Nikkie de Jager and Ashley Graham finally got together for a makeup video! The YouTube star has had her fair share of celebrities stop by her channel, but she seemed the most giddy about Graham's appearance.
This gathering of high-octane influencers wasn't just for the sake of a beat face. The pair got into lots of makeup and fashion talk but also got real about what's it like to be a plus-size woman in their respective industries.
Spoiler Alert: It still ain't easy!
Of course, the video began with A LOT of mutual fangirling between Graham and de Jager.
The YouTube star could hardly believe that the Ashley Graham was sitting beside her and in front of her camera. She had Graham pinch her arm just to be sure she wasn't dreaming.
Graham also shared that she is a frequent viewer of the Nikkie Tutorials YouTube channel! "Nikkie, I am a fan. I've been a fan," she said in the video. "I've been watching from afar, and it feels like my dream has come true that you get to actually do my makeup now."
Of course, anytime anyone sits down with de Jager, they're in for a glam transformation with great makeup.
De Jager planned a look that includes the Revlon X Ashley Graham Never Enough Lip Kit ($20, Revlon), which launched on February 27. The kit includes a lipstick, liner, and a gloss in a bold red shade. People were so obsessed with these lip kits that they sold out within the first three hours of their release!
They've since been restocked and are still flying off of shelves. It only made sense for de Jager and Graham to show the people what the hype is all about.
As de Jager worked her magic on Graham's stunning face, the two discussed the size-inclusivity struggle in the fashion and beauty industries.
Graham specifically shared how she hopes to see the beauty and fashion industry evolve.
"What I really want to see is that we don't have to have this conversation [about] diversity, that it's already there," she said. "Because that's how the world is. We are all created so differently. We need to be able to embrace that and have this natural conversation around it instead of saying, 'Oh, there's a big girl in a magazine' or 'Oh, we've got our black people," or 'Oh, we have to make sure we include all genders.' It's like, just include everybody. At the end of the day, that's just it."
Graham also revealed that despite her status in the modeling world, she still gets fat-shamed on the job.
The more things change, the more a lot of things stay the same. The fashion industry is a brutal place that has proven time after time that not everyone is up to speed on body positivity.
Graham has been highly celebrated for not only how proud she is of her curves but also for how she encourages others to love their bodies the same way. Despite how successful and popular the model has gotten for these feats, she still isn’t always safe from negative commentary about her weight.
“The end of last year, I had a stylist and I couldn’t fit into these pants,” Graham described.
“[The stylist] smacked the side of my thighs and she said, ‘Ashley if you just got rid of that right there, you would be able to fit into these pants.'"
Well, that's disgusting. The purpose of a stylist is to put a person in clothes that fit them comfortably and that suit what they will be doing in them. But the work doesn't stop there. Stylists are also supposed to make the person feel comfortable during the process.
The worst part about it is that the stylist commented on her weight in front of a room full of skinny models, according to Graham.
It sucks to be called out in front of other people. It especially sucks when someone makes a comment about your body — one the world has tried to make you feel self-conscious about your entire life — in front of a group of people whose bodies fit the societal beauty standard.
“Please tell me you left,” de Jager responded to Graham.
But Graham did not leave. Instead, she used that moment to school the stylist.
“OK, look. You know that first of all, I’m not going to lose weight to fit into a pair of pants,” Graham told the stylist. "And second of all, you know who I am. I’m not about conforming to people like you.”
The stylist then told Graham that she was "just joking."
"That's not 'just joking,'" de Jager told Graham.
Sly, negative comments about a person’s body should never, ever be considered jokes.
Can we all just agree to not make comments about another person’s body? It's rude and insensitive. It's also no one's place to tell another person how they are supposed to look. If you have a trash perspective on bodies and how they work, then just keep it to yourself. No one else should be subjected to your small-minded outlook. Period.
Furthermore, Graham should never have to lose weight to fit into a pair of pants — especially not when those pants are for a JOB fitting.
Instead of talking about what Graham needed to be doing to fit those pants, the stylist should have been apologizing for picking the wrong pair in the first place and then headed to hunt down the right trousers. That’s what good stylists do. Professional ones. They do not make their clients feel bad about clothes. Good stylists empower their clients at every stage of the dressing process.
Despite the stylist’s insensitivity, something beautiful did come out of that encounter.
"One of the [the other models] came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know I appreciate you standing up for yourself,'" Graham told de Jager.
In the modeling industry, plus-size models experience the worst of size discrimination and insensitivity but sadly, straight-size models are often also pressured to lose weight. It's the nasty, irrational part about the modeling business that isn't always addressed.
Graham standing up for herself and her body in front of other models was a powerful moment for everyone in that room.
Want to see Graham's final look by de Jager? Check out the entire video!
This video was all about two women having fun, playing with makeup, and getting real about their lives. I will also give you a fair warning before watching: This is totally going to make you want Graham's new lip kit. That red shade is popping and the conversation is even more so.
