During this year’s Oscars ceremony, Sharon Chuter and her UOMA Beauty team took to the Hollywood sign with spray cans and rollers to paint the letters in a variety of skin tones

#OscarsSoWhite went viral for the first time over a decade ago, this year #BaftasSoWhite took the Twittersphere by storm. But, you don’t need hashtags to realise there’s still a long way to go when it comes to representation on stage and screen. 

Working with the brand six shade group of White Pearl, Fair Lady, Honey Honey, Bronze Venus, Brown Sugar, and Black Pearl, the nine famous letters become a rainbow of human skin colour. UOMA Beauty worked with creative agency Pereira O’Dell to pull off the campaign, which highlights their mutual commitment to increased diversity and inclusion across all sectors. 

Most people only saw the makeover on social media – the sign was repainted by the end of the Oscars ceremony. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by UOMA Beauty (@uomabeauty)

On the brand’s Hollywood sign stunt, Chuter says: ‘I know people will ask and question – ‘did that really happen?’ But I won’t pay much attention to that because it doesn’t matter. The focus should be on our message. Let’s leave the investigations to the great internet sleuths to validate or invalidate. UOMA Beauty is focused on the mission.’ 

Since its inception in 2019, the beauty brand has been at the forefront of expanding shade ranges and increasing the accessibility of beauty products. Born out of Sharon Chuter’s passion to ‘re-write the rules of inclusivity and diversity…to be rebellious, innovative and created for all’, the brand entered the market with a 51-shade foundation range. 

Despite there being an increasing number of beauty launches to cater for black consumers, a recent McKinsey report found that 47% of BIPOC shoppers said they typically buy beauty products at a mass-market retailer, yet only 13% said it’s easy to find beauty products that meet their needs there. This disparity lays bare the work that the industry still has to do to become inclusive. 

‘The Hollywood sign quite literally reflects off the city, so I wanted to make it a true reflection of the city and the diversity that lives here and, in the periphery, the rest of the world that looks up to and is highly influenced by Hollywood. What an amazing sight to see!’ finishes Chuter.