At the 16th GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards, in partnership with Samsung, we’re honouring those women who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and reshape the world. From activism to acting, our winners are working across a variety of industries to make the world a better, more equal place.
Taking home the UOMA Beauty award for ‘Beauty Changemaker’ is Munroe Bergdorf, a model and activist who consistently uses her platform to champion diversity in the beauty industry.
I’ve always gravitated towards beauty that oozes bold, strong femininity. I didn’t have many friends in high school growing up, so I turned to outlets like fashion magazines and music videos; places where I could escape into a world that looked like the one in my imagination. I would lose myself in the work of people who forged their own paths: Madonna’s sexual braveness and refusal to conform to society's respectability politics; Beyoncé who was one of the few Black women in pop music; and Christina Aguilera who wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries of makeup and fashion.
I knew that I wanted to do that, too. But I felt like the industry wasn’t set up for me. There was a distinct lack of access to the same level of makeup products as people with lighter skin tones than me, which came in the form of minuscule shade ranges and beauty products that didn’t help me or other Black women to achieve our desired look.
Not only were shades non-inclusive, but imagery featuring Black, queer and trans people was rare. I always felt disheartened, a lack of darker shade ranges was one thing but also not seeing yourself reflected in the industry (while trying not to conform to society's standards) was hard. Feeling unrepresented in the industry I wanted to pursue a career in felt like standing at the bottom of a mountain. But it made me all the more determined to be the change I wanted to see.
The most empowering night of the year is back.
I found this time in my life to be a confusing parallel to navigate, not only was I and other unrepresented people not being provided with products to accentuate our beautiful features, but we were actively encouraged to buy products that lightened our skin and straightened our hair: I wore the wrong shade of foundation because I had to mix what was available on the market, and it was never truly a match… It was ashy, really ashy.
Chemically straightening my hair with hair relaxers and then bleaching it did me no favours either, my hair turned into a consistency that resembled chewing gum and dropped out in clumps.
"I know what it feels like not to see yourself reflected in the beauty standards of the day – to feel hopeless within an industry that you are inspired by."
This is why I was so inspired by people who trod their own paths and created avant-garde looks that I now love and appreciate. While certain aspects of beauty seemed so boundless in magazines in my younger years, the industry still felt unavailable to me. How could I possibly join in when there wasn't even a foundation that matched my skin tone?
If I could give my younger self any advice, it would be to stay away from hair relaxers, have fun playing with wigs but also learn to appreciate my beautiful curl pattern and look into getting braids (I’ll grow up to really love them). The beauty industry has come far since then, but there’s still lots more to do. Many more communities are lacking the representation that they deserve – as well as public understanding and support.
When I first started out, there were no transgender models in the UK mainstream media. To have the opportunity to represent myself (and others) in a way I’ve never seen before was a huge thing to wrap my head around. I've had the opportunity to show people that beauty doesn't exist within a cookie-cutter; real beauty is the opportunity to celebrate differences and inspire others to feel beautiful as they are or as they want to be.
From Little Mix to Munroe Bergdorf.
People like Rihanna and Pat McGrath are at the top of their game and are redefining the industry as a whole with their immersive shade ranges, which people often refer back to when other brands' inclusivity is called into question. Their success is now a case study of how other brands can diversify and further the impact of their own lines, which is to everyone's benefit. Retrospect is a fine thing, but we need to ensure we're breaking new ground now.
Winning the UOMA Beauty Game Changer Award at GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year award means so much to me because I know what it feels like not to see yourself reflected in the beauty standards of the day – to feel hopeless within an industry that you are inspired by. I hope my career and my presence within the industry show people from marginalised backgrounds that they can change things in their own way.
“I find comfort in pretty aesthetics, which probably originates from the need to find safety in my gender and my gender journey.”
Nowadays, I'm really inspired by people that take risks with beauty. I love makeup artists like Sophia Sinot, and I love what Doja Cat is doing by challenging people's ideas of what is beautiful and giving an aesthetic that's quite alien. One of my goals for the next year is to be much more creative and try new looks that aren't so comfortable – I think I find comfort in pretty aesthetics, which probably originates from the need to find safety in my gender and my gender journey.
We’ll look back in years to come and realise that there were still so many stereotypes and things that we were getting wrong in the beauty industry, but I hope I can be part of rewriting that. In my debut book Transitional, released in February 2023, I write about how difficult it is to carve out a path in a world that doesn’t hold space for us to be ourselves. I hope that someone somewhere reads it and is inspired to blaze their own trail despite feeling like they, too, are at the bottom of a mountain.
I'm so proud and thankful to GLAMOUR for always being so supportive of my career and of so many transgender people's careers. GLAMOUR has embraced the community and really offered us a mouthpiece. It's not all about the looks, It's about standing with us against all of the obstacles that we are currently facing within society.
As told to @itsvanesem.
Official Beauty and After Party Partner of GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year Awards, UOMA exists to re-write the rules of inclusivity and diversity to create a world of beauty that truly is for all of us. UOMA Beauty is the most inclusive black-owned beauty brand, it is rebellious, innovative and created for all.
Transitional by Munroe Bergdorf will be released in February 2023.
