THE FENTY EFFECT: A CASE STUDY ON THE FUSION OF CELEBRITY, LUXURY, AND INCLUSIVITY
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Date
2022
Authors
Miller, Carson
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Historically in the beauty industry, market leaders offered a 10 to 20 shade range in facial cosmetic products, and thin, conventionally-attractive Caucasian women were the face of beauty campaigns. Enter Fenty Beauty. The retail cosmetics brand, founded by artist Rihanna, launched in 2017 and released 40 shades of foundation, filling a gap in the industry that yet to be properly addressed by a present-day brand. Using Fenty Beauty as the subject of my analysis, I explore the phenomena labeled “The Fenty Effect” and how a cosmetics company was able to successfully break the mold as a luxury brand by introducing inclusivity within its products. My research was conducted through a comparative visual and textual analysis, as well as through secondary research on previous studies to establish concepts of luxury and their paradoxical associations with inclusivity. What I found was that, while Rihanna’s celebrity name creates an advantage for the company’s relative perception, the brand’s luxury status is attributed also to its advertising, packaging, and distribution methods. Rather than following traditional luxury brands in all aspects, however, Fenty Beauty created its own category of luxury that is exempt from exclusion and hierarchy, redefining what it means to be a luxury good in the cosmetics market.
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Keywords
Marketing, Luxury, Celebrity, Inclusivity, Cosmetics