Jackie Aina on Beauty & Luxury
Jackie Aina is an Nigerian-American professional makeup artist turned youtube sensation with the goal of challenging conventional beauty standards & making beauty more accessible to people of colour.
She has amassed 3.53M YouTube subscribers, 1.9M Instagram followers and 2.8M TikTok followers. This has afforded her the ability to create a safe space for women of colour, encourage black excellence & luxury as well as build a successful scented candle brand Forvr Mood; which sold $700,000 worth of product in it’s first four hours of launch in Sephora.
The Value of Authenticity & Honesty
Over the years Jackie has used authenticity and honesty to establish trust. She has never shied away from providing deeply honest reviews of products. This makes it easy for viewers and brands to trust her opinions.
She has also always been honest about her personal life & journey to becoming the YouTube sensation she is today which was not an easy road for her. This creates a bond with viewers and positions her as a trusted friend, older sister, advisor and confidant in the eyes of her viewers.
Sisterhood
She has championed sisterhood values throughout her career and used it to cultivate a strong online presence through mentorship, menteship, collaborations and patnerships with highly influential names in the beauty & content creation space such as Pat McGrath, Nyma Tang, Bob The Drag Queen and Monet X Change to name a few. This level of commitment to solidarity, empowerment and inclusivity for women and non-binary people creates a strong sense of community, loyalty and trust.
A Voice for Social Change
As a proud Nigerian-American, Jackie has made her stance on important social issues such as racism known. She consistently publicly addresses racial discrimination she notices and uses her platform to educate people on the harmfulness of racial stereotypes. Taking a stand against racism helps establish her as a thought leader and advocate for positive change which is a topic that resonates with many, especially Milennials & Gen-Z.
Sense of Humour
Jackie has always used her sense of humour when creating content and engaging with her viewers. This makes for much more memorable and engaging content. It also helps humanise her and create a deeper connection with an audience who are able to see her as someone they can relate to.
African American Vernacular English
Despite achieving high levels of wealth, fame and overall social status since beginning in 2009, Jackie Aina still continues to use African American Vernacular English (AAVE) which is a distinct dialect spoken by African Americans. Often times this dialect has negative connotations (supported by racial bias) however Jackie Aina continues to speak it. I believe this is an intentional move which allows people from a similar (low or working class) background to be able to see themself in a similar position of wealth, fame and social status. It is a way of implying that any dream is achievable regardless of your background.
From 2009 till today Jackie has managed to use her platform to drive positive change and build a community for women of colour; a group often overlooked to feel seen & heard. She has also made women of colour all around the world believe a life of luxury, ease and softness is not only achievable but something they deserve.
