The United States has a lot on its plate to worry about: a hurricane barreling toward Florida,inflation, gas prices, and a possible government shutdown.
But Time Magazine is highlighting the real issue that every American should really care about: some modelâs lip liner.
Not a joke.
The magazine published an article on Monday night titled, âHailey Bieberâs âBrownie Glazed Lipsâ Look Is Yet Another Example of Cultural Appropriation in Beauty.â
It explained that Hailey Bieber received criticism for a TikTok video she shared about her âbrownie glazed lips,â which the article says is âa makeup technique favored by Latinas and Black and brown women since the â90s.â
It is important to point out how offensive and bigoted this article is by not using the proper term, Latinx.
âIn Bieberâs original video, which has gained 2.9 million views since she posted it on Aug. 23, the model wears brown lip liner with a clear glossy lip treatment from her beauty brand Rhode, captioning the post âready for all the fall things including brownie glazed lips,'â the article explains.
Time notes that Bieber did not claim to be the creator of the style in her video, but âher post led to an influx of primarily white TikTok users recreating the look on the platform and crediting Bieber as their inspiration.â
Bieberâs fans argued her Brazilian mother could have inspired the look. Still, the article says it âhas historically been associated with the distinct aesthetics of cholas, a subculture of first and second generation Mexican Americans, as well as Black and brown women.â
âThe controversy surrounding Bieberâs âbrownie glazed lipsâ is hardly newâitâs part of a larger conversation concerning cultural appropriation in beauty practices, especially when it comes to so-called trends that are popularized on platforms like TikTok and touted by influencers and celebrities,â the article insisted.
Finally, Time argued, âThe implications extend far beyond TikTok.â
âAesthetic trends practiced by women of color, like wearing braids, wigs, and elaborate acrylic nail art, have consistently been stigmatized until white women have tried them, suddenly making them cool or edgy,â it added.
The article was met with derision on Twitter. Check out some of the reactions below:
https://twitter.com/BiasedGirl/status/1574756339078893569
Has discrimination held back some styles from going viral in the beauty world? Sure. People can be foolish, it is a fact of life. And humans make dumb decisions and assumptions based on dumb biases.
But does that mean that white people now cannot use those styles out of fear that they will suddenly become âcoolâ? It shouldnât. It would have been one thing if Bieber claimed to be the first person on the planet to come up with the combination, but she did not.
Rather than complaining, why not say, âWe started this. Itâs about time you caught up with the trend.â Rather than being outraged, why not mock the dumb biases that kept those styles from going viral earlier?
And in the grand scheme of things, if what some random model posts on TikTok is whatâs sparking outrage, you might need to rethink your perspective on life.
