No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, the new face of Marc Jacobs Beauty, Adwoa Aboah, is wearing a tooth gem. By and large, fashion and beauty adverts sell a mood, not an item. Unlike white good companies with a new fridge to hawk or a musician with a record out, these labels are unhurried to shift a single product. Instead, they sell a concept. So, what are we to read of Marc Jacobs’ 2018 campaign? That nostalgia for ‘90s trends sell? We already know that. Or, that Adowa knows the currency of her aesthetic and Marc Jacobs are keen to latch on?
‘I am so excited to be the new face of Marc Jacobs Beauty,’ the model told InStyleInStyle. ‘To have been able to work alongside Marc once again is truly inspirational. His attention to detail is like no other and you see his vision instantly come to life’. In the striking shot, which was captured by David Sims, she wears a liquid lip crayon called Le Marc and a lilac straw hat.
As far as beauty campaigns go, Adwoa’s make-up is relatively restrained. Instead, of showcasing every product under the sun it makes Adowa’s confidence and unique school of coolness part of its sales approach. Take her tooth gem, for instance, it’s an ‘90s accessory that makes dentists frown and the cultural appropriation guard riled. Over the last year, there’s been a handful of stories about Katy Perry and Hailey Baldwin bringing back this gem trend. But, one look at Twitter and you’ll quickly see that this tooth decoration is embroiled in a debate. Many are criticizing tone-deaf news stories and celebrities for appropriating this accessory as if it’s new when for years WOC and Latinex communities have been wearing it.
The model who’s followed the like son Winona Ryder and Edie Campbell to become an MJ Beauty ambassador has a distinctive look. Not only does she have a shaved head, tattoos and a no-nonsense demeanour, but she has an entrepreneurial spirit. As an activist the hyper-photogenic Brit runs the platform Gurls Talk, which enables discussions on body-image, self-esteem, sexuality and mental health. Anyone who’s watched one episode of America’s Next Top Model will know that until recently inkings and attitude are frowned upon in the modelling world. Yet, here is Aboah, a Vogue cover star and now the face of an international beauty campaign. She’s able to book jobs based not just on her beauty and build but what she stands for as a person.
In the past the NY-based fashion house being critiqued for cultural appropriation - first with their use of locs on white models and recently with their fetishisation of turbans and head-wraps on the catwalk. So, it is wise for Marc Jacobs to align themselves with a model that has a strong track record for using her platform for good as it inevitably rubs off on the brand too.
Images courtesy of Marc Jacobs
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.