It's 2019. The Fenty Effect is in full swing, brands are actively attempting to be more "inclusive," and complexion products come in more shades than ever before. Some makeup brands, however, are still missing the mark, and Givenchy is the latest to join that long list.
A weekend reveal from a popular Instagram page has put Givenchy in the hot seat, and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. Beauty influencers are looking for answers from the luxury brand, and they want them now. Some don't even care anymore. What a mess.
In today's episode of laughable shade ranges, look at luxury brand Givenchy doing the absolute least.
Popular Instagram makeup page Trend Mood posted the photo to her page showing off what many took to be a disappointing shade range for an upcoming foundation and concealer launch. The result was a social media firestorm and outright cringefest.
The shade range, as some described, was giving "All Lives Matter vibes."
Women of color are over begging brands to be inclusive of them, so the general attitude surrounding the lack of options was simply this: Screw it.
"Please keep your paler than a cotton ball, whites only, all lives matter foundation off my timeline," one Twitter user wrote.
Jackie Aina had a message for everyone asking her about her opinion. Though she didn't address Givenchy directly, it was assumed that the tweet was in regards to the foundation launch.
"For the love of all that is right in the world PLEAZE STAHP asking me my thoughts on every single DREADFUL foundation launch that looks obviously horrendous, why do people revel in seeing black women get riled up every time they aren’t included in stuff, is it fun to witness????" she asked.
And she's right: Though her opinions are important, the internet shouldn't be relying on her and her alone to tell us when and why inclusion efforts are bad.
But several other influencers hopped in to offer their two cents.
James Charles was one of them. He referred to the shade range as "embarrassing," and paired it with a range of beige emojis. LOL.
"This is embarrassing ????????????????????????" he wrote on Twitter.
After the comments under Trend Mood's post went up in flames, she clarified that she didn't post the full shade range. However, once the full 20 shades were revealed, the reaction was far worse.
"Trendmood posted this (first pic) and said this wasn’t the full shade range… so i did a bit of digging and found a picture of the full shade range……. sis ????"
All this picture did was rightfully stoke the flames of makeup lovers everywhere. Seriously, one medium/deep shade is not acceptable, especially in this day and age when inclusion of WOC isn't just a diversity necessity but simply a smart business move.
The shades essentially jump from a variety of beiges to a light brown.
"That jump though," this Twitter user wrote.
That "jump" is a move made all too often by beauty brands who create literally one or two "deeper" shades in a complexion range just to be able to say they catered to deep-skinned customers ONCE. That's not enough, babe.
One woman argues that she's long been wearing Givenchy's foundation. However, previous shade ranges had even less options, making the tweet ... well, confusing.
"My deep chocolate ass wears foundation and it makes my sling looks like chocolate silk. It’s my favorite. This picture is not an accurate display of the color range," she wrote.
I'm taking this testament with a boulder-sized grain of salt, though, because other Givenchy complexion products certainly don't have any shades appropriate for "deep chocolate" skin.
Even Jeffree Star, king panderer himself, claimed to be upset at the shade selection.
"Hi Beauty Community, Givenchy is officially cancelled until further notice," Star wrote on Twitter. "Stop making POC an after thought. I've reached out to the brand for a response because this is a JOKE; we need answers. I won't be doing a review and promoting this foolery."
The general consensus was, of course: The foundation range is a joke, and long has been.
"Givenchy’s new foundation line: ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????" this Twitter user shared.
Honestly, we're feeling the exact same way. Like, what was even the point of this? Did the brand really not predict how pissed off this range would make everyone?
But if you like "shade ranges of cream fillings," this selection is for you.
"I’m gonna make a foundation line and they’re all gonna be shade ranges of cream fillings. I mean, f*ck, Givenchy is doing it. Might as well," read one hilarious reaction tweet.
As the formula is slated to release in the summer, there could be new developments. Until then, our stance stays the same.
