Fashion Tastemaker: Jackie Aina (@jackieaina)

Pictured: Jackie Aina at the 2021 Met Gala. Photo Credit: Jacob Webster, (@jpwphoto), retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/CTx5k11MdF_/ on 27 February 2023. This photo is used for academic purposes.

Notable tastemaker, Jackie Aina (@jackieaina), a Nigerian-American beauty and luxury lifestyle influencer advocates for inclusivity in the luxury industry. She has broken a lot of boundaries in the beauty sphere that paved the way for successful black beauty influencers. In 2019, she was the first social media influencer to win an NAACP Image award. In 2021, she also was the first black influencer to attend the Met Gala. She has had numerous collaborations with brands, like Too Faced and Anastasia Beverly Hills, but has also launched her own candle brand, FORVR MOOD. In her collaboration with Too Faced, she expanded the deeper shades in their foundation lines to challenge other brands to uphold her standard. In her beginning years on YouTube, Jackie created multifaceted makeup looks for every occasion, including the makeup she wore in her military uniform. Ever since, Jackie has been revered as an expert in the beauty community.

In effort to retaliate against the socially norms, Jackie Aina began her Youtube

career in 2010. Appalled by the misrepresentation of youtubers that had a similar appearance as her, Jackie created her channel to inspire her fellow people of color to pursue their passions and to address the myths surrounding people of color in the beauty industry. Jackie has inspired a new outlook on colored people’s position by explaining the significance of when “[the consumers are] made to feel unattractive or unseen, it makes [them] feel alone; it makes [them] feel unwelcome.” (Youtube). Her persistence and perseverance throughout the years allowed her to achieve a multitude of accomplishments, including becoming the first YouTuber to ever receive a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award, as well as “working with YouTube and the United Nations to promote … Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality” as a Global Change Ambassador (Aina). Jackie Aina’s relevancy has also caused more brands to take the impact of their shade ranges into account. In 2017, Jackie Aina announced that she would become Too Faced’s brand ambassador for the Born This Way foundation. By expanding the shade range and naming the shades, Jackie will represent the millions of colored people who desire to be included with cosmetic products. Despite the prejudices she has faced, Jackie Aina has persevered and caused a radical change in the perception of people of color in the cosmetic industry.

When the pandemic hit, she transitioned into fashion and lifestyle content in order to bring inclusivity to the luxury sphere. She has a Lavishly Jackie (@lavishlyjackie) account where she breaks down how she cleans and decorates her home, how she organizes and takes care of her luxury items, her routine as a female entrepreneur, and shows how to carry yourself to look presentable, even in loungewear. Her comments are filled with requests to hear her recommendations in luxury categories. Jackie's main goal with her Lavishly Jackie account is not to show off her wealth but rather to represent and advocate for the voices of black, luxury consumers whose market share is not always acknowledged by brands.

I don't think she's a tastemaker because she's pretty; it's because of her passion. Her personal style is, of course, incredibly thoughtful and she expresses herself through her style. However, I think that her persistence to advocate for black creators and consumers is what has made her so revered as a tastemaker.

Works Cited

Jacob Webster, (@jpwphoto), retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/CTx5k11MdF_/ on27 February 2023.

“Brandcast 2017: Jackie Aina, YouTube Creator | YouTube Advertisers.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=srWKLI6YlQI.

lilpumpkinpie05. “I'm a Change Ambassador! #OwnYourVoice | Jackie Aina.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Mar. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2z1vVfvvlc.