Published on 20 Apr 2024 on Fortune via Yahoo Finance
Rihanna’s ‘Fenty effect’ could teach AI developers about inclusivity and fighting bias
When I first started buying makeup, I quickly learned the importance of skin tones and undertones. As someone with a light-medium skin tone and yellow undertones, I found that foundations that were too light and pink would leave my skin pallid and ashen. At the time, makeup shade ranges were extremely limited, and the alienation I often felt as a Chinese American growing up in Appalachia was amplified whenever a sales associate would sadly proclaim there was no foundation shade that matched me.
Only in recent years has skin tone diversity become a greater concern for cosmetics companies. The launch of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna in 2017, with 40 foundation shades, revolutionized the industry in what has been dubbed the “Fenty effect,” and brands now compete to show greater skin tone inclusivity. Since then, I have personally felt how meaningful it is to be able to walk into a store and buy products off the shelf that acknowledge your existence.
Hidden skin tone bias in AI