CSP - Sephora: Black Beauty is Beauty

Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?

Sephora is trying to promote and inform the public about the history of black beauty and how significant it is to our understanding of beauty today.

2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?

A beauty parlor, a drag show dressing room, and a Black mother with her daughter.

3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?

BET, OWN Hulu, and HBO Max

4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'? 

They say no one feels left out as the film has more inclusion in its under-a-minute runtime than two hour features have in their whole film.

5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?

It shows Sephora's commitment to their cause and how they're leading through words, actions, and money for Black beauty innovators.

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?

Lots of shots highlight domestic settings which reinforces familiarity to the audience, hammering in the fact that these products and styles we use every day originate from black beauty. Additionally, close-ups are a very classic convention of beauty ads, as they'd want to focus on the make-up/beauty.

2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?

They showcase different cultures with different costumes and styles. The man wearing make-up subverts gender stereotypes as you wouldn't expect a man with this costume in the first place.

3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?

Split screens show how they are historically influential; the amount of juxtaposing styles shown in the advert reinforce this further.

4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen? 

A voiceover is present throughout the advert.

5) What is the overall message of the advert? 

Sephora tells you to "join them in celebrating and supporting black beauty".

Media factsheet

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? 

The Sephora Black Beauty is Beauty advert showcases an understanding of socially and culturally relative, dynamic, and hybrid conventions of advertising.

2) Media theory: how are Butler, Gauntlett, bell hooks and Gilroy applied to the CSP?

Butler says that gender isn't simply divided into two categories. It doesn't fit into just one category, male or female. Instead, it exists on a spectrum of gender identity. Gender is a social construct, which means it's something we've created as a society. People "act out" their gender. This is represented in the advert when drag queens, who are anatomically male, perform traditionally female rituals by applying make-up.

The CSP challenges hooks' idea that black women are not represented in the mainstream media. In the advert, the Sephora brand tries to appeal to a wide range of people, and all the women shown are people of colour. They are now being celebrated and recognised for their impact on the industry.

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.

3) What aspects of media language are highlighted on page 3 of the factsheet? 

- Mise-en-scène: Props, costumes, lighting, and settings (like salons and homes) are carefully chosen to reflect Black culture.

- Camera Angles and Sound: Fluid camera movements and close-ups give energy and focus; sound enhances emotional and cultural resonance.

- Semiotics: Signs and symbols (e.g., hairbrush, shea butter, cut crease makeup) carry cultural meanings tied to Black heritage.

- Genre: Advertising conventions are blended with documentary and cinematic styles.

- Narrative: The structure uses origin stories, visuals, and historical references to build a story of cultural pride and inclusivity.

4) How does the factsheet summarise the advert on the final page?

They summarise the advert based on a few things, namely:

- They promote inclusivity + diversity rather than specific products
- They feature positive + relatable images in familar settings
- Encourage audiences to spread the progressive values of the advert
- The final message of “Join Sephora in supporting and celebrating Black beauty” promotes Sephora's ideology of equality and tries to challenge their past controversies

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?  

Consumerism, Identity, Capitalism, and Gender Fluidity

I argue that the Sephora CSP does challenge some of these ideas and reinforces some; mainly, they challenge consumerism and capitalism, but reinforce identity and gender fluidity - this is because the ad largely focuses on the representation of black beauty and representations in general, rather than specific products or services.