Despite the increase of black models walking major fashion house runways, traditional standards of beauty remain stagnant. SheaMoisture‘s #BreakTheWalls campaign aims to change that.
Phase two of the national awareness platform culled together the perspectives of 4,000 women on what’s considered normal in beauty. The brand’s “What’s Normal?” campaign features some of our favorite curly girls like Naptural85 and StyledByAle, as well as everyday women, who’ve taken a stand against texture discrimination in the workplace.
Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs, who petitioned the U.S. military to change its policy banning natural hairstyles and former ABC meteorologist Rhonda Lee, who was fired for responding to a comment about her natural hair, are just a few of the inspiring women lending their support.
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“With ‘What’s Normal?,’ we are confronting the mental walls that encourage us to force-fit ourselves and others into falsely constructed beauty and ‘good hair’ ideals,” said a representative from SheaMoisture.
“By questioning the very concept of a normal standard, we can begin to see how arbitrary, narrow and potentially destructive it is and course-correct ourselves onto a path where everybody gets love.”
Although mainstream culture is increasingly accepting of diverse beauty, there’s still a ways to go. We’re ecstatic to see models like Imaan Hammam and Lineisy Montero dominate the runway, but brown girls snagging national acclaim should be the rule, not the exception.
“Our forward track must focus on including everyone, embracing everyone and celebrating the beauty—and normalcy—of everyone’s differences.”
For more information on the #BreakTheWalls campaign, visit SheaMoisture’s website. Tired of explaining your hair to your coworkers? Check out the video below highlighting some of the ‘acceptable’ natural hairstyles for work and school (Hint: they’re all acceptable!)