CELEBRITY
Hailey Bieber Is Being Praised After Her Makeup Brand, Rhode, Wasted No Time Responding To An Influencer’s Viral Critique Of Its Lack Of Inclusive Dark Skin Shades
“Hailey, thank you for reaching out and listening to me, and treating me like a human.”
Last month, beauty content creator Golloria George posted a now-viral review of Hailey Bieber’s makeup brand, Rhode.
For context, Golloria uses her platform on TikTok to test various makeup brands’ shade ranges on her complexion. She began posting videos after struggling to find products that complemented her skin, and has since spent years advocating for inclusivity in the beauty industry.
In her video, which was posted on Aug. 5, Golloria explained that she bought the Rhode blush shades that she’d anticipated would “work on dark skin.” However, she expressed her disappointment as she showcased how “ashy” the products appeared on her face.
“I just feel like in 2024, if you’re gonna drop anything complexion, that it should be able to work for any skin tone and complexion, right?” she said.
“The ash was really serious. She needs some work,” she said of the blushes.
While many users could relate to Golloria and thanked her for championing inclusivity, the video sadly sparked a heap of racist discourse.
Days later, Golloria ended up responding to some of the negative comments while sharing another video in which she tested the blushes again to prove that they didn’t complement her tone. “It’s so much easier to just listen to dark skin black women,” she wrote in response to people who’d criticized her for speaking out.
Both of Golloria’s videos about Rhode went viral on TikTok, amassing almost 20 million views in total.
Now, less than a month later, Golloria has revealed that Hailey personally reached out to her following the viral critique, before sending her two of Rhode’s new-and-improved blush shades.
Praising the “redemption” of Rhode’s products, Golloria told her followers, “This is why you advocate for yourself.”
“your voice can elicit change. wonderfully done, thank you for listening to black women!” she captioned her video.
“Hailey, thank you for reaching out and listening to me, and treating me like a human. This is redemption,” she said. In a separate TikTok comment, Golloria noted that Hailey phoned her personally, “took accountability,” and even compensated her for “shade consulting.”
Hailey has since been praised for her brand’s quick turnaround.
“this is why i love rhode, unproblematic,” one person commented on Golloria’s video. “WAITTTT I love that she listened bc the shades look SOO much better,” said another.
“This single-handedly made me a hailey/rhode fan!” someone said. “hailey was so quick with it omgg,” one user wrote.
“Hailey decided to take it as constructive criticism and was quick with the fix! Looks beautiful!” one more person added.
Rhode has not yet announced the release of these blushes to the public, though some fans speculate that they will be available to purchase in the next launch. BuzzFeed reached out for comment, and we’ll let you know if/when we hear back.