Guest Author - Grace D. Dooley

Some think ethnic women should not be singled out because of their differences or ethnicity. Others believe they should be where beauty is concerned. In the world of beauty, fashion and make up ethnic beauty is becoming the most sought after gem and prize in the world of beauty and make-up. Make-up artists, hair and fashion designers all dream about working with ethnic celebrities and doing red carpet style. With all the new reality shows showcasing red carpet glamour and celebrity fashion we see that when enhanced ethnic beauty stands on it's own and compares to none.

The thing this points out is how different beauty for ethnic women really are in the world of beauty. You can not assimilate ethnic beauty into the main stream beauty when there are varied beauty needs to be address for ethnic women. While many beauty problems are general there are those specific ones that call for specialize attention in ethnic women. Look at the health and beauty market and how they are targeting the ethnic groups of women. So there must be a difference because it is an untapped market.

We are to embrace our differences and use them to help others. There is nothing wrong with reflecting the beauty of your heritage, culture or race to the world. There is nothing wrong with being different. It is not right or wrong, good or evil. Different is different. We are all different but then we are also the same in many ways.

So, allow me to explain. Take Avon for instance. It's a company for all women. At one point they had a brochure of Avon color cosmetics that were suited and targeted for women of color. Many years later they do not have that brochure any more. The reason was because they received to many complaints from ethnic womene about being separated or singled out from the main stream of beauty, cosmetics etc.

So Avon, as many other beauty companies, has basically assimilated ethnic beauty with the majority, but the majority is changing. Again we are different and really do deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. But ethnic beauty stands to be noticed; in a crowd or at home and in the community.

I am African American myself. I have a lot of unique beauty features and problems that can not be seen. Ethnic beauty is about dealing with the little differences that makes us unique but very different from one another. For this purpose I don't mind being singled out. Acknowledging good and beneficial separation which also helps women to embrace themselves and their beauty. We are all aware of the difference in ethnic hair and grooming routines.

We all require the same nutrients, vitamins and mineral to sustain life. In this way we are the same. But on the other hand we are different by features, eyes, skin color, hair etc. It is these difference that makes all the difference in ethnic beauty. What I am trying to say here is that all ethnic women should be proud of who they are and as the saying goes "warts and all".

Beauty just as skin is a sensitive issue among ethnic women. It's hard trying to maintain your beauty with limited resources and sources to draw from. As I said before, there's not much information available just yet for ethnic beauties; but the market is changing. Many talented people are on the horizon for experts in the field of ethnic beauty and information. I, for one, intend to be one of these talented expert people bringing to the forefront the unknowns, up and coming, rising stars in the field of ethnic beauty.