To celebrate Black History Month, Moody College of Communication hosted a screening of the second episode of the series and a discussion with Lewis, Faison, Dell Medical assistant professor Dr. Adewole Adamson and radio-television-film senior and Black Lens Co-President Jersey Robinson, moderated by RTF assistant professor Adrien Sebro.  

Networks took a while to pick up the docuseries, which was originally pitched as a 90-minute feature. The idea was kicked around by executives before NBCUniversal took a chance and greenlighted the project.

“No one really understood it because people are used to Black stories being negative and having some kind of struggle with them,” Lewis said. “They’re very much like, ‘Why would you even need this kind of imagery?’”

After the series premiere, Netflix, who had originally turned down the project, approached Faison to add it to their platform, two years after they had started pitching.

The series, which consists of three 45-minute episodes, explores the relationship and art between Black people and makeup, hair and skin care. The idea of featuring makeup and hair came naturally to Lewis and Faison.

“Hair is the beauty of Black people,” Lewis said. “Our hair is so diverse. Our hair is so fascinating and so unique; it is our crown for a reason. No matter how you dress or do your makeup, your hair is a big part of the discussion.”

Figuring out how to approach skin care, on the other hand, took a little more work.

The episode investigates how new the interest in skin care is for many Black people. For generations, the documentary explains, skin care rituals involved little else besides water and Vaseline. All the panelists shared memories of being slathered in Vaseline during winter and lamenting how far into adulthood they were before they ventured into a more intensive routine.

“Skin care is to the Black community very much like therapy is,” Faison said. “I think for us it’s very new.”

The skin care discussions surrounding Black people are often littered with misconceptions. Beauty editors, influencers and brand founders spent ample time throughout the episode dispelling the idea that “Black don’t crack” and begging their audience to wear sunscreen.

Conditions such as eczema and skin cancer are recognized and treated less frequently with Black people, in part because there are so few Black dermatologists. Only 3% of dermatologists in the U.S. are Black — a group often dubbed “unicorns.”

Adamson, one of the few Black dermatologists in Austin, said that besides a fascination with the immune system, he became a dermatologist because he thought the field needed more people like him. He said his consultations with Black patients can have a different energy. 

“Usually, they have a huge smile when I walk in,” Adamson said. “I would say it’s that kind of closeness that patients feel about you in the room and this idea that I also care deeply, deeply about disorders that disproportionately affect people with darker skin types and have appreciation for hair.”

Although brands have been slower to cater to Black people’s needs, skin care can be taken too far, Adamson said. For Black women, it’s often treated as a luxury or comes with an expectation of a 10-step routine filled with the latest products. That’s part of the reason having a Black dermatologist is so important.

“Skin is like an immune system,” Lewis said. “It’s not something that can really dibble and dabble with trends.”

Faison said that telling this story took a lot of work. While pitching, he and Lewis came across executive after executive who didn’t quite understand why they wanted to tell this story, why they wanted to feel celebrated on screen. After an uphill battle, Faison said they’re making progress. In cities across the country, he’s seeing conversations about these issues and the work that needs to be done.

“It’s been great to see the community that has formed as a result of this project,” Faison said. “People feel seen and educated.”

After trending for five weeks on Netflix and fighting for their chance to be greenlighted for another season, Faison and Lewis are working to cover the Black fashion effect.

“For us, it’s really about showing the influence of Black people in pop culture, period, and also speaking that we’ve always been there,” Lewis said. “Especially when it comes to fashion spaces, Black people do so much, and the clothes are not made for us. And yet, here we are, just making our mark continuously.”