodies, to support independent beauty
workers throughout the UK.
There
is still 30% off for NHS workers. Let’s help keep our key workers’ morale up…
Our
Hand Sanitiser comes in a bumper sized bottle and from these sales, we are
able to distribute the same product to those in the community who are finding
themselves without a home.
We usually see ourselves
as a fun, warm-hearted brand, and our features here on the Blog usually reflect that, but this time around we wanted to do
something a little bit different. It’s just our own reflections. We think the
new issue of British Vogue is quite simply, amazing. We are proud that
look-good industries are more than just that: they have been some of the first
businesses to openly embrace diversity. Thank you to our amazing The Tan Expert, Eloise, for this image.
Still there is so much
to be done, and we are always around on our socials for you to offer us
feedback and suggestions.
We hope you have the
safest week you can, and that you and your families are well.
For whoever is reading
these words right now, if you are doing something positive with your day, no
matter how or big or small, keep doing that. Know that you are putting
something great out into the world.
And that, dear reader,
is what makes you truly beautiful.
To find out how you can shop our
supportive offers go to www.fakebake.co.uk
The new issue British Vogue is now
available. All images from the issue courtesy of British Vogue/Jamie
Hawkesworth
Follow Dr. Ateh Jewel on Insta
@atehjewel
For British Beauty Council on Insta
go to @britishbeautycouncil
For brilliant educational resources
called the Healing Action Toolkit go to www.blacklivesmatter.com
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