People are calling out this YouTuber for releasing a make-up range only for lighter skin tones

29 May 2019, 17:18

By Rachel Finn

Fans are worried the range can only be worn by those with lighter skin tones.

Summer McKeen, a 20-year-old YouTuber with over 2.3 million subscribers, recently released a collaboration with make-up brand Nudestix - but people are disappointed that the collection can only be worn by a small selection of her fans.

Offering a collection of make-up products in only one shade option, fans are claiming that the new line is exclusionary as it can only be worn by her fans with lighter skin tones. The collection on the Nudestix website, meanwhile, describes Summer’s collection as being “inspired by glowly earthy tones and sunkissed skin” and is apparently aimed “at all the babes out there”.

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But some fans aren’t so convinced, leaving a range of comments on her video announcing the collection, calling her out for not being inclusive enough, especially after she was criticised for her recent collaboration with clothing app Dote on a influencer trip to Coachella this year.

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What happened at Coachella?

According to YouTubers Vereena Sayed and Keisha Shade, during their stay at the festival, the Dote brand grouped the influencers with lighter skin tones on one side of the house they were staying in, where they had access to large beds and nicer amenities, and the influencers with darker skin tones on the other side of the house where they were left to sleep on makeshift sofas.

Posting later about the incident, Summer McKeen said she “wanted to acknowledge and apologize for any involvement I may have had to cause discomfort to the woman of colour on this trip… Had I been more aware of everything going on that weekend, I know I (& I’m sure the other girls too) could’ve done something to make a change.”

But now with her releasing her Nudestix collection in such a limited number of shade options, some fans are concerned she isn’t doing enough to be inclusive.

One fan commenting on YouTube wrote: “Very disappointed with how you handled the Dote situation and then continued to release a collab with one shade range…”

Another added: “Wow she has truly learned NOTHING from the Dote situation… not even surprised.”

Responding to the comments, Nudestix has said that the company is committed to providing products "available in various shades," but with McKeen’s line, they're selling it as one that is "personal" to her.

"It is really important to note that the Summer Mckeen collaboration is only a selection of Summer’s favorite shades and textures that she loves wearing, personally," a Nudestix spokesperson told Buzzfeed. "All of our products are available in various shades, individually, for our customers that span different ages, genders and ethnicities, and that is something we are very proud of."

Summer has yet to personally address the comments.