Blog tasks: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty 

1.) Sephora was trying to achieve a brand that stands against racism and for equality since this campaign was crated due to their racist accusations against artist Sza for stealing in 2019. (Campaign made in 2020)

2.) There are a few key scenes in the campaign due to it being a montage of a plethora of different clips, however certain clips highlighted are those focusing on how contemporary trends have been influenced by black culture, for example the hair salon scene.

3.) As well as YouTube and others, the advert also appeared on a plethora of social media platforms like instagram, also appearing on many online articles as links.

4.) The Refinery29 article suggests that the advert “doesn’t seem performative” due to its inclusion of history and all body types, orientations and races. 

5.) The 15% pledge was a pledge to guarantee that Sephora would stock 15% of their shelves with products from black owned businesses. It was successful since thud businesses were getting revenue and being payed for their products.

Media language: textual analysis

1.) The adverts camera work displays montages of scenes between long shots and close ups all to convey a sense of intimacy and closeness, perhaps giving up a better sense of connection and understanding of our contemporary trends to black culture.

2.) Mise-en-scene is used to create meanings about black beauty and culture through their makeup particularly (… since Sephora is a makeup brand) to show a sense of creative freedom and liberation as well as acceptance and recognition for black culture.

3.) The advert creates juxtapositions and meaning by making a montage of intimate and heartfelt clips which tell a story as well as explains a history of the contemporary trends we all partake in now, and how they all originate from black communities and history.

4.) The verbal codes in the advert are not long, they are short and they catch audiences attentions with its small but meaningful sway. The voice over follows the text of screen and speaks directly to audiences to deepen the sense of intimacy between the story, history and the consumers.

5.) The overall message of the advert was to acknowledge that contemporary trends of today have originated from black communities and to appreciate these "new" trends we must be able to appreciate and acknowledge black history. 

Media factsheet

1.) Sephora as a brand reflect contemporary social and cultural norms due to it being a retain company. In order to be a successful retail company they must lay above the trends, observe them before they are even public, this is why they are always "on trend" within contemporary markets and consumers. If they were selling products for consumers in 2016, those products would not do well in today's 2026. 

2.) Butler's theory of “male gaze” could be rejected within this advert since the entire idea of the “male gaze” links to colonialism where people of colour were belittled for nothing but their skin colour. The advert doesn’t only portray women of colour but also queer individuals which also reject the target male of the “male audience” hence my claim that this advert rejects this idea.

3.) Certain aspects of media language highlighted in the factsheet is the opening sequence since it’s the very beginning of the campaign. The scene is established in a black owned hair salon which is presented to be a key setting within the black community and also a prominent setting throughout black history.

4.) The factsheet summarises the advert as a message that Sephora is “joining and celebrating black beauty”, attempting to further advertise their “inclusivity” to consumers as well as the targeted artist SZA.

5.) The four ideologies presented in the advertisement are consumerism, identity, capitalism and gender fluidity. In my opinion this Sephora campaign challenges these ideologies due to its left winged outlook on these topics (e.g. through its inclusivity of people of colour, queer people, people of all ages, people of all sexes).