Golloria George Is Breaking Beauty Barriers and Redefining Inclusivity

10 Feb 2025 · 34 min

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In short

Skin Anarchy Podcast Episode Summary: Golloria George Is Breaking Beauty Barriers and Redefining Inclusivity

Episode Overview In this captivating episode of Skin Anarchy, hosted by Dr. Ekta, the guest Golloria George shares her compelling journey as a powerful advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the beauty industry. Golloria, a refugee from South Sudan, reflects on her personal experiences with exclusion in the beauty aisle and emphasizes the need for genuine inclusivity beyond mere representation.

Key Themes and Discussions

Golloria's Personal Journey

  • Early Experiences of Exclusion:
  • As a young girl, Golloria struggled to find beauty products suitable for her skin tone, which made her feel invisible.
  • The lack of representation in beauty products drove her to advocate for change within the industry.
  • Cultural Background:
  • Golloria's experiences as a refugee shaped her understanding of access and inclusivity, fueling her mission for broader representation in beauty.

The Call for Genuine Inclusivity

  • Beyond Tokenism:
  • Golloria stresses that brands need to do more than just add a few darker shades; they must involve Black chemists and product developers in the creation process to address the unique needs of melanin-rich skin.
  • Consumer Activism:
  • Consumers are encouraged to support brands that genuinely cater to all skin tones and to use their purchasing power to demand authentic inclusivity in the beauty industry.

Solidarity and Community

  • Broader Impact:
  • Golloria emphasizes the importance of solidarity across different communities to drive meaningful change within an industry that has historically marginalized certain groups.
  • Empowerment of Future Generations:
  • Her advocacy aims to empower the next generation to define their own worth and beauty standards.

Industry Challenges

  • Systemic Issues:
  • Golloria discusses the systemic nature of exclusion within the beauty industry, pointing out that it mirrors broader societal issues found in acting, music, and other fields.
  • Need for Representation:
  • The absence of Black voices in product development results in products that do not meet the needs of diverse consumers.

The Role of Brands

  • Responsibility to Consumers:
  • Brands must prioritize inclusivity and actively listen to consumer feedback to avoid tokenism and genuinely cater to diverse skin tones.
  • Examples of Positive Change:
  • Golloria cites brands like Danessa Myricks, which consistently produce products that cater to a wide range of skin tones, showcasing the importance of representation at the helm of product development.

Closing Thoughts In conclusion, Golloria George’s insights serve as a beacon of hope and a roadmap for forging a more inclusive beauty landscape. Her advocacy not only highlights the challenges faced by marginalized communities but also empowers listeners to take action in redefining beauty standards.

Key Takeaways

  • Beauty as a Human Right: Everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the products they use.
  • The Power of Unity: Consumers can drive change by supporting brands that prioritize inclusivity.
  • Authenticity in Representation: True inclusivity requires diverse voices in all aspects of product development.

Additional Resources

  • For more about Golloria George, visit her [website](https://golloria.komi.io/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYdEulh9Oh8xBL8mfuRMEUVFTaHDX3AIHQWrX5Ac-2xgOLFoUhotZWR_lM_aem_Ff0yNT-3_bEOFx6sCplvhw) or follow her on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/golloria/?hl=en).
  • Don’t forget to subscribe to Skin Anarchy on your preferred podcast platform and check out the curated products on [Shop My Shelf](https://shopmy.us/skincareanarchy/shop-episodes).

Stay Connected Follow Skin Anarchy on social media for more updates and discussions about beauty, science, and inclusivity.

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Transcript

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0:00Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Skin Anarchy. Our guest today is very very special for me because I have been following her work for quite some time now. she's truly making a name for herself and also propelling the beauty industry forward when it comes to inclusion, diversity, true representation and a lot of you might have seen her on social media and are probably following her so without further ado I'm going to introduce you guys to Gloria George. Welcome Gloria, I'm so honored to host you. Hi, thank you guys so much for having me. I am so excited to be here. It's such an honor, such an honor.

0:34I really love your work. I'm like I said we were talking before I I'm such a fan you know and since I saw your first video I was like she's really gonna do something huge here I knew immediately so and you have all that being said I want to learn more about you and I know you have such an incredible background and your journey into the beauty space kind of walk us down memory lane if you don't mind genuinely it was just the the lack of access I just constantly remember going to like the grocery store with my mom and like while she'd be shopping I would be in the beauty section I'd be like uh nothing actually works for me and obviously I was young so I couldn't really conceptualize the reason fully as to why until I actually probably end of year end of like my senior year and then early college when I realized okay the girls are putting on makeup and I don't have anything and it's not that I don't have anything it's also just the fact that they're not making anything for people that look like me and so it was really hard pill to swallow I feel like just because being excluded to such lengths whenever it comes to something as simple as like blush or concealer or foundation.

1:37It's such an abnormal experience that it's, if you've never experienced it, you would never see an issue with it. And that's why I get like the hundreds of comments of being like, well, just try another product, just try another brand. But if we don't even have access to other brands because they're not even making the product, that's where the issue lies at hand. They don't see us. They don't want to see us. And you know, something had to shake. The darkest shade came about yeah no i mean i i love what you said because i feel like so i'm a millennial i'm 38 years old and i remember even my i guess my skin tone is in the medium range i remember growing up going to like walgreens right and i couldn't even find brown shade in my range and i definitely did not see darker shades hearing that from you and seeing like that this is still not fixed at all i mean it's insane to me and i want to learn about i know you've spoken about this before being from South Sudan and being a refugee can you tell us a little bit about that I mean I feel like you have so much wisdom yes of course it's just like there's a lot of trauma that I just obviously will not get into but the effects of being displaced honestly are it's the reason why I am the way I am today and why I'm so outspoken and why I lead the way that I do just because when you have no little like no access to like basic things and basic necessities you just see the world a little bit differently and not only do you see the world a little bit differently but you also just are grateful for the fact that mercy is a beautiful thing.

3:02I never thought that I would be here. I never thought that I could do the things that I'm doing in this space and live the life that I'm living and travel the way that I'm traveling. It was not obtainable to me because everyone that I grew up around unfortunately became a product of their circumstances. And to see those peers not do as well as me, it really just like, it makes you sit down and be like, Like, wow, the things that we went through were definitely not normal. And it'll either make you or break you. And I think the strength that it took from me and my family to do what we did, and especially like my mom, I give her props all the time because the lady, the lady has worked hard to get her kids to this space.

3:41It just, my view on life is just not black and white. There's a lot of gray. And I feel like conceptualizing it at a larger scale of, this is bigger than beauty. This is like access. This is bigger than just, you know, let me put on some makeup. This is also about like human rights. It's also a part of me that I do share relatively frequently on social media, but also we love the beauty stuff, but I'm also, I'm an activist at heart. And I think that's why I'm able to channel so much of that. This is the darkest shade. We need more inclusion in this space because I've already experienced oppressive things in my life.

4:17so yeah yeah i feel you you know this perspective is is unique i think a lot of times people talk about you know shade ranges and they'll talk about yeah you know we need more diversity we need more inclusivity but it's like those words fall on deaf ears because there's not enough behind them it's a lifestyle it's not just a okay you made three shades it's about did you put thought into it what those people actually feel when they don't see their colors represented Exactly. And those are just, you know, unless you've lived those experiences, you're never going to be able to be like, hmm, I wonder how a dark-sing girl feels going into Sephora and not being able to find a shade that works for her, right?

4:53And I think people think that, you know, the content that I make is like fun content to make, but it's quite traumatizing to constantly try shades that don't work for you and constantly be reminded that you are not included in this space and you're not seen in this space and that these spaces were not built for you. it's a constant fight of systemic issues that are bigger than beauty it's industry-wide and not just in beauty we see it in acting we see it in music we see it in everything that we do I just feel like dark-skinned people are underrepresented um and it is really sad but I feel like with the work that I do I'm making room and making headway to be seen you guys will see me yeah I think you're doing a phenomenal job of that honestly because i watched one of your videos it was so unique because you were talking about representation isn't enough you have to really support black brands and black people and you have to actually understand and i want you to speak a little bit on that yes because you can make a product right but when the inclusion and the di work is not being reflected on the brand trips and the people in the rooms on the teams that is why we have these little mishaps.

6:02That's why we have our shades not being made. I guarantee you, if we had dark-skinned women in the room, if we had Black women in the room that were like, hey, before we launch this, maybe we should add a few more shades. Maybe we should do this. Maybe we should change this up. A lot of these discrepancies would not be happening. But again, I think in our current political environment as well, DEI is not something that's not important. And it's very apparent. However, that is how these changes happen. And that's how these things and these movements continue and make markers in this world, especially with just like Black creators.

6:35You can sit there and make shades for us, but to amplify a Black voice is to make sure that there are Black creators on these trips. Make sure that you're also paying them not only just equal wages, but you're actually just letting them be on these paid partnerships as well. I've seen so many partnerships throughout my time creating this industry where there's just no Black people. I've been on brand trips where there have been no Black people. And it's so dystopian to see that exclusion goes beyond the product. I have been around teams from certain brands that don't even have a singular Black person on their team, right?

7:08And if you don't even have a singular Black person on the team, you never experience the things that we have experienced. So how are you to know? And whenever we allow for Black voices to infiltrate these spaces, that's when these productive conversations could be had and these productive changes could be made. It's kind of shocking that this day and age, we don't have behind the scenes in the very beginning of product development there's not an actual voice that represents the product you're going to eventually sell to the masses I've watched you really kind of review brands and review all the shades every time I'm left baffled because I'm like how can you say this is the deepest shade you have it's just it's very dystopian too because I think that they all think that we're like one shade for example like the medium shade range a lot of those shades lean a little bit more yellow and in the dark shade range a lot of them lean a little bit more orange they quite actually just see us as like one color with no undertone no depth there's never any versatility and inclusion is not just creating one or two shades in each category and calling it quits you have to do the work like you have to do the research you have to realize that this world is filled with billions of people billions of people with billions of skin tones billions of undertones and at minimum the least you can do is make sure that there is a product for everyone, but beyond complexion.

8:29I mean, I should be able to pick up a blush and it not be ashy on me. I should be able to get a bronzer, a contour that would work for my skin tone. There are complexities and there are layers here that I think people kind of just like misstep and they just kind of dismiss. My number one comment is, well, why do you need bronzer? Why do you need contour? Why do you need bronzer? And why you need contour right right you know yeah so it's it's crazy to see you but all you could do is pray that with time yeah with time yes there's this level of i think sometimes i've seen this and i'm not going to name any names because i honestly don't remember them off the top of my head but like there have been brands that just simply just they're just not going to do it and and i want to ask you about that because i know that you've worked with brands you've guided them you've help them.

9:13Tell me about the first time this happened. I don't remember the first brand that I shade consulted with. Oh my God, I've consulted with so many brands, but I do remember the initial like moment of it happening and just doing the work to make sure that the shade was working. Recently though, I can talk about a recent shade collaboration with Rode. The new lip liners or the lip smudges that came out. That was definitely a process. There's a lot that goes into shade consulting, there's a lot that goes into making shades. It's not an easy task. However, if you're committed to doing it as a brand, which I genuinely believe that Haley and Team Road are, it can be done.

9:49It's not impossible. It's not out of reach. It can be done. It's just going to take a little bit more work and you just have to listen to the consumer. I think that that is the number one takeaway that I think brands could just take off of is listen to the consumer because what you think might be enough typically isn't enough and there could always be more done we've seen it with like a ton of these launches like in the past new year like a lot of brands have been coming out with complexion launches that are just like okay so we really were not in the lab guys that's very interesting but also it's not that surprising just considering that their other products on the range are not up to par either and a lot of those issues if you hire a consultant if you make sure that you're hiring black chemists, if you make sure you're hiring black product developers, we could literally get rid of so many of those issues.

10:39I think that the biggest tell of this period is that there are brands that are actually doing it. For example, Danessa Myricks. She is a dark-skinned woman herself. Every product, every launch, anything that she drops will work for me, guaranteed. I don't even have to worry because she would never, I think she's just, she's so passionate about what she does. And she's also experienced that type of exclusion, not only as a dark-skinned Black woman, but also in this space of beauty and being a CEO and leading and creating change and being one of the only Black brands in Sephora, like, that is not an easy task.

11:12It's not an easy task to constantly have to, you know, be reminded that your gondola space is, like, this big. I'm talking about Danessa, and I swear to God, she is such an inspiration for me. I remember I interviewed her, and we both were, like, crying on that interview because I literally was just thanking her the whole time. Thank you for everything that you do. Every time I have a conversation with her I literally just end up crying because it's just it's not only to be seen but to be seen is to be loved and to be loved is also just like reflected in all of her products all of her products are made with so much love and that's why they look so beautiful on black and dark skin and it's just like you just can't that type of work ethic that type of love for curation and your and your craft we don't see in a lot of these beauty brands I feel like sometimes beauty brands just kind of like push out stuff and then continue to push, continue to push.

12:01Creativity gets lost in the wind somehow. And when that laziness sparks, obviously the products are not always going to hit. And I think that with Danessa, she just carefully curates everything. And unless it's perfect and unless it works for everybody, she's not going to drop it. She makes it known that we should be included the first time and we're not an afterthought. And I think Like that goes a long way in this industry and in this space. Absolutely. I love that you said that. And I want to ask you this question because I feel like this is always on my mind is this idea of all of these brands.

12:33We have these amazing thought leaders such as yourself advocating for all of these wonderful things. But then I feel like there are some brands that treat it like a trend. They'll do it. And then it kind of gets lost eventually, you know, in their lineup. And what are your thoughts on that in terms of making this not a trend and making it an actual integration into your brand voice? Honestly, my initial thought is that if inclusivity is not at the forefront of your marketing, the forefront of your products, it's just like an easy tell. You know, I think some of these brands think that they're getting away with it, but the consumer is not stupid.

13:07And I think when they realize that they're going to start actually being serious about more of the products that they release. However, I do think that the initial, oh, I'll just drop one product, make sure that it works for dark skin. And then they'll drop like a few products down the line. And there'll be like one shade, one shade that works with dark skin. It's just an easy tell. You're not actually trying. You actually don't want to be inclusive. You just want, don't want to be, you just don't want the smoke. That's what it is. You know? So you're just like, I'm just going to add it in here because I'd rather avoid all of the accusations and everything else.

13:42So we'll have one shade, but it's a lazily done shade you know so it's not any better and we see it and it's reflected and if inclusivity is just not at the forefront for you as a brand then I think that maybe we should reevaluate yeah yeah like what are you doing really like right what are your ethos so I hear I hear you on that and I agree because I think that a lot of times it gets to the point where the people that are making the decisions are I mean I'm not gonna lie they're very intelligent they're intelligent business mind and i think that that really does play into why it's like okay we'll do this for now and we'll quiet the masses and then eventually we'll just go back to whatever is like cost efficient for us the conversation i and i would love to get your insight on this is that i hear this all the time if we make the darker shades and we make like a truly inclusive range how many of those products are actually going to sell at the end of the day the thing is a lot i hear this argument all the time but the number one consumer of beauty products the number one race is black people Black women.

14:39Once people actually look at the science, look at the statistics, at the end of the day, the Black dollar is a very expensive dollar. And I think that, you know, in this world and in this life of how Black people have just been oppressed and seen and viewed, that these brands really just think that we're not worth anything, right? But statistics show that we are. And until they actually see that, that's when I think the brands will actually be like, okay, maybe we're gonna leave the shades here I know the shades are it's more expensive to make if you're adding more to a range regardless of the shade it's gonna be more expensive to make but if the black dollar is the most spit dollar in beauty why not make the shades come on yeah yeah no I hear you I mean honestly I've never understood that argument either because it's like you're making a lot of these lighter shades I mean if you look at some of the lightest shades in some of these ranges they're like almost porcelain white i mean it's kind of crazy and then you're making the argument of like no we can't go darker why can't you go darker just color theory understand exactly exactly and i feel like sometimes people forget that the same way that i advocate for the darkest shade the lightest shade is also being advocated for as well i have some content creative friends ocean she's literally like such a beautiful person and she typically wears the lightest shades and everything and like i said prior a lot of them lean like yellow on her or abnormally pink.

16:03And she's literally advocating for the exact same thing. But even though she's advocating for the exact same thing, I will say that there's always going to be a more influx of those lighter shades than there are those darker shades. I think I can name all of the brands in Sephora that actually carry my shades on six fingers. Yeah. Like maybe six fingers. And there's like over 200 brands in Sephora. And that discrepancy right there, I think it goes to show that white people are very catered to in society. And it's a little disheartening. And it's a hard conversation to have because it's just, well, we see it.

16:42It's obviously being done. And what can you do about it besides use your voice? And I think that's why I continue to scream at the top of my lungs that this is not good enough. This is not good enough. And I just don't care if people take it as complaining because we see them doing it with the lighter shades. we see them working 10 times harder on the lighter shades we see them you know catering to certain markets except for black markets and that is it's just a pill and it's a really thick systemic pill that is just so hard to swallow literally yeah no it really is a poison and you know what's crazy is like I often think about everybody that kind of falls in between because at the end of the day you're very very accurate in what you said you know the black dollar is a very expensive dollar you have to pay attention to that the economics of it all but more importantly i mean what's your message for everybody that falls in between because i don't like i am one of those consumers i will not buy a brand if you don't include people i don't give a crap if you have my shade cool you got my shade all right well what about my my friend you don't got her shade so i'm not gonna buy your brand sorry what's your message what's your message to that to the rest of us yeah honestly I like you said like I feel like it's this is unity is so important you do not have to experience the exact same things that I experienced for you to have empathy for you to literally just be like you know what this is just something that I don't want to support and this is just not something that I want to spend my money on especially because I know that it's it's always going to be at the cost of my peers and the people that I care about it's definitely hard to do that to redirect your spending to more ethos wise brands that are just more ethically, you know, just those girls, it's just a little harder for sure.

18:31But once you have actually like separated the difficultness from it and are just like, you know what, this is what I believe in. And I'm actually just going to support the brands that support people that not only like look like me, but the people in my life that I know don't look like me too. To take a step back and like understand the privilege and being able to go into a store and get your shades or any product that you want to try a new launch and get your shades and to still sit there and look at the darker shades because that's what you have to do you can look at your shades and be like oh they have my shade I'm gonna grab it right but it takes another type of strength for you to be like okay they have my shade but let me move my eyes this way and let me look at the darker shades right and the second that you sit there and you look at the darker shades and you're like you know maybe this isn't this isn't going to work.

19:16I feel like I have darker friends than this, or I have friends with more complex skin tones than this. I think that should be enough. And it's very telling of a person, of the person that you are. And a lot of this work cannot be done without that type of unity. I love that. Yeah. I'm with you on that, you know, all about unity because my name actually means unity. I love. I really believe in it though. I think that people need to get behind what's right at the end of the day. Like you said, you know, it's the ethos, the ethical stuff. I mean, You have to have that moral compass inside of you.

19:47And it's one thing to support. Brand might have a great formula. At the end of the day, if that formula isn't serving. I mean, the beauty industry to me is about serving. Like you're serving people. You're allowing them to feel creative and to feel something inside themselves. And I'd love for you to speak on this because I think the idea of beauty is obviously so different for all of us. But what do you think this all does for especially young girls? Because I worry about the younger generation a lot. What do you think this does for their perception of beauty? I get this question a lot, but my content, it's hard content to make.

20:23It's really hard content to make. But I was also a kid experiencing colorism and racism and experiencing a world where how I looked was not the beauty standard and how I was perceived was always in a negative light. But that is a very, very uncomfortable feeling to sit with at such a young age and to understand at such a young age. And that's why I create the content that I create, because we should be able to redefine beauty on our own terms. And that is always going to start with advocating for yourself, advocating for people that look like you and advocating for communities and voices that may have not had the voice to do so in years prior.

21:05And it's a very big responsibility and it's a very hard one, too, because, you know, the same way that these girls are experiencing the same things that I experienced, again, I experienced them and I'm also healing in my own way. the only thing that I can say is is that your beauty once you finally stop wanting to be the status quo and start challenging it and you start existing for yourself and doing it unapologetically that is whenever you're able to redefine not only your own beauty standards but the beauty standards of how you perceive other people as well because I think that's what people don't think about growing up is that you know whenever you're making fun of a dark-skinned girl not only are they thinking internally oh I'm not good enough but they're also thinking oh so if they think this way about me so I think all of these other dark-skinned girls probably just they're just not beautiful either right because that's how the world views us right and so they continue to have these perceptions of what beauty looks like based on societal expectations and just societal perceptions just starts bleeding in everything that they do you're not as confident there were so many things that I just remember growing up that I just, I wish that I could tell my little self, you are beautiful in your own way.

22:19And that is a decision for you to make, not for society to make. And yeah, I think my platform is a really good space for dark skin girls to learn, to just talk your truth. If, if it bothers them, it bothers them. But if it's the truth, it's the truth. Your experiences are your experiences to validate. Your beauty is your beauty to validate. And until you're able to do that unapologetically, you're never going to be able to live in a world where you're fully comfortable with yourself, fully comfortable with your Blackness. And it's hard. It's hard to live like that. It's hard to live like that.

22:51And I lived like that for so long. And until I started challenging that status quo, I think that's when I felt that freedom. It's a beautiful form of liberation. It's a beautiful form of just existing unapologetically. And I hope that all the dark skin girls who have experienced that type of trauma and hurt that I experience are living in a world and continue to live in a world where hey you see me you may not like it whatever but i know who i am and that's all that matters oh my god i love that gosh you are such a courageous human being i just want to say thank you no thank you for being the way that you are because i literally like we can't get enough of you you know what i mean all of your fans we love you so much because of this and i and i feel like everything you just described it takes so much courage to live like that and to face the odds and to never just give up on who you are and that is just something that is so so deeply beautiful and I hope that the young women out there right now that are growing up even though it's 2025 and I when I when I was 18 I was hoping then that we would not you know be a lot further along now fortunately we're still here and and it's like you know I just hope that they they realize that this industry not is not always going to represent you in the best way you know but you have to represent yourself so I love what you said exactly exactly thank you you you create such candid honest content and I love that that you do that but I know that you also get pushback how has that been dealing with the critiques and all that I know this is like really no I if you're white you've never experienced the things that I've experienced your critiques do not matter to me hello goodbye and that's just that in terms of the other critiques, I'm just like, at the end of the day, like, if you are not a person of a darker complexion, I really don't care what you have to say.

24:37Because you haven't experienced the things that I've experienced. And on top of that, because you haven't experienced the things that I've experienced, you don't understand the frustration, right? And so a lot of people think that it's just like misdirected, or I get tone policed, like literally all the time, like, oh, well, you need to be nicer and da-da-da-da, but why? But why? Why should I be nicer? And why are you viewing me honestly saying that this isn't working as a negative thing why are you tone policing me and just automatically assuming that I'm just being angry or I'm just finding finding a reason to be upset right and that again that again just ties back to the systemic racism and colorism that black people face in the United States and everywhere else around the world like and it's not even just black people but specifically black women when we speak it's a really really difficult for people to actually just listen we've seen it throughout history we've seen the girls of parks we've seen for example Jackie Aina we've seen Nima Tang they have done it at such lengths and they have continued to receive pushbacks and they do it anyway despite it right because whatever you have to tell me is not bigger than my end goal it's not bigger than what I want to see in this world and the shift that I want to see in this world for the people that look like me and for myself.

25:51And until people actually get that into their head, the hate is never going to bother me because I know that my divine purpose in this world is bigger than me. And that's why I create the content that I create, because I know that there is a dark skinned girl watching my content being like, wow, she looks just like me. If she could do it, I can do it too. So keep the hate coming. At the end of the day, keep the hate coming. It's quite okay. My content is not for everybody. You can scroll, you can block, you can unfollow but again I make my content for dark-skinned women and if you are not dark-skinned women you can either absorb it love that you do or you cannot and that's okay yes oh my gosh yes 100 % I love that I love that you brought up Jackie especially because I remember when I was in medical school I was watching Jackie I remember just yes thank you you know like she was so graceful about it and I mean it's the best thing about I think black women when you guys raise your voice this is my favorite part is that it's always graceful it's always hard-hitting and it's the freaking truth if you don't like it you can leave the building you know it doesn't even matter there are people here who do get it you know and those of us who get it we're like yeah okay please keep talking right because you're not just representing yourselves you're representing the rest of us you know the rest of the shades the rest of the individuals i mean i just remember you know even at a younger age I was you know I came here I mean my I come from an immigrant family and I was very young when I came here like four or five and the first people the first kids that embraced me personally were African-American young women they were the ones who taught me about makeup they were the ones who told me about my hair I didn't even know about my own hair and they were able to help me and like feel comfortable in my skin in this brand new country that I landed in it's so deeply rooted in our culture to like listen to black women and to understand that they're coming from the most genuine place that you can come from and i just want society to get to that point i mean black women are like the most educated we are the most strong-willed we and i think it just comes from a place of anything that we want done because the world has constantly told us that we can't yeah we're going to get done and the world has constantly silenced our voices and silenced human decency, literally, and to be treated like a human that I think we're in a day and age where Black women are just like, no, I'm calling shits.

28:14I'm calling shits. You will hear me or you will not. But at the end of the day, this is my life to live. I'm Black as fuck and it's quite okay. And I'm also smart and I'm beautiful and I'm a doctor and I'm an influencer and I'm a lawyer and you guys are going to see me. Alhamdulillah. And that's all you can say. Exactly. Yes, I completely agree. I want to shift gears a little bit because I know you were recently on the Forbes third under 30 congratulations by the way so well deserved how has that been I mean in terms of getting that recognition and you know you're you're 23 years old so yes must be amazing yes um it is wow like I I work so hard like I genuinely work so hard and I never thought this would be attainable for me just because of the life we lived and just not coming from money and experiencing like the worst of worst, like not having heat, not having electricity, not having basic access to things.

29:07And I think that people are like, oh, you know what? You're 23. You're so young. Like, how did you do this? How did you do this? Well, it was by force. It was by force. When your circumstances are so bad, and I mean so bad to the point where you really just don't even know if life is worth living, you either will push through it and you will work through it or you will either break and you will you will let your circumstances break you um and that's like the worst of the worst I've seen it happen to so many people that I care about and to know that I have the strength to like push through and continue to use my voice and amplify the voices of black creators and do it at such maths and just like lenses it literally almost makes me want to cry because it's just like this was not supposed to happen for you these were not supposed to be in these cards for you a lot of people just do not make it out of poverty and living a life without basic necessities and just even being a refugee and having parents i don't even speak english it is one of the hardest things that you will experience in this life like no one can convince me otherwise and to be able to say that i did it and at such a young age i'm so so thankful that i was able to do it but also like i'm now at a place where i'm like okay you did it and now you can rest you can rest for a second yeah yeah no you're so wise beyond your years though you know like I know I've said your age a few times you know but really I mean I feel like you're just so wise and and you know so much more than shit that I did you know 23 I was I was lost you know and so I I love that you're getting this recognition I I want you to get all the all the freaking recognition out there because I mean it's literally what changes the world is what you're doing and I love it and I'm here for it and I my last question for you Gloria is if you were to give any advice and words of wisdom to all the young women all the young creators out there they're listening what would that be probably to not pay attention to the distractions of this world um it's very easy to get distracted it's very easy to fall into things that you know may not be super productive for you it is really hard to submit right submit to a higher purpose submit to just a higher version of yourself and higher principles it's hard it's difficult and sometimes it's really tiring and it's really exhausting but the second you are able to do that I think that's when you're going to be able to see your wings just like just fly right takes a lot of trust.

31:36You have to trust yourself. You have to trust that there's a divine purpose for you. You may not see it right now. You may not know what it is. You may feel like, dang, the world is just like a really cruel place. And I'm sure a lot of us feel that way, but you have to have hope and you have to have hope that your voice and who you are and the strength that you carry and the purpose that you carry in this life is going to turn into something beautiful and abundant. I love that so much. Thank you so much for offering those words, because it's it's just so important i love that you're putting your content out there but i just hope that there's going to be more people that follow in your footsteps that way and and really kind of voice themselves you know and their concerns and i feel like that's how this industry every industry is going to grow like that we pray we pray oh really guys every day every day this has been such an honor and thank you for having me best part of this year so far for me Thank you.

32:30I cannot wait to see it in full form. I hope you guys loved that episode with Gloria. It was so amazing to chat with her about everything related to the beauty industry. I just want to remind you guys before we go to make sure you follow and subscribe to us anywhere that you're tuning in, whether that's Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon. We are everywhere and we would love for you to follow along for all of our episodes. Also, do not forget to check out our Shop My Shelf, which is where you can find all the products related to the brands that we host. And this is a great place for you to look at our curated lists of products and find something that really fits you.

33:07So thank you so much for tuning in and we will be back with another episode. Hey guys, so I hope you loved that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms. So wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe. You will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host. And that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of.

33:44Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok, X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium. So if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast. And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more. We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets.

34:14So check us out. Leave us a comment. Leave us a review. And we'll be back next time with another episode. Thank you.

From the publisher

In this inspiring episode of Skin Anarchy, host Dr. Ekta sits down with Golloria George, a powerful advocate for diversity in the beauty industry. Golloria shares her personal journey—from feeling invisible in beauty aisles as a young girl to using her experiences as a refugee from South Sudan to fuel a mission for genuine inclusivity. She reveals how the absence of products made for her skin tone sparked a movement that goes beyond representation. Golloria emphasizes that true change requires actionable steps and diverse voices in product development.


Golloria discusses the harsh reality that mere token representation is not enough. She challenges brands to move past adding a few darker shades and instead integrate Black chemists, product developers, and executives who understand the unique needs of melanin-rich skin.


She urges consumers to support brands that genuinely cater to all skin tones and to use their purchasing power to demand authentic inclusivity. Her message is clear: beauty is a human right, and everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the products they use.


The conversation also touches on the broader impact of solidarity across different communities and how standing together can drive change in an industry that has long overlooked marginalized groups. Golloria’s candid insights offer hope and a roadmap for a future where beauty standards are reshaped by empathy, innovation, and real action.


Tune in to learn how her advocacy is transforming the beauty landscape and empowering the next generation to define their own worth.


To learn more about Golloria George visit her website and social media. Don’t forget to subscribe to Skincare Anarchy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred platform. Reach out to us through email with any questions.


Shop all our episodes and products mentioned through our ShopMy Shelf!



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