Beauty and self-love for women of colour in Azeema magazine

by Grace Wang in February 2018

The fashion and beauty industries are notorious for creating unattainable ideals for young women, but for people of colour, the standard of whiteness creates another dimension of constructed desirability. The potential for self-doubt and a lack of self worth can be damaging to one’s mental health, not to mention the physical detriments of using products that relax hair or lighten skin.

Azeema magazine explores strength in Middle Eastern and North African women of colour, and in their second issue, a series of portraits emphatically address this issue. ‘Beauty, self-love, body image & acceptance’ speaks to 12 women of colour about their experiences of wrestling with, then overcoming this pressure, while close-up portraits of each show an affirming narrative of those who take pride in their own skin, natural hair, and distinguishing facial features.

It’s a simple yet powerful feature, and you can take a flick through with our video review below. There are many more such empowering narratives in this fantastic publication, and we highly recommend finding a copy, especially if you’re into inventive fashion and ace photography.