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Representation matters.

But good representation matters more. You know, where the people making change also lift up others in their community. There’s a bit of that happening this week - I love to see it!!

Let's get glowing

-Shilpa

P.S. Did you attend the Think in Color virtual summit? I loved learning from so many women of colour. Let me know what you thought (and hi to those of you who joined the Glow Gang after hearing about us through the summit 👋🏾)

News, News, News! 📰

Politics:
Madame President 🇮🇳 Droupadi Murmu is India’s first Indigenous President, and the second woman to ever hold the position. The 64-year-old former teacher was sworn into the role on 25 July. The role is largely ceremonial, but the Indian President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, which sounds pretty powerful!

See also: These seven women of colour hope to make political (and social) history in Vermont.

And: Australia’a 47th Parliament is officially in full swing! Beautiful moments from the first session earlier this week:

• MP and former refugee, Sally Sitou, recognised the value of a truly diverse and representative parliament

• Senator Fatima Payman encouraged young women to wear their hijab with pride

• 11 First Nations parliamentarians commemorate being among the highest number of Indigenous people in the Australian Federal Parliament.

Not so beautiful moment: Senator Pauline Hanson refusing to acknowledge country (i.e. showing respect for traditional land owners). Sigh 🙄

Entertainment:
We rise by lifting others 🙌🏽 More Black women are creating TV shows and lifting up other Black women working behind the scenes. Six show runners share why it’s so important to reach back and mentor others. No more gatekeeping in Hollywood!

See also: Morgan Bullock on becoming the first Black woman to tour with Riverdance.

Extra Nuggets 👀

• A wholesome welcome home 75 years 🥺 90-year-old Reena Varma returned home to Pakistan's Rawalpindi city - 75 years after her family left (because, the partition).

• Imagine if the internet was run by women 👀 Would it be less about the hustle, and more about human rights and collective emancipation?

• Doogie Howser who? 👩🏾‍⚕️ Alena Analeigh is the youngest African-American person to ever be accepted into medical school. She’s 13!!!!

• Is the BBL era over? 🍑 Ata-Owaji Victor explores what this means for Black women, and curvy body types in general.

Glowreel Recos

What we’re loving this week:

Read - Won't You Celebrate With Me. This poem is a beautiful reminder to celebrate you everyday 💜

Listen - Thirst. The debut EP by Fijiana (aka Pallaví). A blend of hip-hop and rap with a nod to Fijiana’s Fijian-Indian roots. This album has been on repeat all week.

Princess Chinoyi: Taking The Beaute World By Storm!

Image Via: Princess Chinoyi

Sydney based Princess Chinoyi is about to take the beauty world by storm! She’s the founder of Entle Beaute - which is made for hyperpigmentation prone skin.

We chatted with Princess to learn more about why she started Entle, the challenges she faced along the way and the upcoming launch of Entle!

What motivated you to start Entle Beaute?

Honestly, I never really saw myself being a beauty brand owner! I have two main reasons for starting Entle:

1. I didn’t feel seen or heard in mainstream Australian media and beauty and fashion brands. I also grew up in a very white neighbourhood, which didn’t help when I was trying to find beauty tips and products that worked for me.
   

2. I also had skin concerns - like hyperpigmentation and dark spots - that are common in melanin rich skin. Sidenote: it’s not just people of colour who experience hyperpigmentation. In Australia, we get such harsh sunlight. So a lot of people here, regardless of their background, also experience hyperpigmentation - like sun spots. Anyway, I didn’t know how to handle my skin concerns and I couldn’t find skincare brands that catered to darker skin tones. I couldn’t even find influencers to follow for tips/advice on how to look after melanin rich skin. I was literally you-tubing DIY recipes for darker skin!

I got tired of waiting for existing businesses to stock products for our skin. So I decided to start my own business! So, Entle was born out of pain, and a huge gap in the Australian market.

What does Entle mean?

Entle is a word of African origin and it means “the most beautiful”. I wanted a name that encapsulates me and my African roots, and describes what I’m trying to do with Entle - which is for people to embrace their own natural beauty.

Tell me more about Entle - when are you launching and what products can people expect?!

Our official launch date is TBC - but we are looking at sometime in September!

All of our products are based around hyperpigmentation. Our initial product is a perfect innovative & sustainable product made for different skincare needs *perfect for sensitive beauties*. Whether you’re looking to prevent, treat, repair or enhance– we will be creating gentle, effective solutions that leave you feeling glowy and you confident. All our products will assist in fading unwanted pigmentation such as dark spots, melasma, dark under eyes and pigmented acne scars etc.

What have been the challenges and highlights of starting your business?

Challenge: Having to learn everything from scratch and build my business from the ground up. Product development is especially challenging - there’s a lot of moving parts.

Another challenge has been tackling imposter syndrome. Questioning if I’m the right person to be doing this. It’s taken me a while to acknowledge that I’ve got my lived experience and that I am the best person to be doing this! I overcame this after I stopped comparing myself to other founders and realised that I am living my own journey.

Highlight: Connecting with people who all agree that brands like Entle need to exist. And the support from the incredible community I am building.

Your top tips for BIPOC women who are wanting to blaze their own trail?

If you change your perspective you can change your life. If you question yourself and don’t believe in yourself, you’ll never become the person you want to be. So believe in yourself, back yourself.

Remember that you don’t need to be perfect. Your brand doesn’t need to be perfect. Everyone starts somewhere, so just put yourself out there!

Don’t underestimate the importance of self-care and mental health. It’s important to take a step back and fill your cup. Stepping back also helps to remind you of your ‘why’ with what you’re doing.

It’s also important to surround yourself with people who believe in you, and believe in your vision. People you can turn to for advice or a laugh when you need it!

Follow Entle Beaute on Instagram to keep up with all the behind the scenes of the brand and sign up to the waitlist for exclusive access to the launch date and discount codes.

One Lioness To Another

“You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”

-Shirley Chisholm

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This week's email was brought to you by Shilpa Bhim, founder of Glowreel. You can see more of her work at www.shilpabhim.com or follow her on Instagram @shilpa.bhim

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