+
+
+
jari
jones
crystal
anderson
Over the course of history, Western beauty standards that celebrate whiteness have pervaded both the beauty and fashion industry. For women of color and those who identity as queer, this Eurocentric view has forced many marginalized communities to learn to deconsruct the idealogy of white aesthetics and find the true meaning of beauty on their own terms. While in the past, these industries have rarely made space for Black queerness, the rise of a new generation of proud Black and queer women like Jari Jones and Crystal Anderson seek to change that.
profile
crystal
anderson
Growing up in South Carolina with a Black mother and a white, Italian father, 38-year-old Crystal Anderson, who is the co-founder and head of creative at A Very Good job, she was encouraged to explore her Blackness and uncover what it means to feel beautiful in her own skin.“My dad was the first person that really taught me about my Blackness and what it means to be Black. Because of how my family raised me I've always felt beautiful, but my physical beauty has never preceded me in a room,” says Anderson.
As a queer, woman of color who identifies as a Black femme, Anderson’s first foray into beauty was through her grandma who taught her about the value of self-acceptane and to never succumb to feeling pressured to look or dress a certain way. “My grandma would wake up at the crack of dawn to draw a bath, then she would put on her powder, put on her dress, her red lip and her signature perfume,” she says. “She never cared about who was coming over — she would put on a red lip regardless and that’s how I’ve adopted my approach to beauty and style. I always get dressed for me.” The notion of using beauty and style as a tool for self-expression has allowed Anderson to gain a deeper understanding of beauty and reject antiquated, European standards in terms of how she chooses to present herself.
profile
jari
jones
For Jari Jones, an actor, social activist and model who was born in New Jersey to a Black mother and a Filipino father, the 29-year-old learned early on how to take up space while making room for others that look like her. As a trans woman, Jones has been steadfast in using her platform to uplift and represent her community by acting as a role model and a nurturer to those who are underrepresented. “When I think about the idea of being the first trans or queer woman for a brand, I think about how that is an accolade for white people to give to us,” she explains. “When we talk about the first, we know how many people have done it before us, but have never gotten the acknowledgement, and I want to continue knocking down these walls and opening up these windows.”
This year, Jones was the first trans woman to star in a Calvin Klein campaign and has used the opportunity as a jumping off point to enter into spaces that were never built for Black trans women. “This industry, especially in fashion, has made such rigid, cookie cutter structures for people of color to follow. I’ve been giving myself painful shots for the last three years and I want to be able to show my body off and that’s what I’m going to do,” she says. Never one to adhere to the standards society has set into place, Jones has used every opportunity throughout her career to make way and showcase the beauty of Black trans women.
Jari Jones and Crystal Anderson on Visibility and Challenging White Standards of Beauty
In a candid conversation, both Jari Jones and Crystal Anderson sat down for Target to discuss visibility in the beauty and fashion industry, how they use beauty and style as a tool for self-expression and ways they’ve learned to challenge antiquated beauty standards. In order to express and demonstrate their multifaceted approach to beauty, both trailblazing women are donning distinctive makeup looks using Black-owned beauty brands and cult-classic products from Target’s extensive beauty line. To shop the featured beauty products head to Target’s website.
back to top
INTRO
PROFILE
CONVO
At what age did you learn to feel beautiful in your own skin?
JJ: I learned to feel beautiful at a very young age because of the vibrancy of my family. I think I found that beauty very early on, but the interesting part is finding that sense of beauty again.
CA: I love what that journey represents so much.
JJ: I think especially for my transness, I’ve always described it as getting back to her because I think she was always there. People will police it out of you, beat it out of you and pray it out of you and you have to make a decision.
CA: I've always felt beautiful because of how my family raised me, but my physical beauty has never preceded me in a room. I may want to be the kindest or funniest or flyest bitch in the room, but I don't need to be the prettiest bitch. That never moved me.
How did your upbringing influence or change the way you perceive beauty and style as a whole?
JJ: I wonder, given the tools that our parents had to protect us, do you think that your mom putting a stop to that kind of attention affected your confidence? Or do you think it’s made your confidence stronger and allowed you to gain a deeper understanding of what beauty is?
CA: I think it’s both. It’s still very difficult for me to accept compliments. But, at the same time it’s always made me strive to never rest on my laurels. Being attractive is low-hanging fruit and it’s never been about achieving this European standard of beauty for me.
JJ: I think it gives us space to always reach higher whether that's beauty standards or whether that's intelligence. Through my mom, it’s taught me never to rely on people’s acceptance of me and it’s shown me that I need to try harder and be successful for myself, rather than focusing on achieving a certain standard.
JJ: Especially as people of color, I think we live in a society where standards are met by awards shows or achieving white standards of beauty. So many Black artists want a Grammy or want an Oscar and it’s because white people have said that this is the standard you need to hit. But, we need to go beyond that notion or standard of what white people think is the best!
In what ways, have you used beauty and style as a tool for self-expression? And, how has this helped in shaping your identity?
JJ: I’ve always used fashion and beauty as a
non-verbal greeter.
JJ: I think as a Black woman, as a fat woman and as a trans woman, anything that goes on my body is going to be a political statement and people are going to talk about it just because of who I am. If that’s going to be the case, I want to let my style and how I choose to present myself start the conversation.
JJ: Especially with the release of my Calvin Klein campaign, I’m entering into spaces that weren’t built for people like us. They’re not built for Black queer women or Black people at all. So while I’m there, I want to make a statement and I want to start a conversation that should have been had. How about you?
CA: My style is intentional in that I fully believe that Black people and Black femmes were made to take up space. Because I’m 38 and I’m older, I have seen the progression of what it means to be Black and what it means to be queer. It’s always been vitally important for me to take up space, but also make space for my other Black queer folks to come in.
As queer women of color, what are some ways you’re using your platforms to bring more representation to the media and creative industries like beauty and fashion?
JJ: Representation matters for me, but getting close and talking to the right people matters too. I call it the infiltration system because the next time I work here, I’m going to make sure more Black women and queer or trans women are there. I don’t want to be the only Black trans girl on a billboard this year. I want people to be celebrated because of their spirit and because of what they stand for, not just because of their identity.
CA: For brands who have never been in the same space as trans people, they’re going to have to start putting their money where their mouth is and show that they can be inclusive more than once. If I’m in a position to pay Black and Brown creatives to do the work that they should have been paid to do, that’s a responsibility.
JJ: When I think about the idea of being the first trans or queer woman for a brand, I think about how that is an accolade for white people to give to us. When we talk about the first, we know how many people have done it before us, but have never gotten the acknowledgement. I want to continue knocking down these walls and opening up these windows because the queer youth that’s coming up is so damn talented. I want them to be able to walk through this damn door.
CA: I’ll rip that door off of the hinges for you baby!
JJ: That’s the legacy I want to continue, especially within the fashion industry.
CA: So, because we’re in a space that can be very white, very thin and very straight, it’s incumbent upon all of us who are the others to open up their eyes and knock down those doors and it’s taken me 38 years to get here. People always say to me, “Oh my gosh, you’ve been doing this for such a long time.” And I’m always like, “Yeah, but, people just started following me about two years ago.”
CA: That’s because I was attached to a white brand. My friend Lena always tells me, I’m living my legacy now and that’s what I always try to do. I think about what that looks like and what that legacy is while we’re still alive.
How do you use beauty or makeup as a way to express yourself and celebrate your identity?
JJ: I kind of roam around the idea of being a hard femme or a soft butch. I love to do a full get-up, but I’m going to have my nails done and have my hair laid and have my face right. My face is going to be beat for the guys.
CA: I love that!
JJ: With makeup, I love everything about it. I love color and I love shapes. I have big lips and almond-shaped eyes so I love to play up those features. But, I really love hair and if I could change my hair about twice a day, I would. It’s glam, but with kind of a hard edge. It’ll be a regular cocktail event, but I’m going to have a train on the back of my dress.
CA: And, who says you shouldn’t? That’s the same for me! If I do go out, I’m not comfortable being in a slinky, sexy dress and wearing just a pair of heels. It doesn’t feel sexy for me. If I need to have a slinky, sexy dress on then I have on a pair of Crocs. It needs to feel a little dirty for me, you know?
JJ: Totally!
CA: In terms of skin and beauty, I learned a lot from my mom. I love to mirror skin and create just a really clean look and then do a dark, dark lip. And, then maybe some foundation. But, that’s my signature beauty look!
JJ: It took me a long time to really adopt the body type I have because society was telling me that it was wrong as a plus-sized girl, as a Black girl and as a trans girl. I had to tell myself everyday that you’re beautiful and your body is beautiful. And I’m unapologetically in love with people who look like me.
CA: Beauty for me is whatever I decide to do. Some days I’m giving you a whole face and other times I’m giving you natural beauty and that’s how beauty has been defined within my identity. That’s what I love about being Black and queer because we know how to get by. A lot of my straight friends are performing femininity because that’s what is expected of them from their husband or boyfriend. For me, I don’t have to perform for anybody. And, it’s never a performance for me because I just get to be and no one is telling me to be.
JJ: I think it connects so much in terms of how we are as Black people. We’re not a monolith and we encompass so much, right? We’re not all the same, but we have this common denominator of Blackness.
CA: I think about my Blackness and how I show my Blackness and queerness to people who are in our community as a tree. This part, you get the tree and the branches, but only people in my family and community get the roots.
How have you found strength in creative forms of self expression like beauty?
