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Makeup should be for everyone — a simple sentiment that Golloria has been trying to emphasize for years.
The influencer, who boasts over 4.5 million followers across verticals, is originally from South Sudan and moved to the United States as a child. As she got older, it became increasingly difficult to ignore the lack of inclusivity in her surroundings — including in the makeup industry.
“Growing up, I was always the darkest person in every room that I walked into,” Golloria, 24, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It was also at a time when racism and colorism were at an all-time high and normalized. If you just looked different, people were gonna be mean to you. I had to keep to myself.”
In high school, she began to grow into her personality and explore her passions. As she started embracing who she was, she noticed she was happier, setting boundaries and focusing on the things that brought her joy.
It wasn’t until college, when she found a group of like-minded women, that she discovered her love for makeup as they all would get ready together for events on campus. However, there weren’t many makeup options for people with her darker complexion.
Courtesy of Golloria
While going to school and working, she saved her money to take a trip to the beauty store. There, she discovered Fenty Beauty, and “that’s when my life changed.”
“It sprouted something in me where I thought, this is fun, and it was like the first time that I ever actually felt included in anything,” she shares. “I thought, ‘If I feel like this, I know so many other dark-skinned women feel like this too.’ ”
She then picked up a camera and began documenting her experiences. She has since built a massive community around her beauty content, where she shares makeup products that work well with her skin tone.
In her series, “Does it Glo?,” Golloria tests out the darkest shade of foundation or contour in a new product launch to see if it’s something that would work for her. Through this series, she hopes to raise awareness about the options, or the lack thereof, of makeup products for those with darker skin tones. She calls out and calls in brands to do better, encouraging them to expand their shades to include more than just a handful of people, but everyone.
Golloria notes that some brands have started to take notice and work towards creating more expansive, deeper shade ranges as a result of her content.
“There’s tangible change that has been made with a few brands. I’ve seen brands launch new things and go deeper than they used to,” she says. “To see it flourish into something that can actually elicit tangible change and make brands think and be mindful has been really beautiful. Advocacy is a beautiful form of resistance.”
“Some people don’t really understand the videos that I make and say I’m just complaining. Some people have never been in a position where they’re not seen or represented in a certain industry,” she emphasizes. “Representation is so much deeper than a product. It’s so amazing that I’m making brands think twice before launching something, and that’s very important. We’re always gonna celebrate progress, so let’s continue to do it.”
One way brands can easily ensure they put out product for everyone is to “make sure that you have Black people on your team,” Golloria suggests.
“Not only just Black people on your team, but also Black cosmetic chemists,” she explains. “When brands look at the behind-the-scenes aspects of stuff, that’s where change really happens.”
“You can’t say you wanna launch a beauty brand, but you haven’t taken the time to explore deep and light shades and different undertones. You need a cosmetic chemist who isn’t afraid to play with what we haven’t seen before,” she continues. “The issue is that the brands haven’t made these products. We haven’t really seen what contours and bronzers should really look like for dark skin.”
She also notes that “it’s important to know how exhausting it is for Black women, specifically, to always have to be at the forefront of these movements of inclusivity.”
The work “has to be very intentional and very rooted in the integrity of the pillar of the brand,” she adds.
“As brands continue to grow and new brands continue to rise, we’re starting to see inclusivity more at the forefront, and that’s where it should be.”
Crucial to the success of her content is her community.
“Community is one of the biggest pillars of being a content creator. My community is so beautiful because I’ve noticed that over the past year, I haven’t had to fight against rude comments as much,” she shares. “The people who know why I do this understand it and will continue to advocate for me.”
“I would not be here without the people who have supported me, uplifted me, told me to keep going, to keep talking and pushing despite all of the pushback,” she continues. “It’s a beautiful reminder that people see and understand you. You’re not in this alone. You have to remember that there’s a bigger purpose here.”
Courtesy of Golloria
While the bigger purpose is essential, Golloria always takes care to weave humor into her videos.
“Although I’m hitting a pretty serious topic, I’m a girl who likes to play with makeup brushes. This is a fun space where we can laugh. I hope that when they watch my ‘Darkest Shade’ videos, although they’re serious, they get a laugh in there,” she tells PEOPLE. “I try to spread good energy and be happy and hope that that’s reflected through my videos, and it’s also reflected through the people and the new people that come and watch me and wanna stay around.”
Recently, Golloria was selected as one of the 25 Instagram Rings winners, a new creator award recognizing and honoring those who take creative chances on the platform. The judges included Adam Mosseri, Grace Wales Bonner, Marc Jacobs, Pat McGrath and a few others.
As one of the winners, the influencer will receive a digital golden ring around her profile picture, a physical ring from Grace Wales Bonner and special in-product features from Instagram.
With her platform, Golloria says she hopes other “Black voices continue to be amplified.”
“We live in a world where Black voices are often misunderstood. I hope that in the next few years, people see where all of these trends are coming from,” she says. “Once we figure that out, it’ll be better for everyone. So many trends come from Black voices. The second that we start amplifying them instead of silencing them, everyone would be a little happier.”
Golloria notes that she is “not only doing this” for her current self, but is also “healing a part of my inner child” and inspiring other Black women.
“Showing other dark-skinned Black women that you deserve to be here and you deserve to infiltrate the systems that were never made for you,” she adds. “And do it proudly, loudly, and as Black as you can. It’s a constant reminder.”
“I have to do it every day. It’s disheartening to keep trying shades that don’t work and to be constantly reminded that I’m not included,” she says. “I also know that nothing is going to change, and closed mouths do not get fed. I have to keep talking.”
