“Subconsciously, beauty is white and skinny.”
A qualitative study on colorism in makeup
advertisements.
AUTHORS:
Edna Inganji & Natalie Sharro
School of Business, Society & Engineering
Course: Master Thesis Course code: FOA403
Supervisor: Konstantin Lampou Date: June 8, 2020
ABSTRACT Date: June 8, 2020
Level: Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr
Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University
Tutor: Konstantin Lampou
Authors: Natalie Sharro Edna Inganji
(96/09/11) (97/07/01)
Title: “Subconsciously, beauty is white and skinny”- A qualitative study on colorism in makeup advertisements.
Keywords: Makeup, advertisements, skin tone and colorism Research questions:
• How do consumers evaluate advertisements based on the skin tone of models used in the advertisement?
• What are the consumers view on the inclusivity in the makeup industry?
Purpose: The purpose with this study is to research how consumers’ view on the inclusivity in the makeup industry and how the skin tones of the models in an advertisement shape consumer attitudes towards the advertisement.
Method: A qualitative research method was chosen for this study. The data was collected by interviewing four focus groups.
Conclusion: The result of this study showed that makeup advertisement still is not inclusive and diverse enough. The makeup advertisements lack models with different skin tones, specifically darker skin tones. This creates negative attitude among the consumers. The makeup
industry as a whole is not seen as inclusive enough and that brands only include darker skin tones in their advertisements because it is trendy now, thus it is not genuine.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to award a big thank you to our Supervisor, Konstantin Lampou, for his commitment and support during all seminars. We would also like to thank all the opponents for the constructive criticism that have been very helpful when improving our thesis. Lastly, we would like to thank the participants who participated in our focus groups and allowed us to gather the needed data to fully complete this study.
Table of content
1. Introduction ... 1
1.1Background ... 1
1.2 Problem discussion ... 2
1. 2 Purpose and research questions ... 4
2. Theoretical framework ... 5
2.1 Cultivation theory ... 5
2.2 Ethnic identification theory ... 6
2.3 Ducoffe's Attitude Theory ... 6
2.3.1 Credibility ... 7 2.3.2 Information ... 8 2.3.3 Irritation ... 8 2.4 Conceptual model ... 9 3. Method ... 11 3.1 Choice of method ... 11 3.2 Selection of participants ... 11 3.3 Data Collection ... 12 3.3.1 Literature Review ... 12 3.4 Focus Groups ... 13 3.5 Procedure ... 13
3.5.1 Interviews and questions ... 13
3.5.2 Transcription ... 16
3.6 Data Analysis ... 17
3.7 Quality of study ... 17
3.8 Ethical considerations ... 18
4. Empirical data ... 19
4.1. Identification with models in advertisements ... 19
4.2. Inclusion and Diversity ... 20
4.3. Advertising vs. reality ... 22
4.4. The Fenty effect ... 22
5. Analysis ... 24
5.1 Cultivation Theory ... 24
5.2 Ethnic identification Theory ... 25
5.3 Ducoffe’s Attitude theory ... 26
6. Conclusion ... 28
6.1. Evaluation of advertisements based on the skin tone of model ... 28
6.2. Inclusivity in the makeup industry ... 29
6.3. Limitations and future research ... 29
6.4 Managerial implications ... 31
References ... 32
Appendix 1- Participants ... 36
Appendix 2- Interview guide ... 37
1. Introduction
This chapter presents the background of the study, problem discussion, which is then concluded with purpose and research question.
1.1 Background
Colorism is a term first noticed in 1982 by Alice Walker, she defined the term as “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color”. However, colorism does not only take place with people who are same-raced, it can as well be shown across races, and genders. Colorism is unique when it comes to show what and who is beautiful, it also tends to have a bigger impact on women than men (Norwood, 2015). Phoenix (2014) writes that there is an argumentation about the beauty industry and the women affected by it who are willing to be in a better position in the global beauty hierarchy, are doing everything to modify their looks to fit in.
When writing and talking about colorism, the preconceived opinion about individuals is often brought up by people of the same ethnic or racial group (Carlsbad, 2015a). Carlsbad (2015b) assumes that when fashion catalogues started to include people with different ethnicities, they mostly chose minority women who were not considered women with darker skin tones or different than what we usually see, rather they selected biracial or light skin colored women who had blond or light brown hair.
Research has shown that colorism can affect people in their life as; mate selection, life chances, perceived self-worth, and attractiveness among other people, it also has shown that women with color are more affected by this complex than men (Fears, 1998). Fears (1998) writes that unlike the normal traditional advertising researches and studies which studies women portrayal, the ones who put focus on women of color differ in what they tend to explore, they focus on issues and surrounding physical appearance - skin tones, facial features and hair textures - instead of the roles in which women with color are shown.
It is claimed that advertisements have been a reflection of the values in society but also a form of model for our beliefs and norms (Williams, Lee & Haugtvedt, 2004). The current level of
media and the available technology, it is arguable that mass media and advertising can be more powerful than for example family, education or even religion. The advertisements have a major impact in the development of identity, self-perception, prejudice and attitudes toward a group of people (Sauders, 2008). As Williams et al., (2004) highlight the importance of diversity in their book, they continue explaining that it is imperative for marketers to understand how advertisement is influenced by and, vice versa, influences individuals in the society, considering the advertising’s capability to generate cultural and economic power.
The ingrained message in many cosmetic commercials is the belief that, specifically, women need makeup to be considered beautiful and to cover their imperfections (Frisby, 2019). The issue is that makeup brand often does not diversify nor are inclusive with their product offer range. Frisby (2019) discovered that there was limited range of shades available in the makeup industry which resulted in that consumers with darker skin complexion had it difficult in finding a shade fitting them. Although, Rihanna launched her makeup brand Fenty Beauty in 2017, which offered 40 shades of foundations including a noteworthy range of dark tones with a variety of undertones. Other make up brands have since then increased their range of shades to serve darker complexions (Fleming, 2019). However, even with the wide offer of different shades, the darker complexion makeup is still not advertised properly nor in the same range as makeup for lighter complexion, as there is lack of models with darker skin tones in makeup advertisement and limited shade range is available in stores (Fleming, 2019).
1.2 Problem discussion
The world has increasingly become more interconnected and more diverse, which implies that a company will have several stakeholders from numerous ethnic and racial backgrounds (Taylor & Costello, 2017). Which is why this could give the opportunity for marketers to represent ethnic groups with a greater range of skin tones in advertisements. Taylor and Costello (2017), in their book where CSR and portrayals of racial and ethnic minorities, encourages marketers to strive to send out messages with more inclusive and varied representations of ethnic groups. Looking at the social aspect in CSR, Taylor and Costello (2017) mean that the integrated CSR messages should be inclusive rather than trusting on the biases already existing in the advertisement industry because it can possibly damage and decrease effectiveness of the message and have significant consequences, such as negative attitudes and perception of the brand and its advertisements.
The essence of integrated advertisement is to be to try and appeal to both white and black consumers (Watson, 2006) because it is believed that ethnic consumer respond favorably to marketing messages if it includes somebody connected to his or her cultural group (Holland & Gentry, 1999). A lighter skinned ethnic model is used in advertisements to prevent negative responses from white consumers while assuring that darker skinned consumers from the same ethnic group can feel included (Watson, 2006). Meyers (2008) stated that it is often insinuated that “villainy and danger” are connected with darker complexions whereas “innocence, purity and modesty” are linked with fair skin complexions. Meyers (2008) measured attitudes to see rather the skin tones had an influence on how consumers evaluated the perception of the product. The result showed that that the participant’s attitudes were more positive when the model had lighter skin tones versus darker skin tones. This come to prove that colorism is still is prevalent in consumers’ attitude and how they evaluate products. Thus, the assumption that a darker skin models are not able to successfully promote products reflects on the biases and shared acceptance of what the beauty standard is within the advertising industry (Watson, 2006), nonetheless the makeup industry. Previous studies research the impact on the spokesperson’s race and consumption (Zmud & Arce, 1992), but race nor ethnicity are not the only factor, Watson (2006) stated several years ago that the relevance of skin tone was widely ignored.
In two experimental studies conducted to see the perceptions and attitudes African American (AA) had on light skinned versus dark skinned AA models in print advertisements, Watson, Thornton and Engelland (2010) found that AA men preferred the lighter skinned AA model, as they evaluated them higher on attractiveness and on ad- and brand based evaluations. Whereas AA women evaluated dark-skinned AA models higher on attractiveness. Skin tone could have a significant effect on consumers’ evaluations of advertisements and products, but the concept is forgotten by researchers and one reason could be that researchers use skin tone and race interchangeably (Watson et al., 2010), meaning that the words were used as similar variables. Furthermore, there is few published empirical data that study colorism and the marketing in the makeup industry. Although, Frisby (2019) found in her quantitative research regarding the availability of foundation shades in America that, even though there were more shades was available and that there was progress with inclusivity, women with darker skin tones still had trouble finding fitting makeup products for their skin tone. Wah (2017) explains, in her web article that the exclusion is mainly due to the problem of colorism, and the most apparent
expression of it is in the shade range of makeup products such as foundations, powders or contour colors. Moreover, there are several articles on the effects of colorism in media (Williams et al., 204; Watson et al., 2010), business (Taylor & Costello, 2017) and film (Leary, 2018). Using the highly acclaimed film, Imitation of life, Leary (2018) wanted to research how media content, especially films, affect and shaped black adults’ perceptions concerning colorism. Many of the research in this area are in the context of United states and with African American (Taylor & Costello, 2017; Watson et al., 2010; Sanders, 2007; Meyers, 2008: Frisby, 2019). Therefore, this research paper aspires to add on academic literature regarding colorism in the makeup industry and, hopefully, fill the gap.
1.2 Purpose and research questions
The purpose with this study is to research consumers’ view on the inclusivity in the makeup industry and how the skin tones of the models in an advertisement shape consumer attitudes towards the advertisement. Skin tone was chosen as the topic because of its worldwide and increased importance. This thesis plan to add knowledge on the aspects of how the skin tone of the model in advertisements affect consumer. Understanding consumer reactions to this is imperative for marketers as the topic have gained more importance (Cowart & Lehnert, 2018). Researching colorism in the makeup industry can offer understanding of the widespread problem of women of all skin tones (Frisby, 2019). Also, there been an issue of inclusivity noted, meaning that people of darker skin are not being included in advertisement (Watson, 2010; Meyers, 2008) and in the shade range of makeup product available (Frisby, 2019; Wah, 2017). With the knowledge, more effort from marketers and brands can be made to become more inclusive and have more diversity in advertisements. In regard of all of this, the following research questions were developed;
• How do consumers evaluate advertisements based on the skin tone of models used in the advertisement?
2. Theoretical framework
This chapter presents the selected theories to the study. The theories chosen are; Cultivation theory, Ethnic identification theory and then Ducoffe’s attitude theory. The theories are deemed to be relevant for this study. The theories will then be connected to the empirical data in the analysis and conclusion chapter.
2.1 Cultivation theory
When the creator of the theory, Gerbner, presented the conceptualization of cultivation, he explained that the mass media could explain the responses of the media messages can immediately affect knowledge, attitudes and behaviors (Potter, 2014). Cultivation theory propose that, with time, advertisements can influence consumer’s perceptions of reality (Taylor, Mafael, Raithel, Anthony & Stewart, 2019). It is about the implications of the repetitive virtually inescapable patterns of messages and images that media provides (Morgan & Shanahan, 1999). Meaning, that the lack of a group of people can also cultivate perceptions. The theory shows that messages in advertisements can reflect the dominant attitudes in society, that later on promote inequality and favoritism. Gerbner developed a 3 global and interrelated questions framework that investigated the consequences of persistent images;
1. What are the pressures and constraints that influence the production of media content? 2. What are the dominant patterns of images and messages communicated in the media
messages?
3. What is the correlation between those messages and viewers’ conception of reality? (Morgan & Shanahan, 1999)
The problem about the lack of inclusion of all skin tones in advertisements is that, in line with cultivation theory, exclusion can cultivate the indication that people with darker skin tones do not play a notable role in society (Taylor et al., 2019). This falls in line with what previous studies mentioned that the tendency of advertisements throughout the years were that models with darker skin tones often are excluded from advertisements for various reasons mention
previously (Williams et al., 2004; Watson, 2006; Watson et al., 2010). The founder of the theory, Gerbner upheld the fact that the effects of cultivations of advertisement messages are not short-term attitudes or behaviors, but rather than, that it is found in the history and relationship between the source, the messages itself and the images imbedded within a society (Morgan & Shanahan, 1999). Stated most simply, cultivation theory shows that continuous messages from various media outlets can potentially shape societal opinion and attitudes. This underlines the importance of media messaging (Collier-Green, 2017), make-up advertisements can serve as a crucial tool in shaping attitudes about consumers with darker skin tones.
2.2 Ethnic identification theory
Ethnic identification is what a person identifies themselves as in a grout that is a subset of the larger population. What ethnic group a person identify with is important as it can play a role in how messages are processed and affect their consumer behavior (Meyers, 2011; Collier- Green, 2017). Minorities are more likely to be attached to their ethnic identity considering that race and ethnicity is highly noticeable (Watson, 2006). Skin tone is considered as an identifier as it relates to racial identity. Reviewing how skin tone representation in
advertisement is relevant due to the reason that a strong representation of only a certain skin tone will support the idea of colorism (Collier-Green, 2017). Ethnic identification theory suggest that consumers are more incline to favor an advertisement where they can identify with the models based on observed similarities between them and the model (Watson, 2006; Dillavou, 2009). When consumers recognize that the model have similar resemblance, e.g. skin tone, the impact of those representations can be magnified for the consumer as it is more likely that the advertisement generate positive attitudes (Watson, 2006; Collier- Green, 2017).
2.3 Ducoffe's Attitude Theory
Aydogan, Akta & Aysuna (2016) writes that the internet has changed the type of relationship between advertisers, advertising agencies, the media and consumers. How individuals’ attitude towards marketing is, depends on the advertising they are exposed to, their attitude is then either positive or negative (Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg, 2016; Lee, Lee, Yang, 2017). Studies has shown that it is important to understand the reasons behind the attitudes, studies also show that information, irritation and credibility affect the attitudes of
the viewers (Schlosser, Shavitt & Kanfer, 1999).
Ducoffe (1996) developed a model, to have a better understanding of consumers attitudes towards advertising and its content (Saxena & Khanna, 2013). When Ducoffe developed the model, it only had three components; information, entertainment and irritation, but in 2001 two researchers, Brackett and Carr, added another two components to the model; demographic variables and credibility (Saxena & Khanna, 2013). Ducoffe believed that each ad has a value and that it affects the advertisement’s effectiveness and attitude created by the viewer (Saxena & Khanna, 2013). Only three of the components will be touched upon this study as they are the ones who fit in with the study which is intendent to investigate how advertisement shape the attitude of consumers.
The attitudes toward the advertising that consumers can see is defined as the fact that a consumer either likes or dislikes advertising, the attitude towards the advertising can affect the effectiveness of advertising, there can also be a change in attitude which can be caused off on how and what media the advertising is displayed on (Boetang & Okoe, 2015). There is a new study that finds out which factors affect consumers attitudes towards advertising on social media, Boetang and Okoe (2015) conducted this study, it showed that there are several factors that have an impact on consumers attitudes towards advertising on social media, such as credibility, materialism, value and a company´s reputation (Boetang & Okoe, 2015).
2.3.1 Credibility
Studies show that advertising credibility can be defined as consumers perceptions of truthfulness, reliability, trustworthiness and believability of advertising (MacKenzie et al., 1989; Aydogan et al., 2016). Studies has also shown that the consumers who tend to avoid advertising on social media are those who probably have a negative attitude towards any advertising (Akar & Topçu, 2011). Aydogan et al., (2016) assumes that the advertisements credibility is related to consumers perceptions which is associated with the advertisement’s effectiveness.
Boetang & Okoe (2015) focused on four different factors that have an influence on the consumers attitudes towards advertising, one of them is credibility, which can be seen as the most important factor of them all. When presenting the advertising in a credible way, you lower
the risk of negative attitudes from the consumers who are exposed to the advertising. If a consumer does not have any credibility to social media the consumer will probably automatically have a negative attitude against the advertising on social media, so where the advertisement is presented can have an impact on the consumer. This demonstrates how the individuals trust in social media affects the trust on advertising shown in social media (Boetang&Okoe,2015). Studies has shown that advertising credibility is a major factor that affects the attitude and behavior (Lafferty et al., 1999; Aydogan et al., 2016). When advertisements are not viewed as credible by the consumers, there is a negative attitude against the advertisement that is created. When trying to change the negative attitude of the consumers to a more positive attitude, the marketers should try to find a reason why they got a negative attitude and improve the advertising to change the attitude of the consumers (Cardoso & Cardoso, 2011).
2.3.2 Information
The information conveyed through an advertisement has an effect on the induction of entertaining to achieve the greatest possible effect in terms of positive attitude (Saxena & Khanna, 2013). The content of information is a major factor in the effectiveness of advertising, through the information content, the company communicates information about their product / products or service, which is one of the most important reasons for creating advertising (Saxena & Khanna, 2013). Consumers have shown that the content of information in an advertisement is the primary reason why they look at and approve the advertisement. One study shows that information in advertising is communicated more effectively through the Internet than on traditional marketing channels, such as television advertising. This may be due to the time limit on television advertising, on social media the consumer can decide how much of the advertising it wants to receive. On social media, companies can convey a large amount, while on the traditional channels there is some limitation on how much information can be included (Saxena & Khanna, 2013).
2.3.3 Irritation
Irritation can be defined as an advertisement that generates annoyance, discontent, and even brief intolerance (Dehgani & Tumer, 2015: Aaker et al., 1985; Aydogan et al., 2016). The content in the advertisement and the way the ads are formed affects the effectiveness and attitude that comes from consumers. In this case, irritation can create negative attitudes (Yang,
K. C et al, 2015). Aydogan et al., (2016) assumes that what can irritate consumers is that advertisement may sometimes be viewed as irritating and distributive, Ducoffe (1996) also agrees with Aydogan et al., he indicates that this kind of irritation is because of advertisements different techniques that annoy, offend or appear to be overly manipulative. When it comes to advertising on social media the viewers main goal in visiting the website is not to see advertising, when the viewer is distracted by the advertising the viewer experiences irritation, another way to experience irritation is if the advertisement is perceived to be manipulative (Yang, K. C et al., 2015). When there is advertising showing, there can be several reasons why it causes irritation, some studies have shown that the characteristics of the advertising can create irritation when they target the wrong consumers, have manipulative messages or just have misplacements (Li, et al., 2013; Aydogan, 2016).
According to Saxena & Khanna (2013) Irritation can occur when the consumers get the sense that they are uncomfortable with the advertisement showing for some cause, it could be for example that is a consumer’s experiences that the advertising distracts them from looking at something else on the page. Studies have shown that there are words that can appear in the consumers brain while the advertising is annoying, some of the words are stupid, bad, ridiculous and annoying. Advertising can fall rewarding for some consumers, while it could be unprofitable for other consumers (Saxena & Khanna, 2013).
2.4 Conceptual model
Sauders (2008) claim that mass media and advertisements today can be more powerful in affecting us than family, education and even religion. Due to its power, it is advised to marketers to understand how advertisements influences consumers (Williams et al., 2004). The theories that has been chosen for this thesis is; Cultivation theory, Ducoffe’s attitude theory and Ethnic identification theory as they have a direct link to the research purpose. The messages in advertisements can be cultivated and it will affect our attitudes and our perception of reality (Porter, 2014; Carlsblad, 2015). Meaning, based on previous studies (Williams et al., 2004; Watson, 2006; Watson et al., 2010; Frisby, 2019;) stating that there is lack of diversity, models in different skin tones, in the makeup industry due to reasons mentioned above, that respondents might have cultivated the messages and that it might have affected how they view makeup and its advertisements. Reports show that people, more specifically minorities, tend to be inclined to have a positive attitude towards advertisements where they can identify themselves with the
model in the advertisement (Watson, 2006; Dillavou, 2009), which is why ethnic identification theory was relevant to this study. Ducoffe’s attitude theory was chosen for the reason being that attitudes can show effectiveness of an advertisement and thus it is essential to understand the reasons behind those attitudes (Schlosser, Shavitt & Kanfer, 1999; Boetang & Okoe, 2015). The components this thesis will focus on that could affect attitudes towards advertisements are; information, credibility and irritation. All of this will be tied together and will be used to answer the research questions for this thesis.
The conceptual model begins with a concentric circle to show how advertisements can be reduce into smaller parts and to fit the study’s purpose the parts chosen are model and skin tone. The advertisement is affected by and affects the consumer (Williams et al. 2004) through the cultivated ideas, consumers’ ethnic identity and attitudes (see Figure 1.)
3.
Method
This section presents the choice of research method and how the research was performed. Below is a discussion of the strategies chosen in the survey and the obstacles that arose.
3.1 Choice of method
Bryman and Bell (2015) defines qualitative research as a method that deals with words and meanings, since the purpose of this study is consumers view on colorism the choice of method for this thesis is qualitative. The qualitative research is as mentioned expressed in words, the research is used to understand concepts, thoughts and experiences (Streefkerk, 2019). The qualitative research qualifies you to build in-depth insight on topics that are not well understood (Streefkerk, 2019; Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009; Yin, 2009). The chosen research design chosen for this thesis is an abductive design as previously studied concepts and theories were gathered and created ground for questions that would be used to collect primarily data (Bryman & Bell, 2015). Furthermore, as this is a qualitative research, Yilmaz (2013) stated those are based on a constructive epistemology as it investigates social constructs through frameworks.
A qualitative method is relevant to use in this kind of study where there are open-ended questions. When formulating the research questions and later, interview questions, we understood that the best method would be a qualitative one and to use focus groups to get more information from our questions. When using focus groups, you will hear different perspectives from the respondents about the subject, something you cannot get from a quantitative method (Bryman & Bell, 2015).
3.2 Selection of participants
Bryman & Bell (2015) writes about snowball sampling that it is a form of convenience sample; this has led to it pursuing attention over the past years. Snowball sampling is an approach which makes it easier for the researcher, in that way the small group of people the researcher has been in contact with will use the topic to establish contact with others potential participants. When the selection of the respondent was made, it was with the study's purpose in mind. The aim for this study has been to find participants that have an interest for the topic colorism and makeup advertisements. All the participants that participated in this study were given the option to be anonymous, and therefore only their initial is being used, the participants will be further described, see appendix 1.
When the selection process began the authors recruited the participants for the study by posting about it on different Facebook groups that were suited to this study. The Facebook groups chosen were “Voice of POC” which has 2,8k members, “Lovette Jallow - Makeup for black women (Darker skin tones)” which has 32,7k members, “Honey & the bees” which has 150k members, “Pink Room” which has 145k members and “Assyriska tjejgruppen” which has 2k members. The groups were chosen mainly because there are groups with only women who follow them, many different topics are daily discussed, some of the groups are specialized on makeup and makeup questions. The participants got the option to write to us privately and tell us that they will participate, but it also happened that people started commenting and tagging their friends who are interested about this topic, which has helped us a lot. Nine participants were women of color and seven participants were white.
3.3 Data Collection
Bryman & Bell (2015) writes that data collection is the key point of any research project. In the data collection process, primary data have been collected to establish and process an interesting and useful empirical data to use in the analysis of this study. The primary data was collected through focus groups where the participants are given the chance to discuss and share their thoughts with the other participants about the topic, the interview questions and the videos that was shown of different advertisements. When starting a study, we needed to acquire an understanding of the research field in order to accurately formulate the research question, purpose and knowledge gap, but we also needed to focus on the research possibilities (Saunders, 2009). A knowledge gap was identified by reading and collecting scientific articles, articles and books.
3.3.1 Literature Review
The scientific articles and articles that were relevant were collected by using the chosen keywords in different databases such as; Google Scholar, ABI/INFORM Global and Primo which is Mälardalen University’s own search engine for scientific articles. When searching for articles we also used the snowballing method, which is that you find articles on the side of the current article that you are reading. The books that have been used for this study have been gathered from Mälardalen University Library, these have mainly been used in the method
chapter to form this study’s research approach. To contribute high trustworthiness the chosen scientific articles were ensured to be peer-reviewed (Bryman & Bell, 2017). The keywords that were used when searching for articles in the databases are: “Colorism”, “advertisement”, “skin tone”, “makeup” and “identification”.
3.4 Focus Groups
Bryman & Bell (2015) writes that when selecting the participants to be in the focus groups, it will all depend on who will find the topic relevant. Participants are usually organized into separate groups in terms of stratifying criteria’s, such as age, gender, occupation. Participants for each focus group can then be selected randomly by us or they get to choose the date and time they are available. We first started to divide them into groups by ethnicity and skin color but later found out that it will not matter, and the discussions will be the same. We then decided to give the participants the options for two different dates and times to choose from. An issue in relation to the selection of participants for focus groups is whether to select participants by natural groupings or who are unknown to each other. One problem when using natural groups is that when participants know each other are in the same focus groups is that they are likely to operate with taken for granted assumptions (Morgan 1998; Bryman & Bell, 2015). Between focus groups participants the interactions may either be argumentative or complementary, the primary idea for focus groups was that participants who have had a certain experience could be interviewed in a relatively unstructured way about that experience.
3.5 Procedure
3.5.1 Interviews and questions
Due to the current epidemic, we were not able to have face-to-face interviews with the focus groups. We opted for online interviews for everyone’s safety. Online interviews are starting to become more recognized as an authentic way to collect data, but the synchronous online interviews are still viewed as a novel way of data collection (Fielding, Lee & Blank, 2017). Synchronous online interviews mean that the participants and researchers conduct the interview real time and it resembles a face to face interviews which keeps the spontaneity where participants can answer immediately and, in with focus groups, the ability to interact with each other (Fielding, Lee & Blank, 2017). The interviews done for this study were conducted in Skype, as it was the software where it was free for everybody and it was the easiest place to have group calls, share screen and record at the same time. With the software one can achieve
to capture similarity of a face to face interview with a synchronous online interview (Bryman & Bell, 2017). The demographic questions were asked in a private chat with each participant so the interview itself would be just about the topic.
For this study a semi-structured interview form was used. This form of interview form allows follow-up questions, which means that the participants have more leeway in how to respond (Bryman & Bell, 2017). To make sure that we would cover our topic and to later being able to respond to our research question we had an interview guide (See appendix 2). The questions are related to the themes that this research utilize and formed in an open-ended formulation to enable open discussions (see Figure 2). According to Bryman and Bell (2015) there is no correct way to forming questions for focus groups, although some structure is needed. The first part of the interview contained questions regarding makeup advertisements in general where the participants could express their opinions about makeup advertisements. First two questions were to see the participants general knowledge on makeup advertisement. Questions three to eleven were connected to the chosen theory of this research to be able to answer the research question correctly. In the second part we showed three different makeup, specifically, foundation, advertisement (See appendix 3) and later asked questions about those advertisements that was connected to the chosen theories. The different commercials were chosen based on the skin tones of the models in the advertisement and all three advertisements had different levels of inclusivity. The first video was by Estée Lauder, it included several ethnic models and only one of them had dark skin tone. The second advertisement was by Revlon, although that it included ethnic models, all the models had similar skin tones. The third and last advertisement was by Fenty Beauty, it included models with different skin tones and ethnic backgrounds. After the advertisements were shown, the participants had to answer on questions concerning the video. In total, there were 4 focus groups interviewed for this study and the interviews was between fifty minutes to one hour long.
NR. Question Theory Purpose
1.
Are you familiar with makeup commercials? Where do you
see these makeup
commercials? - General questions about the participants knowledge of makeup advertisements 2.
To what extend do you pay attention to makeup
advertisements? 3.
How do you feel about makeup commercials today? have you
noticed any patterns?
Cultivation theory Investigating if there was cultivated ideas and if the participants are aware of messages being sent out. 4.
Generally, what would you say is the message of the makeup
advertisements today? Have those messages affected you in
any way?
5. What kind of things bother you
about makeup advertisements? Ducoffe’s attitude theory
Investigating what affects the
participants attitude. 6. What kind of things do you like
and not like in those? 7.
How do you feel about the choice of models in makeup
advertisements? Ethnic identification theory To investigate if ethnic identification is a factor that affects the participants. 8. Is skin tone something you
notice in makeup commercials? 9.
How does the skin tone of the model affect your opinion of
the advertisement?
10.
What is your view on inclusivity within the makeup
industry? Ducoffe’s attitude theory Investigating how the participants see the inclusivity in the makeup industry. 11.
What part of the makeup advertisement affect your opinion about the commercial?
Ducoffe’s attitude theory To investigate where in the advertisement the participants opinion changes
Chosen advertisements are shown
NR. Question Theory Purpose
1.
What are your thoughts and opinions about these ads? How do they make you feel?
Ducoffe’s attitude theory Investigating what in the advertisements affect the participants’ attitude. 2. Was there any specific part
which affected you the most?
3.
What are some of the differences you noticed
between the three commercials?
4.
Were you able to relate or identify yourself with models
in the commercials? eg. by
skin tone, ethnicity etc. Ethnic identification theory Investigating how the ability to identify themselves affects the evaluation of the advertisement. 5.
Does your ability to relate or identify yourself with the model(s) in the commercial
affect how feel and think about the advertisement?
6.
Are there any other comments you would like to
share about this topic?
-
To give a chance to add something the participants think was missed
to being discussed. Figure 2. Operationalization table
3.5.2 Transcription
To be as present as possible during the interview, the discussions were recorded. Not only for the reason to be present but so it would be possible to transcribe the collected data afterwards. Bryman & Bell (2017) encourages to transcribe the data while it is still fresh in your memory and explains that recording interviews allow the interviewer to properly listen to the interviewee, to later focus on analyzing the data. To record and then transcribe minimize the risks of valuable data being left out or being misinterpreted (Bryman & Bell, 2017).
3.5 Data Analysis
The empirical data collected through focus groups was analyzed with a thematic analyzing process. The thematic process includes identifying, organizing and reporting themes found within collected data, which also increase the trustworthiness of the study (Nowell, Norris, White, & Moules, N. J. 2017). To analyze in a thematic way enables to identify common and repeated responses of the participants (Bryman & Bell, 2017).
The analysis process began after all interviews are conducted. The collected data was then transcribed and later categorized into different themes. Similar to what Bryman & Bell (2017) recommend, the themes will then be presented in the result chapter and only the relevant information will be brought up. The data will then be analyzed in the analysis chapter by connecting the data collect to the theories chosen and the literature used in the study’s background and problem discussion. Lastly, a conclusion will be reached by answering the study’s research questions.
3.7 Quality of study
The criteria used to measure quality of a research in a quantitative research cannot be used in a qualitative research. Bryman & Bell (2017) explains that to increase the quality of a qualitative study, there are certain positions to consider. For a quantitative study it would be reliability and validity but as for a qualitative study there are two criteria to consider, trustworthiness and authenticity, with sub-criteria connected to it (Bryman & Bell, 2017), which are what this study have considered. The sub-criteria to trustworthiness and authenticity are; dependability, transferability, confirmability and credibility (Bryman & Bell, 2015). How those criteria were used in this research will be discussed in the next section.
3.7.1 Trustworthiness and authenticity
As mentioned above, the interviews with the focus groups were recorded, other than the reasons mentioned previously, the recording would also help to present a fair picture by reporting differing opinions and attitudes of the participants. To increase the dependability, the study was controlled by a professor and fellow students. Each chapter was reviewed, criticized and improved about after every counselling session. Dependability is to ensure that the complete research process is reported and available with the help of an external source (Bryman & Bell, 2017). Although that full transferability might not be achievable, with the help of what Bryman
and Bell (2017) refer to as thick description, the reader can estimate the probability of transferability of the result to another context. This is the reason why the study’s procedure has been methodically described and collected data is presented in a structured manner. Lastly, as the goal of this study was to determine the participants opinions and attitudes towards colorism in makeup commercials, personal opinions and attitudes were not shared with the participants so they would not be influenced by it. This is done to accomplish confirmation, as it is assurance that researchers have conducted the study in truthful way (Bryman & Bell, 2017).
3.8 Ethical considerations
Every study that is conducted comes along with certain research ethics that needs to be followed (Bryman & Bell, 2017). Those ethical principles are requirement of information, consent, confidentiality and use from the participants (Bryman & Bell, 2017). Each participant in the focus groups had been informed about the study’s purpose and how it would be conducted. Participants were informed about that the interview would be recorded, transcribed and how the responses would be presented. As it was voluntary to participate, the consent was already given by the participants. However, we assured them that they would remain anonymous in the study presentation and that the responses given would only be used for the study’s purpose.
4. Empirical data
In this chapter, the empirical data that was collected during the group interviews will be presented. The data is divided in 4 sub-titles which are the 4 different themes we found after transcribing and coding the data.
4.1. Identification with models in advertisements
“They’re all the same. […] It’s someone with very light skin tone, someone in-between and then someone with dark skin tone.” - B
Several of our participants stated that the ability to identify themselves with the model or relate to the makeup advertisement was important to them. All the focus groups mentioned the skin tone is something they notice in the commercials and that it affects their attitude. They feel like advertisements nowadays only have 3 sets of skin tones in their advertisement; light, medium and dark and there is no in between, which is not enough. One drew the parallel with her family saying that every single one in her family has a different shade of black and another, related to this, said that brands often offer limited shades for a darker skin person while people with lighter skin tones have more shades to choose from the same brand.
“Advertising doesn’t care if it works for everyone or not, they run with what suits the majority and say it suits everyone even though it may not work for me.” - N
The issues according to our participants is that brand and its advertisements only see black as one universal shade. One participant explained that the brands lack of understanding that people with darker skin have different undertones and several agreed on that they feel like that they only put a dark skin model in their advertisements to show that they care about inclusivity. The lack of ability for our participants that identify themselves as black to identify themselves in the makeup advertisement was something that generated a negative attitude towards the advertisement and also the brand. Participants that identified themselves as white also understood and agreed on the irritation participants that identified themselves as black felt. This was supported by the Revlon makeup advertisement where the none of the participant found it relatable. This created negative attitude among our participant as several remarked the lack of representation. Contrariwise, several of our participants express how their attitude changes to
the positive when the advertisement includes someone or more that they can identify themselves with. One explained that she is more likely to draft towards the advertisement and would want to know more about the product and its brand. This was the reason why the makeup advertisement for Fenty Beauty was highly praised, because it was relatable and every participant felt like they could identify themselves in ways such as; skin tone, ethnicity, by beauty and body features.
For participants that identified themselves as black, for them it was not just about to be able to identify themselves with the models, it was also about the ability to see how the shade of a product would look on them. In that way, with the help of the skin tone of the model, they would be able to see it would fit them personally. One of the participants used the example of red lipstick, that she could never buy it if she only saw it on a model with lighter skin tone because it would not look the same on her.
4.2. Inclusion and Diversity
“[…] And that’s the problem, inclusivity and diversity is just buzzwords for them, so they came become popular and sell more.” - I
Many of our participants mentioned that the subject of inclusivity, diversity and acknowledgement of colorism is a conversation that has appeared during the past few years. People and brands are starting to become more attentive and talk more about the need for representation. However, all of the focus groups clearly stated that they did not think that there was enough effort done by marketers and brands to be more inclusive and show more diversity. One participant thought that all the makeup advertisements were the same and gave an example of foundation advertisement, stating that they only had three specific shades, like mentioned above. As the participants stated that this subject is relevantly new, many of them expressed that they did not find the efforts to be more inclusive and diverse of brands to be genuine. One of the participants exemplified the lack of trust in the makeup brands’ genuity by describing how difficult for a consumer with darker skin tones to find fitting makeup products or models to identify with in South Asia countries because the beauty ideal there lighter skin, while the same brands reinforcing the issues there market themselves as inclusive in Western countries because it is now a hot topic. Many explained that the reason brands now try to include everybody is because it is trendy, and they just want to hop on the wave. The participants were
not sure if this was because the brands truly wanted to become more diverse and include everybody or if they just wanted to make sales. One participant questioned brands' level of trying by pointing out that if a makeup advertisement has ten people, two might be black and 1 of those two have lighter skin tone. This was further reinforced after watching the makeup advertisement of Estée Lauder, since it only incorporated only one model with dark skin tone and one of the participants noticed that one Indian model was retouched to have the same skin tone as the rest of the models. This was seen as making an effort but not fully succeeding by the participants.
“It has made people think further, […] the brand behind it is getting more important; who are they? What do they stand for?” – M.G
One participant expressed the necessity of inclusivity by explaining that we get affected by what we see and while for her, she is used to seeing white people so she does not care no more, beauty can be seen as a tall white person. Moreover, two participants in different focus groups associated the brands' sudden care to capitalism by explaining that they only pretend to care just to make money out of the consumer. By using an example on how brands during their pride month heavily promote and sends out message targeted to lgbtq+ community does not seem genuine. She further explains that consumers now want to know if the company is inclusive and diverse internally, if they have employees representing how the world looks like today, this would affect the consumers’ purchase intent. Another participant in the same focus groups added that brands only care about popularity and that inclusivity and diversity are just buzzwords for them.
“Subconsciously, beauty is white and skinny.” - M
Furthermore, many participants agreed on that inclusivity and diversity was not just about skin tone but also about beauty ideals e.g. facial features, skin types and body shapes. All of the focus groups mentioned that the models’ skin is unrealistic as it is overly edited, they would wish to see skin with acne, pimples or even freckles. At least one participant in each focus group was happily surprised when they noticed that there were plus sized models in two of the advertisements we chose to show.
4.3. Advertising vs. reality
“It’s like they have diversity in the commercial but then in real life it doesn’t add up” - S Even with all the efforts to seem more inclusive and diverse, numerous participants say that the advertisements do not match reality. One participant mentioned that having 50 shades as a way to attract black consumers but when one goes to the stores to look at their products available, there is not a shade range to fit everybody. In the same group one added that she still sometimes cannot find a fitting shade for her in the stores even if the advertisement states that they have around 50 shades, which she finds a bit contradictory. Essentially, they do not like when the message and information in the advertisement is misleading.
“Usually they choose models that already are perfect which, once again, don’t fit my reality. Like how does it look on my freckles? I want to see women with pimples” – L.K
Many of the participants expressed how they think that the statement “fits for everybody” in the makeup advertisement is fake and false marketing as it would not fit everybody. One of the participants has the skin condition, rosacea, and many products that are marketed to fit everybody do not fit us with this skin condition will cause allergic reaction. One focus group also connected the statement to skin types, by mentioning that most makeup products are suited for those fit oily skin and that people with dry skin have difficulties to find products. Another point several participants acknowledge was the fact that the model and their skin were unrealistic. This touches the issues of identification, inclusivity and diversity. The participants did not think that the “perfect skin” was not their reality and that they would prefer to see “real” skin with pimples, pores and freckles to be able to see how the product would look like in real life. The disconnect between advertisements and reality is something that creates irritation and a negative attitude toward the advertisement among our participants because, as one of participants said, it is seen as misleading and false marketing.
4.4. The Fenty effect
“I noticed the change in mainstream advertisement when Rihanna released Fenty beauty, [...] I think the whole thing changed the conversation” – M.G
Something that was similar in all of our focus groups was the emphasize on the effect Fenty Beauty had on the makeup industry. All of the groups compared the time before and after the release, participants explained that a few years back, before the release, it was rare to see darker skin tones included in makeup advertisements and in the product range of the brands. Another participant compared Fenty Beauty with other makeup brands that have existed for longer and added that the release was like a reminder to other makeup brands that inclusivity matter. After being shown the chosen makeup advertisements for this thesis, it was a unanimous with all groups that the Fenty beauty advertisement was the better one. Several participants acknowledge to be inclusive and genuine, unlike the other two advertisements shown. The advertisement was said to include everybody as the advertisement showed people from all backgrounds and even had a model wearing hijab, but it also had different body shapes which was seen as refreshing. The advertisement clearly stated that they had 50 shades and showed most of them, which a couple of the participants reacted to meaning that all people with different skin tones could find something fitting for them, from people with albino to people with dark skin tones. The participants also could see different skin tones and distinguish them clearly, which was not the case with the other advertisement as the participants thought that the model was photoshopped to almost have the same skin tone. Moreover, the advertisement was seen as personal and relatable because, as one participant expressed, the models did not uphold the supermodel standard, the models were unique, and each model said the shade they used.
5. Analysis
In this chapter, we will connect our chosen theories and previous literature with the empirical data, this will be done for the purpose of getting a better understanding of the conclusion that will be made to answer our research questions.
5.1 Cultivation Theory
Taylor et al., (2019) explained that cultivation theory suggests that, with time, advertisements can influence consumer perceptions of reality. This could be seen with our participants as several expressed that there was not enough inclusivity and diversity in advertisements, which has created a narrative in their mind that lighter skin tones are the beauty standard. As Morgan & Shanahan (1999) and Taylor et al., (2019) mentioned, lack of inclusion of all skin tones can cultivate the indication that darker skin tones do not play an important role in society. One of our participants who were a woman of color brought up the fact that she feels like that people with darker skin are not seen as a priority, the reason being that darker skin models are only presented in advertisements and not in stores. This is an indication that colorism is still prevalent in our society and it has clearly affected how marketers shape the advertisements, as advertisements are a model for our beliefs and norms (Williams et al., 2004).
All focus groups made a remark that inclusivity and diversity was a new talked about topic that presented itself during the past few years. The participants continued with explaining that the lack of inclusivity and diversity was something that they were used to seeing advertisements with only lighter skin models, this had ingrained a negative attitude and irritation towards makeup advertisements. A couple participants color in different focus groups stated that white was the beauty standard and that they were used to seeing models with lighter skin which other participants agreed with. This corresponds with what the cultivation theory (Porter, 2014), Williams, Lee and Haugtvedt (2004) and Collier-Green (2017) when they claimed that advertisement will form societal norm and beliefs, some of the participants mentioned that makeup advertisements all were the same so the similar and repetitive form of makeup advertisements have created the beliefs that people with lighter skin tones are the beauty standard and it has become a norm for the participants. Furthermore, this reinforced what founder of the theory, Gerbner, emphasized that the effects of the cultivation theory in advertisements are not short-term attitudes but rather long-term cultivation found in the messages and images that with history get embedded within society (Morgan & Shanahan,
1999). Consumers, especially consumers with darker skin tones, have seen advertisements with models of lighter skin tone for a long time thus has now become a cultivated idea that this is the standard. Participants with darker skin tones in our focus groups did not have a positive attitude towards the advertisement due to the lack of representation of darker skin, this is something participants with lighter skin tones also agreed on. What seems to happen now is that consumers with lighter skin support and understand the feelings of the consumers with darker skin and want to see dark skin tones represented in advertisements. The white consumer no longer would feel irritation to see darker skin models in advertisements, unlike what Watson (2006) stated.
5.2 Ethnic identification Theory
Ethnic identification focuses on persons that can identify themselves in a group, this is important due to it can play a big role in how the advertisements are processed and also how it affects the person's behavior towards it (Meyers, 2011; Collier-Green, 2017). This was repeatedly brought up by our participants in all four focus groups. Many of our participants stated that the ability to identify themselves in the makeup advertisements was important, this was specifically expressed by participants that identify themselves as women of color, the reason might be that because they are a minority they are attached to their ethnic identity and more likely to respond positively when marketing messages are connected to his or her cultural group (Watson, 2006). It was clear to see that our participants were more inclined to have a positive attitude when the models in the advertisements were somebody, they could identify themselves with, just as Holland and Gentry (1999) concluded.
All focus groups voiced that they felt that the makeup advertisements today are trying to become more inclusive in their makeup advertisements by including models with darker skin tones. Watson (2006) mentioned in her research that a lighter skin ethnic model was used in advertisements to prevent negative responses from white viewers while trying to satisfy black viewers by providing a model they could possibly identify themselves with and feel included. However, the participants of this study did not receive the essence of integrated advertisement as it is imagined working (Watson, 2006). The participant noticed that lighter skin ethnic models are used and rarely models with darker skin tones, this was seen as a weak attempt from the brand as they have the possibility to be more inclusive. White participants were not happy that it was such lack of representation of models with darker skin tones, one of the participants
connected the Revlon and Estee Lauder makeup advertisement shown to the focus groups to the lack of effort and failed attempt of integrated advertisement. They acknowledge that all of the ethnic models in the two advertisements were of lighter skin tone and Estee Lauder had one model that had dark skin tone which was not enough for the participants. The minimal effort of inclusion by the makeup brands and its advertisements created irritation and many of the participants could not identify themselves which led to a negative attitude towards the advertisements, this corresponds with what Watson (2006) and Collier-Green (2017) stated. The lack of ability to identify was not only true to the participants of color but also with the participants who identify themselves as white. Although, skin tone was not the only identifier that was brought up, mostly by the white participant; skin type, facial features and body shapes was also discussed as identifiers. Participants indicated that they were more likely to relate and identify themselves to the advertisement if the models for example had acne, pimples or other skin conditions but also a different body shape than the typical model shape. This is an indicator that white and ethnic consumers are concerned by different factors in a makeup advertisement. In contrary, the Fenty beauty commercial, all the participants felt that they could identify themselves, whether it was on the basis of skin tone or ethnicity.
5.3 Ducoffes’ Attitude theory
Schlosser et al., (1999) says that it is important to understand the reasons behind the attitudes, and Ducoffe (1996) developed a model to create a better understanding of consumer attitude towards advertisement and its content (Saxena & Khanna, 2013). Attitude towards advertising is defined by whether the viewer likes or dislikes the advertisement, and it can later on affect the effectiveness of the advertisement. According to Saxena & Khanna (2013) Ducoffe´s model had three components when it was formed, two researchers Brackett and Carr later added two further components and this study only chose to focus on three components; Credibility, Information and Irritation.
One issue that created irritation among the participants of color was when the advertisement mentioned that they had 50 different shades for all but when the participants went to the stores there were only 30 different shades. The participants found that this was misleading and false marketing, which leads to the consumers not trusting the information in the advertisements and the credibility for the brand decline. This confirmed what Frisby (2019) discovered in her research that there were limited makeup product ranges of shades available for consumers with
darker skin tones in stores. The lack of makeup products for consumers with darker skin tones is the most evident expression of colorism according to Wah (2017). Though, brands have started to offer a wider range of shades, clearly after the release of Fenty Beauty, makeup for consumers with darker skin tones are still not marketed as properly as makeup for consumers with lighter skin consumers (Fleming, 2019). This could have been the reason why several participants in all focus groups disliked the advertisements of Estée Lauder and Revlon, as the participants felt that there was no inclusion as the advertisements mostly marketed products for consumers with lighter skin. This might also be the reason all participants expressed a positive attitude for the Fenty Beauty makeup advertisement, the participants could see that everybody was included and marketed equally. The participants felt included in the advertisement and could identify themselves, moreover it felt personal because each model in the advertisement stated their foundation shade which increased credibility and thus trust and the advertisements effectiveness (Aydogan et al., 2016).
The statement “fits for everybody” was also something that created irritation among the participants, the reason being that, as one participant explained, most products with that statement does not fit people who has skin condition such as rosacea, and another one connected the statement to different skin types as it is not suited for people with dry skin. The irritation was created because lack of credibility in the statement and it affected the attitude towards the advertisement thus also lowered the effectiveness of the advertisement (Boetang & Okoe, 2015). The lack of credibility was also visible in the way the participants questioned the makeup brands Genuity when trying to be more inclusive. The participants did not trust the efforts which also affected their attitudes contrary to the makeup advertisement and the brand.
6. Conclusion
In this chapter the study’s research questions will be answered based on the result and analyses in the previous chapters. Lastly, suggestions for future research will be presented.
6.1. Evaluation of advertisements based on the skin tone of model
What ethnic a consumer identifies themselves with is vital as it affects how the consumers process the advertisement and the behavior towards it (Meyers, 2011; Collier-Green 2017). An indicator of colorism and a way to support the concept is through representation of model with light skin tones (Collier-Green, 2017) and the findings made it clear that consumers have noticed that models with lighter skin tones are more frequently represented. The representation of one certain skin tone in advertisements supports the idea of colorism (Collier- Green, 2017), in this thesis it was clear that the ethnic model with lighter skin was more frequently represented in makeup advertisements. It can therefore be concluded that colorism is still a current issue in advertisements. The findings and analysis allowed us to conclude an answer to our first research question; How do consumers evaluate advertisements based of the skin tone of models used in the advertisement?
Identification is one key factor when consumers evaluate advertisement, when consumers can identify themselves or relate to the model in any kind of way it makes the advertisement more appealing and so is the brand. Something that is meaningful and was brought up several times by consumers is the importance of being included, both the women of color and white women talked about that they want to feel included. This was specifically highlighted by the participants of color as the made it clear that the ability to identify themselves in makeup advertisements was important to them. As colorism is an influential topic right now, white women also think that it is wrong that women of color are not more included in advertising which affects their attitudes as well. This is a theorical contribution as it goes against the motion of integrated advertisements. When there are models with different skin tones in advertisements, a positive attitude is generated caused by the identification factor. To the contrary, the absence of different skin tones generates negative attitudes and irritations, not only towards the advertisement but also the brand for consumers with lighter skin tones, that are represented, and, of course, with consumer with darker skin tones.
6.2. Inclusivity in the makeup industry
Morgan & Shannan (1999) and Taylor et al. (2019) stated that the lack of inclusion of all skin tones can cultivate the idea that people with darker skin tones are less important than people with lighter skin tones. This has made the consumer used to seeing advertisements with only lighter skin models thus it has become a societal norm and beliefs for consumers because it has been an ingrained and constant message in the advertisements, as Collier-Green (2017) supported. And finally, to answer the second research question of this thesis; What are the consumers view on the inclusivity in the makeup industry?
Inclusivity is seen as a new topic that just occurred in the recent years. Consumers sees the efforts done by the brands and its advertisements, but it is not perceived as enough nor genuine. It is not seen as enough because the advertisements often only include one model with darker skin, and there are rarely several ethnicities included in the advertisement. Inclusivity goes further than advertisements, the consumers want to also know how the brand looks internally; whether the brand has diverse employees and board members. The reasons why the brands efforts are not seen as genuine is that consumers think that the efforts are only done because inclusivity is trendy now. The marketing activities are not similar across the globe which confirms that the efforts done in the Western part of the world is a facade to gain popularity and make profit. This comes to show that consumers are more interconnected and aware of events and the injustice in the world as stated by Taylor and Costello (2017). The contribution the findings and analysis provided was that consumers want everybody to be represented and be seen, even white consumer agreed on that the lack of models with darker skin tones was unjust and it created a negative attitude toward the advertisement and the brand among them. Therefore, the previous approach of doing advertisements has expired and brands must now adapt to societal change.
6.3. Limitations and future research
The limitations of this study can give guidelines for future researches related to the topic. Even though the findings and contributions of this study there are various limitations to it. The main limitation for this study was the global pandemic of Covid-19, along with the time limit, it was hard for us to direct a face to face interaction with the participants. Since the primary data was only collected through online focus groups, it was challenging to find suitable times to conduct
