By Eeman Uddin and Safa Ghaya
Makeup is a leisure enjoyed by millions of people around the globe. Recently, many big name makeup companies have received backlash for not being inclusive and have since tried to fix their mistakes. Many have begun to create wider shade ranges that fit everyone, including models of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Recently, MAC came out with a suhoor makeup look on Instagram which left everyone confused. This bold move left many, including Muslims, puzzled as to whether or not this big company should be applauded, condemned or corrected, as shown in these tweets.
In our opinion, the company completely missed the mark of what Ramadan is all about. Ramadan is a holy month in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. During this month, Muslims hope to strengthen their relationship with God through many different ways, including spending more time at the mosque and giving back to the poor. We eat a meal called "suhoor" before dawn and don't eat until sundown where we eat a meal called iftar.
MAC's makeup tutorial for suhoor was a completely unrealistic depiction of what it's like to fast, specifically what women look like when they wake up to eat. For us specifically, we wake up around 4 a.m. to eat and drink. To be completely honest, most people wake up looking as disheveled as a high school student after pulling two all-nighters back to back.
Majority of the population, especially those in America who wake up for suhoor, dawn one of three natural makeup looks.
Although inclusivity might be what the Muslim community needs, it is important to do it in a way that doesn't impassively exclude us. We are all for sharing more about our religion. In fact, many mosques in our community encourage people outside of the religion to fast with us so that they are better able to understand what our day looks like.
The idea of suhoor makeup would be similar to receiving a participation trophy in a science fair. MAC may have tried, but they aren't quite there yet. To many Muslims, it looks as though MAC didn't do their research. When dealing with religion and culture, it is important to walk a thin line between not offending anyone while simultaneously fostering growth and understating. Although we don't find the idea offensive, it was blatantly subjective.
With a company as large as theirs, you would think someone would realize that there are better ways to appeal to Muslims globally, such as creating an iftar makeup look. This would be a more logical alternative because many people go out with friends to break their fasts. Additionally, doing so would also allow people outside the religion to understand more about our practices and customs.
While we applaud MAC for giving it a shot, we still find that they could have done better.
Even if there are some people in the Middle East who go all out for suhoor, they don't need a makeup brand to tell them how to do whatever they have already been doing. While one idea may not fit the entire targeted audience, it is important to remember that when trying to diversify and create a more representative platform that the " targeted audience" shouldn't only cater to the minority. Let's be real for a moment and understand that most non-Muslims and Muslims alike don't even wake up at four in the morning let alone do their makeup at that time.
SEE ALSO: Ramadan Is More Than Becoming 'Mo-slim' And Getting Dates
So instead of creating a suhoor look targeted to a small minority within a minority, MAC could have easily created and still can create a look for Eid, the holiday Muslims celebrate once Ramadan is over. By doing this, more attention and inclusivity would be brought to the Muslim community by catering to a larger audience. To MAC and all the other companies aspiring to create a more inclusive platform for Muslims, do your research.
