Beauty Panel presented by The Walter and Linda Evans Center for African American Studies at SCAD Museum of Art

Beauty culture is a global phenomenon shaking up statistics, with Black communities at the forefront of hair, fashion, and beauty fascinations. According to NielsenIQ, Black consumers account for $9.4 billion spent on beauty products in 2023, yet Black-owned businesses remain underrepresented in the mainstream beauty landscape, often facing institutional resistance despite their trend-setting innovations. How do we bridge that gap? What does diversity add to this ever-growing industry? How can we answer the trite question, “what is good hair?”

Join the Evans Center for African American Studies and titans of the beauty industry, including legendary model, agent, and activist Bethann Hardison and Cosmopolitan beauty editor-at-large Julee Wilson as they unpack the intricacies of Black hair, socially embedded beauty standards, and steps toward representation.

Explore these themes further in the SCAD Museum of Art exhibition Good Hair, a solo exhibition by artist Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola who repurposes Black hair care products to interrogate the intersections of commodification and identity.

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP to awardlaw@scad.edu.

Panelist:

Bethann Hardison – Model, Agent, Activist
When Hardison started working in the Garment district in the late 1960s, her unique style
quickly caught the attention of the emerging Black designer Willi Smith. She became his
muse, and one of a handful of Black models who changed the course of fashion. Hardison
didn’t walk the runway, she danced it. At the legendary 1973 Battle of Versailles fashion
event she stared down a French audience of fashion elites until they stomped their feet in
approval. She became a star, and a new era in fashion was born. In 1984, Hardison took the bold step of opening her own modeling agency. As a Black business owner in a white-dominated industry, she represented a mix of models in order to remain competitive while advancing models of color. She signed the next generation of Black superstars including Veronica Webb and Tyson Beckford, who made history with an exclusive contract with Ralph Lauren. Seeing the success of Black models, Hardison decided to celebrate and create community. With Iman she co-founded the Black Girls Coalition, which organized fundraisers and awareness campaigns.

Julee Wilson – Cosmopolitan Magazine Beauty Editor at Large
Julee Wilson is Beauty Editor at Large at Cosmopolitan. Previously, Julee was Beauty Director at Cosmo and Global Beauty Director at Essence and has held various editorial positions at Huffington Post and Real Simple. She counts herself lucky AF that she gets to play with beauty products for a living and tell dope stories. And if you’re as obsessed with beauty as she is, make sure to follow her on Instagram for plenty of product recs, natural hair inspo, skincare testing, and Black girl magic shenanigans.