As Upspoken women, we know how important it is to bring others along with you on your glow up. In a world where we are discriminated against because of our skin color, hair, even our names, we must reach back and bring our sistas up with us. We must empower ourselves first and then empower others – that’s what being Upspoken is all about.
We applaud the Upspoken women doing this in the mainstream media today. In the past few weeks, Rihanna and Beyoncé have both been making some #Upspoken moves.
Rihanna on the September 2018 cover of British Vogue (Photo: Nick Knight/British Vogue)
Rihanna went and launched her Fenty Beauty line, finally making a foundation for every beautiful shade of melanin. And now, she is the first Black woman to grace the cover of British Vogue. This kind of visibility and her unapologetic way of being herself makes room for more women to embrace their authentic selves.
Beyoncé on the September 2018 cover of American Vogue (Photo: Tyler Mitchell/American Vogue)
Black women aren’t stopping there. Beyoncé is out here making history too! She nabbed unprecedented control over the September issue of Vogue. And what does she do with it? She went and hired the first Black photographer to shoot the cover in their 126 years of publication. Yeah, she did that.
We also want to give a shout-out to all the Black women who graced the September covers on multiple international magazines. You are making history and proving to the world that #BlackGirlMagic is not just a hashtag. Thank you, ladies, for being Upspoken and doin’ it for the culture.
From left to right: Tracee Ellis Ross on the September 2018 cover of Elle Canada, Lupita Nyong’o on Fall 2018 cover of PORTER, Zendaya on September 2018 cover of Marie Claire, Beyoncé on the September 2018 cover of American Vogue, Tiffany Haddish on the September 2018 cover of Glamour, Aja Naomi King on the September 2018 cover of Shape, Slick Woods on the September 2018 cover of Elle UK, Issa Rae on the September 2018 cover of Ebony, Rihanna on the September 2018 cover of British Vogue