Noble, now 18, is still used to a wheelchair. He needs help with most activities like getting into bed, using the toilet, and cooking.Among the tasks she has acquired sufficient strength to do on her own, she makeup routineShe told BuzzFeed News that it gave her “great strength and joy.”
“Not just putting on makeup, but just washing my face and brushing my teeth really made me feel more confident and made me feel so much better,” said Noble. “It’s great to be able to express yourself and be able to do your makeup the way you want it.”
A friend gifted Noble with a Guide Beauty makeup brush, and she said the product “changed the game.” Noble struggles the most with applying primer and foundation. Because she takes a sponge and slaps it on her face many times and it is difficult to apply it evenly. Her poor hand control also means it’s easy to poke your own eyes when applying eye makeup. So you have to put your elbows on the dressing table, hold a brush or pencil in both hands, and move your head to apply the product.
“I often think about how easily able-bodied people can do things, but I don’t even think about it often,” Noble said. “But now that so much has been taken away from me, I realize that independence is such a beautiful and wonderful gift.”
“Makeup can be a refuge for the disabled”
As a cosmetologist with an invisible chronic illness, Brittany Wisowati, 21, is adept at hiding her disability. For about five years of her life, she has suffered from chronic stomach pains that have made it difficult for her to eat and have been unable to get enough energy to do her morning tasks and do her own hair and makeup. I can no longer. She has been diagnosed with conditions such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and periodic vomiting syndrome.
Working in salons since she was a teenager, Wisowati has seen first-hand how people with disabilities are treated in beauty spaces.
“People stumble at the back door. There is no elevator, so people can’t go upstairs to get a massage.” epic foundation — A non-profit organization that helps people with chronic illnesses. “It’s really disappointing to be honest with you. It’s hard to tell people in wheelchairs that they have to think about whether they can’t get a haircut because there’s no ramp, or they have to wear diapers because they can’t fit in the bathroom.” .”
Wisowati often wants to be an “angry vigilante of justice,” but she has to stop herself, because “people don’t understand. We need people to realize that there are people who want and deserve beauty, even if they can’t.”
Broadly speaking, people with disabilities aren’t seen as profitable, according to Wisowati, but examining the interests of Gen Z and millennials proves otherwise. More conscious capitalism — they are more willing to buy products if they feel there is a greater profit behind them. ”
By making their products more accessible, cosmetic brands are gaining loyal customers who can advertise for free as the disabled community “shouts from the rooftops,” she added. I’ve found a match, so I’ll tell everyone.”
That’s why Rare Beauty is “totally viral” on TikTok, said Wisowaty. “They are very thoughtful in their design process, which sets them apart from other brands.”
“As a disabled person myself, that’s where my love of beauty began,” said Wisowati. “It was like a shield in armor to protect me from the way people viewed me. I could not have controlled what they thought of me regarding my disability. can Control. “
Her goal is to work with beauty salons to make their products, jobs and spaces more accessible. Ultimately, she hopes to open her own salon that provides “appropriate services at affordable prices” for people with various disabilities.
“When you live in a world that feels different from you, engaging with the beauty industry is incredibly valuable,” Wisowati said.
