Variety: Waiting for production to restart, makeup artist Kirin Bhatty has spent her summer giving makeup consultations via FaceTime, preparing stars including Geraldine Viswanathan of “The Broken Hearts Gallery” to look their best for drive-through red carpets and Zoom interviews.
5 comments:
I am so glad this article is out and there are move conversations be had about representation on and off-screen (or stage) because this is an issue that is so prevalent in the industry that so many people have just accepted for too long. I am glad Bhatty brought up the issue of equal pay because something I think we see far too often is organizations will give people of color jobs and call it diversity and inclusion when they are getting paid significantly less than their white counterparts. I really hope people in the industry keep talking about equal pay and we don’t go back to a point where talking about how much you are getting paid is taboo because we need to be talking about it if we want to reach equal pay. Something else I thought was really interesting was that during this pandemic what they talked about when the makeup artists would facetime the actors and walk them through how to do the makeup. I am glad make-up artists are still getting work in this time.
Diversity benefits everyone, and I think the article opens up this conversation nicely. From past theater experiences I have seen how performers of color have kind of been slid to the side in terms of makeup. This in part has to do with the lack of diversity in MUAs like the article pointed out. More often than not performers of color will be expected to do their own makeup since it is common that the makeup artists that have been hired don’t have the right shades or know the proper techniques to apply makeup on darker skin tones. I also appreciated how the interview brought to light the issue of equal pay. Although the gender wage gap is widely known, Bhatty also mentioned how race has a role in the paycheck. In fact, it also plays a role in who gets what jobs. I think the interview is a good place to start in regards to opening up the conversation.
“…no actor should feel like their makeup artist can’t handle them because of their identity”. I think this is an incredibly important concept to grasp, because actors are putting themselves on stage and on camera where they have to be vulnerable. They shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable when they are getting ready to step into that role, they should feel comfortable and able to be themselves. It’s absurd to me that a top makeup artist can get away with having an entire career without ever having to do makeup on a person of color’s skin, and even more absurd that when they do that person’s make up there’s an expectation or understanding that they don’t have to meet the same skill level or bar. A makeup artist is a painter (in some ways), using a person’s face as a canvas- and they need to be prepared and well versed to work in every medium possible. Echoing Annika’s comment, it’s important that while we are taking about the need for diversity we are talking about the need for equal pay among these diverse populations. This is not only an issue among make up artists, but an issue that we can see all aspects of our industry.
This is so important! I love what the makeup artist Lori said about being an expert in the field of makeup. You can’t consider yourself an expert if you don’t know how to work on certain eye shapes or skin tones. That should be a no brained. This is something that we talked about in the AntiRacist theater class. ‘We see you white American theater’ put out a list of demands and one of those demands was “respect our bodies.” Im just speculating, but I assume that was included because BIPOC actors had experiences where hair artists didn’t know how to handle their hair or had to bring in their own foundation to match their skin or was made to look washed out because a makeup or lighting designer didn’t know how to handle their skin tone. This can be a call to all white makeup artists to do better and make sure they know how to do their job on a diverse range of people. But more importantly it’s a call to the industry to diversify the design team. It will benefit all aspects of theater. From making sure actors feel comfortable and looking their best to making sure diversity isn’t just what the audience sees but it’s authenticity the theater culture to be diverse and equitable backstage as well.
“And if you’re not comfortable, you should strive to become an expert in your field, because no actor should feel like their makeup artist can’t handle them because of their identity.” This line stuck with me. I feel as part of my job as a POC designer, is to make my POC on-stage counterparts feel comfortable in the work they are performing in. I still have no idea what I intend to declare, but I am oftentimes told that I could work in hair and makeup- which I believe I definitely have the potential to do. In this field dominated by white-ness, it’s important that white makeup artists and hairdressers can work with a variety of different hair types, skin types, eye shapes, etc. Otherwise, they are no expert in their field. Even if I don’t find myself working in hair and makeup in my future years, all the work I will create not only in the theatre, but elsewhere, will be equitable to all people.
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