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Times Up UK is advocating for more fairness in hairstyling and makeup chairs and two British actresses are part of the effort.
The group along with the PMA Diverse Squad, the British Blacklist and Garden Studios is hoping to ensure that Black actors have the same access to hair and makeup that suits them that their white counterparts do. Noemie Harris (Spectre, No Time To Die, Moonlight) and Lashana Lynch (One Love, No Time to Die, ) are lending their names to the effort.
“The last thing you want to be thinking about as you prepare in character before going on set is your hair,” Harris said in a statement. “Hair and makeup discrimination is a persistent and unspoken issue which causes harm. I am delighted to support Time’s Up UK and partners in their campaign to raise awareness of this inequality in our industry and to find ways to ensure that there are professionals on set that can support everyone.”
Per Deadline, In 2021, a report by the Sir Lenny Henry Media Centre for Media Diversity said 71% of those surveyed had experienced hair and makeup discrimination. BAFTA nominee Jordan Pitt, who directed the Sky TV documentary Untold Stories: Hair On Set is also supporting the initiative.
Film and TV productions will be asked to include the following clause in deal memos for Black and ‘Global’ actors.
“There will be a meaningful consultation between the Actor and Hair & Makeup. Production will provide a hair and makeup stylist(s) with knowledge and experience of working with afro-textured hair and darker skin tones; and ensure that the makeup artist will have a reasonable selection of makeup which is actually suited to darker skin tones.”
In 2022, Lynch said that she learned how important it was to use her platform to advocate for change.
“The other big thing that has finally landed for me this year is how important it is to stand on your square,” she told Marie Claire UK. “I’ve tried my best to do that for years and not really known what it meant until I’ve been confronted with moments or people or spaces that force me to stand by what I believe in. I’ve gained more experience, so I’m now able to have more courage in speaking up and having agency for myself and others.”
In a statement of support for the initiative, Lynch said, “Being expected to perform at our best when we as Black artists do not have the same support in hair and makeup as our non-Black and brown peers, is a load that can be heavy to carry as an artist. This load must be shared. I’m hugely supportive of this campaign to address this discrimination ensuring an equitable work environment on and off set for all.”
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