Sephora First Afro-Hawaiian Campaign star, Taija Kerr, on Representation and Tattoos

Sephora’s First Afro-Hawaiian Campaign Star, Taija Kerr, on Representation and Tattoos

“I love the support that I’m getting from the people. But I just don’t understand why it took this long.”

Inclusivity in the beauty industry has always been an important conversation, but it’s recently become more talked about than ever. We’ve watched representation become more genuine and less of an advertising gimmick for exploitation. But no matter how much progress has been made toward diversity, there is still so much more work to be done.
When 23-year-old Taija Kerr became the first Afro-Hawaiian woman to be featured in a major beauty campaign, she hoped to inspire people to broaden their definition of beauty. Taija is currently a makeup artist at Sephora and was one of 10 employees selected to represent the brand’s holiday campaign last year.
“It is important to me that I be a beacon of light for my brothers and sisters. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you cant appreciate beauty if you refuse to open your mind,”. “[During the campaign photo shoot] I wanted my skin to show. I wanted my tattoos to show. I’m appreciative of Sephora for supporting the idea of displaying my tattoos. While some may use it as a fashion statement, for Polynesians it’s our soul, our story our life, our Mana [power].”