Advertising: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

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Blog tasks: Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty CSP

Work through the following tasks to make sure you're an expert on the Sephora CSP and particularly the wider social and cultural contexts.

Wider reading on Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty

Read these articles on the Sephora campaign: 

The Drum: Black Beauty is Beauty by RGA
Glossy: Sephora celebrates Black beauty in new digital and TV campaign

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What was Sephora trying to achieve with the campaign?
  • Celebrate Black beauty, culture, and innovation
  • Challenge Eurocentric beauty standards
  • Position itself as an inclusive, socially aware brand
  • Build stronger connections with Black consumers
  • Show commitment to diversity beyond tokenism

    • 2) What scenes from the advert are highlighted as particularly significant in the articles?
  • Close-ups of diverse Black faces and skin tones
  • Scenes of Black-owned beauty products being applied
  • Moments showing community, creativity, and self-expression
  • Shots referencing historical and cultural influence of Black beauty
  • The final collective montage reinforcing unity and pride

    • 3) As well as YouTube, what TV channels and networks did the advert appear on?
  • Major US TV networks such as:
    • BET (Black Entertainment Television)
    • Lifestyle and mainstream cable channels
  • Streaming platforms and digital TV placements
    → This ensured it reached both mainstream and specifically Black audiences

    • 4) Why does the Refinery29 article suggest the advert 'doesn't feel performative'? 

    The advert is seen as authentic because:

    • It focuses on real Black creators and brands
    • It highlights economic support (not just visuals)
    • Sephora backed it with real initiatives (e.g. 15% pledge)
    • It avoids stereotypes and instead shows varied, everyday experiences

    5) What is the 15 per cent pledge and why is it significant?
  • A commitment for retailers to dedicate 15% of shelf space to Black-owned brands
  • Reflects the proportion of Black people in the US population
    Significance:
  • Moves beyond representation → economic action
  • Holds brands accountable for systemic change


    • Media language: textual analysis

    Watch the advert again and answer the following questions that focus on technical and verbal codes. Use your notes from the lesson to help you here.  

    1) How does the advert use camerawork to communicate key messages about the brand?
  • Frequent close-ups → emphasise individuality and skin diversity
  • Slow tracking shots → create a sense of pride and celebration
  • Soft lighting → enhances natural beauty
  • Direct gaze → builds connection and empowerment

    • 2) How is mise-en-scene used to create meanings about black beauty and culture?
  • Use of natural hair, bold makeup, and styling → celebrates Black identity
  • Inclusion of urban and domestic settings → reflects real life
  • Costumes and props → highlight cultural authenticity
  • Colour palette → rich, warm tones associated with vibrancy and heritage

    • 3) How is editing used to create juxtapositions and meanings in the advert?
  • Fast-paced montage → shows diversity and range
  • Juxtaposition between:
    • Different skin tones
    • Different styles and identities
      → Reinforces inclusivity within Black beauty
  • Smooth transitions → suggest unity and continuity

    • 4) How are verbal codes used to create meanings in the advert - the voiceover and text on screen?
  • Voiceover emphasises:
    • Empowerment
    • Ownership of beauty
  • On-screen text reinforces:
    • “Black Beauty Is Beauty”
  • Language is affirmative and declarative → challenges dominant norms
    •  

    5) What is the overall message of the advert? 
  • Black beauty is central, not marginal
  • Beauty standards should be inclusive and diverse
  • Sephora positions itself as a leader in cultural change


    • Media factsheet

    Finally, go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #259: Sephora Online Advert - Black Beauty Is Beauty. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can find our factsheet archive here (you'll need to use your Greenford login).

    1) Look at the exam hint on the first page. How does Sephora as a brand and the CSP specifically reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts? 
  • Reflects:
    • Rise of anti-racist movements (e.g. post-2020 awareness)
    • Demand for representation in media
    • Growth of ethical consumerism
  • Sephora aligns with audiences expecting brands to take social responsibility

    • 2) Media theory: how are Butler, Gauntlett, bell hooks and Gilroy applied to the CSP?

    Judith Butler (Gender performativity):

    • Beauty is shown as constructed and performed, not fixed

    David Gauntlett (Identity):

    • The advert offers diverse role models for identity building

    bell hooks:

    • Challenges the “oppositional gaze” and marginalisation of Black women
    • Centres Black beauty rather than objectifying it

    Paul Gilroy:

    • Celebrates Black culture and diaspora identity
    • Counters historical underrepresentation

    3) What aspects of media language are highlighted on page 3 of the factsheet? 
  • Camerawork: intimate close-ups
  • Editing: montage + juxtaposition
  • Mise-en-scène: authentic representation
  • Sound: powerful voiceover + music

    • 4) How does the factsheet summarise the advert on the final page?
  • The advert is a celebration of Black beauty and influence
  • Combines representation + activism
  • Positions Sephora as progressive and inclusive

    • 5) What are the four ideologies in advertising highlighted in task 8 on the final page of the factsheet? In your opinion, do you feel the Sephora CSP advert challenges or reinforces each of these?  

    1. Beauty = Perfection

    • Challenges → shows diverse, real beauty

    2. Beauty = Whiteness

    • Strongly challenges → centres Black beauty

    3. Beauty = Consumerism

    • Partly reinforces → still promotes products

    4. Beauty = Individualism

    • Reinforces → celebrates self-expression and identity

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