A dark skinned beauty representative is a rarity in the Arab world, making Abeer Sinder, Saudi Arabia’s first black beauty vlogger, a leading light for black girls and women in the region. Needless to say, Sinder doesn’t take this lightly and has made it a mission to continually aspire to influence them.
And the fourth generation Saudi with roots in West Africa has recently been using what’s happening around the world to do this. “Try to always be the best version of yourself and every day be better than yesterday. Don’t let anyone use racist words in front of you, don’t be silent about the mistake,” she posted on Instagram.
While the social media star and blogger acknowledged to her 513,000 followers on the platform that there’s been a big, positive difference when it comes to awareness in the region, she stressed “racism is a reality we can’t deny.”
Among other posts on the important subject, Bali-based Sinder shared a personal story. She went into detail about how a girl pushed her away while playing on the swings with her friends when she was just six years old. The girl, who was the same age, did this saying, “Get out of my face, you slave!” Highlighting the power of words and a good upbringing, Sinder said: “This child just repeated a word she used to hear her family members saying. This is how, eventually, such racist expressions are considered normal and that there’s nothing shameful about them to the point that some people keep telling me ‘Don’t be so sensitive, this is normal, don’t make a big issue out of it.’ That is because these people are used to thinking these kinds of expressions are ordinary. Please, be better and make more effort to teach children good behaviour.”
Sinder, who was praised for her acting in Saudi series “Banat Al Molakameh” (Boxing Girls), became depressed by the racial prejudice she faced as a child and even considered bleaching her skin. However, she managed to overcome all obstacles and went on a voyage of self-love and approval. Knowing how hurtful words can be, Sinder wanted to share the message that “beauty is being yourself,” as she explained to "Vogue Arabia." Turning to people like Tyra Banks and beauty bloggers in the US and UK for inspiration, since she couldn’t find anyone on social media from the region, she started letting other black girls know they are perfect just the way they are. “There’s no such thing as ‘black but beautiful.’ You are beautiful because you are black,” she told "BBC Trending."
Determined to provide a solid, positive and applicable voice to millions of women, Sinder started her own YouTube channel. The beauty who also models, working with brands like Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, now has fans based all over the world. Her channel features quick and easy beauty and fitness tutorials, with content ranging from make-up, skin care, wig reviews, hair care and a core and abs workout. Crucial beauty standard issues are also addressed, and one of the most important messages Sinder, who is married to a British Muslim, wants to convey is that we should turn to what suits us, rather than following stereotypes.
“There is no one definition of beauty, and beauty standards mean NOTHING! It doesn't matter what colour or what ethnicity you come from or how you look. There is beauty in everything, and you just need to know what works for you," she told "Teen Vogue."
