PURITY CULTURE 18 - FENTY BEAUTY

MORE THAN MORE THAN JUST RINGS JUST RINGS

WHAT IS PURITY CULTURE?

WRITTEN BY Chelsea Hall // DESIGN BY Hayley Gomez

Many people hear the term “purity culture’’ and immediately think rings and abstinence. However, purity culture is a bit more complex than that. Purity culture refers to the American evangelical movement that promotes virginity until marriage. Purity culture bases its beliefs on the Bible verse 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5. “For this is the will of God, your sanctifi cation: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctifi cation and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.”

The endorsement of purity is spread using tools like purity rings and purity balls, which are formal events fathers and daughters attend to promote the virginity of the daughters until marriage. Purity rings are physical symbols that allow others to know that a certain person is practicing abstinence until they are married. Many celebrities have been seen wearing purity rings in the past, such as the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. Purity culture is practiced by males and females alike, and all those who practice it believe in abstinence until marriage. However, the expectations in purity culture are severely based on constructs of gender. Based on this belief, both unmarried males and females are expected to not act on their sexual desires, yet many believe that purity culture is harder on women. According to Linda Kay Klein, founder of Break Free Together — a non-profi t that helps those with gender and sexuality-based trauma — men and women are both taught diff erent ideologies through purity culture.

“Men are taught their minds are evil whereas

women are taught that their bodies are evil,” Klein

said.

One of the biggest criticisms of the movement is that a lot of blame is put on women.

“Purity culture also teaches that women are responsible for the sexual thoughts, feelings, and choices men make, and so must dress, walk and talk in just the right way so as not to ‘inspire’ sexual thoughts, feelings, and actions in them,”

Klein said.

Critics of purity culture believe that it villainizes women and paints men as victims. They believe that one of the main messages of the culture is that men cannot control their minds if women cannot control their bodies.

At the height of the purity culture movement, there was a belief that this movement did show some results.

According to the CDC, from 1995 to 2002, there was a decrease in sexual intercourse between boys and girls of the ages of 15-18. It was also seen that during this period teen pregnancies dropped. Although there may be some correlation between these numbers and the popularity of the purity culture movement at the time, there is no hard evidence that the decrease was caused by this movement. The purity culture movement has been around for decades, and it doesn’t seem to be disappearing any time soon — with a large number of supporters and critics alike.

BEAUTY

BEAUTY

FENTY FENTY BEAUTY BEAUTY

Fenty Beauty & Beyond

WRITTEN BY Emma Coffey // PHOTOS BY Leigh Shields // DESIGN BY Hayley Gomez In 2017, the makeup world shifted with Rihanna’s launch of Fenty Beauty – a brand that has 40 different shades of foundation. This wide selection of foundation colors allowed for people to match the makeup to their skin perfectly, which no makeup brand had done before Fenty Beauty.

Rihanna pushed for inclusivity by focusing on darkerskinned shades that are commonly left out of when it comes to a many makeup brand’s foundation shades. Due to Because of this, Fenty Beauty quickly became one of the most popular beauty brands in the industry.

Fenty Beauty’s message is to show the beauty industry, and the world, that every skin color is beautiful. Many beauty brands followed Fenty Beauty by and are trying to emphasize diversity through their shade ranges and as well as showing their support for the LGBTQ+ community.

After Fenty Beauty’s launch, Maybelline added 16 shades to the popular “Fit Me” collection. Maybelline is a very affordable brand, which has allowed many people to find their perfect shade of foundation.

Similarly Like Fenty Beauty’s and Maybelline’s inclusivity through shade range, M.A.C Cosmetics is known for its inclusive shade range and support to be supportive for of the LGBTQ+ community. Its brand states “All Ages, All Races, All Sexes.” The companyIt is LGBTQ-owned and has it also created the M.A.C AIDS Fund. The brand has hired and continues to hire many LGBTQ+ people.

The brand Milk Makeup continuously expresses how important inclusivity is. Their branding includes all genders and races.

“Because beauty means inclusivity, our range goes from fresh-face street vibes to full-face studio looks. We see personal style and experimentation as the ultimate forms of self-expression,” the Milk Makeup website states.

The makeup brand Becca is most known for its Champagne Pop highlighter, which pops on any skin shade. Becca recently added 10 shades including a deep golden shade, making it the biggest range of highlighters in the industry.

Jecca Blac is a forerunner when it comes to inclusive brands. Its concealer, called Correct & Conceal, is the first ever concealer that is designed to cover beard shadows. Founder Jessica Blacker, founder of Jecca Blac, lets transwomen use her studio to learn about makeup. The brand is also vegan and cruelty-free.

Inclusive brands are important to support so they can thrive and get the attention they deserve. This will allow people of all races and genders to find the right products they desire.

Although the beauty market is changing rapidly with the rise of very inclusive brands and cruelty-free brands, there is still a long journey ahead to achieve a beauty community that accepts and supports all people. Brands that have been popular in the industry for decades must truly make their products diverse, not just because they will be profitable, but with the right intentions in mind.