invest time and money to expand their view on diversity. This can be done through courses or seminars on diversity. It must also be done by engaging in insightful, and sometimes difficult, conversations on what diversity is. This should be done with both colleagues as well as consumers. When engaging in these conversations with Gen Z, this paper argues that brands will gain much value and positive reactions. Brands must be actively and sincerely curious to gain knowledge on diversity in order to live up to the demands set by Gen Z, and they must accept the fact that they do not know everything about diversity yet. The findings of this paper show that knowledge is needed, and brands who are unaware of the complexity and nuances of diversity can fail to live up to their claim on diversity and inclusivity. Moreover, bias exists everywhere, and it is recommended that brands acknowledge potential bias related to diversity in order to actively work with these. Moreover, brands must acknowledge that mistakes can be made in the process of understanding diversity. It is arguably a part of the complicated learning process. However, whenever brands have made mistakes in the eyes of Gen Z, it is recommended to actively follow up on these mistakes as this is what Gen Z requires.
racism and discrimination are not only related to the beauty industry, but it has become the main focus areas of movement in the U.S. The BLM movement evolved to relate to not only the systemic racism seen in all corners of the U.S but arguably the whole world. However, there is also a big resistance towards the movement as well as an increased focus on political correctness and a so-called easily-offended culture.
On the one hand, this can be discussed to be a matter that includes society as a whole, regardless of generation. Political movements are, arguably, not related to specific generations, but it is a demonstration of a need for changes for s society as a whole. Overall, this leads to an understanding of a world that has divided opinions regarding societal and political subjects, and the world is, perhaps more than ever, divided into two opposing camps. Specific generations might be more visible in some movements than others, but it arguably cannot be determined that a specific generation belongs to a specific movement. Brands might feel the need to adapt to these movements of societal changes as well as the underlying political instabilities in society, as the society is moving towards a direction where brands are expected to have a societal voice (YouGov, 2018). It can be discussed that the actions brands take to keep up with the demands in society might be an extension of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy. It can be argued that brands are not only expected to make a societal change related to their CSR but instead, they are expected to actively take a stand on political subjects. Hence, they are expected to go even further in their responsibility towards society.
On the other hand, Gen Z is arguably a very powerful and demanding generation due to their use of social media. As stated by Fabech, social media have given the consumer a huge amount of co-determination in brands’ content, and as Gen Z’ers are also known as digital natives, spending many hours on social media every day as evident from the survey, it can be discussed whether Gen Z is specifically demanding changings more visibly than older generations. As analyzed in this paper, the discussion of an easily-offended culture has been focused to relate to mainly younger generations as they have been claimed to have become too sensitive and too politically correct. This strengthens the idea that there is a generational gap between younger and older generations. However, as stated in this paper, in a study by Andersson (1973), no
‘real’ gap is found between generations regarding feelings or attitudes, but instead, there were
faulty perceptions of the attitudes of the opposite generation. It is, thus, interesting to discuss how there will always be a generational war, regardless of which specific generations. As mentioned earlier, Gen Z has criticized Millennials and Boomers and vice versa. Thus, the issue of a generational war might relate to a phenomenon of believing that one’s own generation is always ‘right’. Gen Z is, perhaps, just the most visible generation at this moment as they are dominating social media presence and increasing size in terms of percentage of the population, thus, making it look like these demands are the dominating ones.
As already mentioned, Gen Z uses its voice for consumer activism (Ruhl, 2020). As argued in this paper, offending Gen Z can have big consequences for brands. Thus, it can be discussed that Gen Z might not be the only generation to have these demands regarding diversity and inclusivity, but they are perhaps actively willing to challenge brands, even more than older generations, because of their acts of consequences, taking part in the “cancel culture” and boycott on social media. As stated earlier, “canceling on social media” is especially related to the younger and tech-savvy generations, including Gen Z, as these consumers are more likely to make their voices be heard (Roselli, 2020). According to Saunter and Shin (2019), Gen Z is driving the shift towards a more inclusive visual culture. The netnographic study determined that several beauty influencers, who mostly target Gen Z, will express their dissatisfaction and demands on social media. However, the netnographic study cannot determine whether the collected statements from consumers come from a specific generation or not. Thus, making it challenging to determine whether it is consumer demands or generational demands based on the collected data, although secondary data supports the argument of generational demands.
The combination of Gen Z’s argued demands and the changing, divided society, can be discussed to result in the consumer demands, brands are expected to meet today. It is, therefore, perhaps not only Gen Z who demands changes, but it is the society as a whole that demands change. It can be discussed that Gen Z is more visible with their demands due to their constant presence on social media, and hereunder consequences for brands on social media, as well as their need to express themselves and voice their opinions. The authors of this paper believe that Gen Z has specific characteristics that empower their consumer demands, however, the authors still acknowledge that society is moving towards a direction where it is expected, regardless of
generations, that brands take a stand in societal and political cases because of their social responsibility.
Diversity and Inclusivity in Beauty: The New Standard or Just a Phase?
While this paper does argue that valuing diversity and inclusivity is a typical characteristic of Gen Z consumers, regardless of the BLM movement. Having said this, the analysis does also indicate that it is possible to argue that the beauty industry may have been affected by the BLM movement. As has been stated in the analysis, there is evidence to suggest that some might feel that some brands are only expressing support of BLM and diversity because it has been a trending topic ever since the flare-up of the BLM movement in 2020. Specifically, findings from the survey show that 82% of respondents either somewhat or strongly agree that brands are beginning to promote diversity and inclusivity. Moreover, 72% of respondents either strongly agree or somewhat agree with the statement that some beauty brands only support BLM when it is trending. This makes it interesting to discuss whether or not this focus on diversity and inclusivity is a fleeing phase, potentially caused by the BLM movement, that will decrease as time goes on and the focus on the movement will subside.
On the one hand, it can be argued that the preference for or valuing of beauty brands that support and promote diversity and inclusivity is not just a phenomenon that can be traced back to the flare-up of the BLM movement. As has also been stated in this paper, beauty brands such as Fenty Beauty have become notorious for the so-called “Fenty effect”. The brand first launched with 40 shades of foundation, which was later expanded to 50 shades (Saputo, 2019).
This arguably had an influence on the beauty industry as a whole, along with the inclusive and diverse advertising that came with the launch. Some industry experts feel that, before Fenty, the term ‘inclusive beauty’ was not part of the conversation in the beauty industry (Fetto, 2020b) and that the brand managed to cater to a segment of women who had felt ignored by the beauty industry for years. The trend for releasing inclusive shade ranges that followed the launch of Fenty Beauty makes it possible to argue that competing beauty brands could see a positive response from consumers and wanted in on that market. Hence, if there is a market for inclusive and diverse beauty, there is arguably a demand for it, and vice-versa. Thus, it is possible to argue that brands might have seen that there is a market for inclusive beauty, and
moreover, possibly due to the BLM movement, brands might have made permanent decisions about implementing diversity and inclusivity practices as part of their CSR, for instance.
Fabech argues that the BLM movement also caused a lot of brands to reflect on their diversity efforts, stating:
A lot of brands did a good job supporting the specific events that led to the creation of Black Lives Matter, and that also reflected on their diversity strategy. (Appendix 1, l.
106-108)
The argued market for inclusive beauty, along with the argued value of diversity and inclusivity that might be especially visible amongst Gen Z consumers, lays the foundation to argue that this is a trend that may be here to stay, and possibly more of a new standard in the beauty industry than a trend. As Gen Z’ers will be the next big consumer base in terms of market percentage, after Millennials (NCR, 2020), it can be argued that their values might continue to influence the beauty industry, given that brands would arguably want to reach this big consumer base. Thus, it is possible to argue that the trend of inclusive beauty will be visible even after the BLM movement, and the consequent focus on racial inequalities has subsided or lost traction. Whether or not brands are making permanent changes as a result of the BLM movement and the conversation it started and argued reflection in terms of the diversity strategy it caused, remains to be seen. However, it can be argued that diversity and inclusivity in the beauty industry might be more than trends, and rather could be indicative of ‘a new normal’.
On the other hand, it is possible to argue that the trend of supporting diversity and inclusivity could be explained due to the increased focus caused by the BLM movement, more so than it is explained by the demands of a generation. As is arguably characteristic about trends; they come and they go, and consumers find other issues to focus on, causing brands to also focus on these other issues, rather than diversity and inclusivity. Thus, it is possible to argue that this trend in consumer demand is a phase that will pass in time, as the extensive publicity regarding the BLM movement subsides. Nduta seems to worry that this might be the case, stating that:
[…] It was just a phase. It was trendy to talk about for a period of time and then it ebbed away. It is just so important to really hold on to these topics and keep being aware of them and say ‘Hey, we’re (read: black people) still here and the problem still exists.
(Appendix 2, l. 151-154).
Although the influence of the BLM movement on the beauty industry has been examined and argued for throughout this paper, whether the influence will have lasting effects, is up for discussion. A study based on skin tones representation on beauty brands’ social media pages suggests that the influence of the BLM movement on the beauty industry was short-lived (Segran, E.), with the percentage of dark skin tone representation spiking 122% over the summer of 2020 at the top of the BLM movement, and decreasing drastically almost back to the same low percentage of representation in September and October. A possible explanation for this may be due to the fact that it can be said that many beauty brands have been successful for many years before the BLM movement, with launches and campaigns that, potentially, in the wake of the BLM movement, was considered non-inclusive by some consumers. It is possible to argue that when the media attention and public focus on the movement have settled, there might not be enough inner-driven incentive to support inclusivity and diversity in the beauty industry from both the perspective of the consumers and the brands. Although it may be true that consumers of colors would still be patrons of diversity and inclusivity in the future, the rest of consumers, i.e. the majority of consumers at least in the west, may move on to focus on other issues.
After all, it can be said that beauty brands have been experiencing success in the industry despite launching product ranges and campaigns that, in the eyes of today’s consumers who might be affected by the BLM movement, could be perceived as being non-inclusive. Thus, there is a possibility that brands could resume their ‘old’ practices, as this is what they know and what has worked for them for many years, and the majority of consumers might be fine with that. Although, as presented in the analysis, 62% of respondent ranked diversity and inclusivity in the beauty industry as being either extremely important or very important (Appendix 3, Q13), this paper acknowledges that there is a possibility that these results may have been influenced by the argued heightened focus on issues pertaining to this, especially following the BLM movement. Had the survey been conducted either before BLM or a
significant amount of time after, there is a chance that respondents might have expressed valuing diversity and inclusivity less. Thus, it is possible to argue that consumer values regarding issues about diversity and inclusivity in the beauty industry might be a phase that will pass over time.
Discussion of Future Research
As previously stated in this paper, the focus has been limited to only analyzing diversity and inclusivity in terms of ethnicity, due to the limited scope of this paper. When considering the findings of the analysis of this paper, in regard to Gen Z consumers’ tendency to value diversity and inclusivity, and their resulting argued demands for this is the beauty industry, it is compelling to discuss whether Gen Z’s demands for diversity and inclusivity goes beyond just the aspect of ethnic diversity as included in this paper.
As beauty brands are, arguably, beginning to focus more on ethical diversity and inclusivity, it raises the question of whether this focus is, or potentially could, exceed the limitations set by this paper. It can be said that as consumers are beginning to demand more from brands’
diversity and inclusivity initiatives, beauty brands are starting to implement inclusivity initiatives in terms of many different aspects of diversity such as the body positivity movement, people with disabilities, age inclusivity as well as gender and sexuality. As stated previously, this paper originally intended to examine diversity and inclusivity both in terms of ethnicity and skin color as well as gender and sexuality. Taking into account the findings on Gen Z consumers’ demand for ethnic diversity and inclusivity, it can be argued that the same demand amongst Gen Z consumers may also be in evidence in regard to the other aspects of diversity and inclusivity.
When collecting data for this paper, it became evident that sexuality and gender inclusivity may also present an area of great value and importance to Gen Z consumers. Thus, this paper proposes that this aspect might be interesting and relevant for future research to examine. This paper argues that its findings may be applicable to the area of sexuality and gender, based on the following data.
It is evident from the survey that 33% of Danish Gen Z’ers believe that diversity regarding race and gender in the beauty industry is extremely important, and 29% find it very important (Appendix 3, Q13). As the question relates to both race and gender, due to the unknown delimitation of the paper at the time, it cannot be determined if respondents answered based on their beliefs regarding race or gender. However, this limitation can be used as an argument to conduct future research in order to investigate, if diversity regarding gender was actually the main belief of the answer Nevertheless when comparing the results with respondents only identifying as non-binary, third gender, or other, it is evident that 56% believes that diversity regarding race and gender in the beauty industry is extremely important, and 22% finds it very important. This finding leads to proposed future research on the correlation between gender and beliefs on the importance of diversity in the beauty industry. Furthermore, studies show that Gen Z’ers are more likely to vote in favor of adoption by gender couples and same-gender marriages than previous generations (Francis & Hoefel, 2018). This is possibly explained by the fact that they themselves are a more diverse generation in regard to gender than e.g. Millennials; studies have shown that only 48% of Gen Z’ers identify as completely heterosexual (Fromm & Read, 2018, p. 27). Accordingly, Gen Z’ers are also considerably more tolerant than previous generations, as more than half of Gen Z’ers say they want more options than “male/female” in online forms (Fry & Parker, 2018). A study by the J. Walter Thompson Intelligence Group in 2015 found that 81% believe that gender doesn’t define a person as much as it used to (Seemiller & Grace, 2019). Thus, Gen Z is less likely to ascribe to traditional gender binaries, and they are more open to gender fluidity.
According to Seemiller & Grace (2019), Gen Z has a strong inclination for inclusion and equality in order to make the world a better place. As mentioned earlier, studies show together with racial equality, gender equality and sexual orientation equality rank high in importance to Gen Z (Fromm & Read, 2018, p. 27). Thus, this study combined with statements by Fabech on how diversity is not only related to ethnic diversity, but also sexuality, disability, and other areas (Appendix 1, l. 57-58), supports the argument of proposed future research on diversity related to gender and sexuality. Hence, inclusive beauty entails a lot more than just the focus on ethnic diversity, and some brands are aware of this as seen in an earlier mentioned launch of gender-neutral products (CB Insights, 2019). Gender-neutral products support this greater focus on ‘inclusive beauty’. Companies like Yves Saint Laurent and Clinique offer makeup for
men, while brands including MAC, Tom Ford, and Marc Jacobs have all launched gender-neutral makeup lines (CB Insights, 2019, p. 14). Thus, it might be relevant for future research to examine this area of diversity.
Moreover, this paper investigates how brands, arguably, perform diversity washing. However, before delimiting the paper, this paper wished to investigate how brands perform pink washing, similar to diversity washing but regarding sexuality and gender-related issues, as well. These findings are relevant to highlight in order to argue for future research on gender and sexuality.
The survey found that 36% of Gen Z’ers believe that some beauty brands only support LGBTQ+ during Pride month. However, when comparing the results to respondents claiming to be either homosexual, bisexual or other, it is evident that 67% believe that brands only support LGBTQ+ during Pride month. This finding reflects that there might be a correlation between sexuality and the attitude towards brands who support LGBTQ+, thus, contributes to strengthening the argument of further research on pink washing in the beauty industry.
Although these findings were not utilized in this paper, it strengthens the incentive to research further into specific areas of diversity in the beauty industry. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that brands might also have observed this trend in demands for diversity and inclusivity. This paper argues that brands are beginning to take steps to become more inclusive and diverse across an array of aspects. For instance, makeup brushes for disabled consumers with limited hand ability was launched in 2020 (Emma, n.d.), makeup with packaging designed for people with arthritis (Estella, 2020), beauty campaigns aiming to normalize and celebrate aging (March, 2018) as well as depicting plus-size faces (Cheng, 2017). All these examples date back no earlier than 2017, indicating that it may be a trend that is still in its early stages, that might be more evident throughout the beauty industry in years to come.
Thus, this paper argues for the potential relevance in future research examining these aspects of diversity in inclusivity and its potential correlation with the demands of Gen Z consumers.
For this purpose, it is suggested that the structure as followed in this paper could potentially be applicable and, hence, followed.
Discussion of Findings
Validity
According to Yin (2011), a valid study is one that has properly collected and interpreted its data, so that the conclusions accurately reflect and represent the real world that was studied (Yin, 2011, p. 78). The validity, thus, refers to the correctness or credibility of a description, conclusion, explanation, interpretation, or another sort of account (Maxwell, 1996: Yin, 2011, p. 79). Although this paper takes its basis in the social constructivist paradigm, where it is assumed that no single reality, i.e. no ‘real world’, exists, Yin argues that a study that embraces this stance still has to consider the validity of the relativist findings (Yin, 2011, p. 79) and that the validity should be considered in the context of whether the same research area in another study, given the same lens or orientation, would have collected the same evidence and, ultimately, have drawn the same conclusions (Yin, 2011, p. 79).
There are different methods to increase the validity of one’s findings. One is to consider rival explanations, and another is the method of triangulation (Yin, 2011, p. 80).
Rival Explanations
This paper argues for the validity of the overall findings of the paper, as they, within reason as well as the social constructivist philosophy, can be considered to be correct and credible. As efforts were made to ensure the credibility of data collected and sources used, as well as the application of these arguably being done with a critical approach, this paper argues that findings made on this basis will arguably have a higher degree of ‘correctness’. Moreover, when considering potential rival explanations for the interpretation and findings presented in this paper, this paper argues that it is challenging to identify a so-called true rival, i.e. an alternative explanation that is in direct competition with and cannot coexist with the findings in this paper (Yin, 2011, p. 80). This is, arguably, an indicator of a certain degree of validity of the findings presented in this paper. This paper had a critical approach to using its theories and methods, as well as to the respondents of e.g. the interviews and the survey, which was accounted for when accounting for the limitations and validity in the section of methods of this paper. Thus, the study was conducted with a certain degree of skepticism and keeping alternative explanations in mind, as well as any possible biases along the way. For instance, this paper made an effort to ‘test’ claims made by interviewees, in order to ensure that what the claims said, could be argued to be an accurate depiction of a possible reality, and thus, ensuring the possibility to