Janelle Monáe on Representation in the Beauty Industry and Managing Her Image
JM: I hope they feel more confident with themselves and realize that we don’t all have to look alike or be the same size to be beautiful. I hope they feel like [I'm] representing what it means to be an individual and to remain comfortable in your own skin. Hopefully, they say Janelle Monáe represents what it means to never have to change your appearance to appeal to an audience.
Glamour: Starting out as a performer, did you ever feel pressure to fit a certain mold?
JM: Yeah, I thought you had to change who you were to become famous. I thought that for a very long time. Even after signing a record deal, and then eventually getting my own recording company, Wonderland Records, I had to say no to a lot of opportunities to become well known. If it didn't align with my values and if it didn’t support the image I had created for myself, I'd pass. I did a lot of my own styling and my own hair and makeup early on because I didn’t have money to [pay a team]. So I just hope young girls like myself who didn't grow up in an upper-class household [can learn to] turn nothing into something whenever you can. You have to work hard.
Glamour: Can you describe a time you had to stand up for yourself in the industry?
JM: When I'd show up to photo shoots and didn’t love the styling, or when someone was trying to push an image of what a girl should look like on me, I'd be like, "No, this is how I see myself. These are the types of clothes I want to wear; this is the type of hairstyle I want to wear." I think representation matters. And no matter if you wear a small amount of makeup, no makeup, or heavy makeup, as long as you feel beautiful internally and you’re doing beautiful things for other people, and not just focusing on the exterior to make yourself happy, I think you should do what works for you. You should rock on.
Glamour: But when you’re hired for a job or representing a company, how much can you push back when it comes to your own personal preference? How do you navigate that?
JM: As a businesswoman you have to be open. I’m always open to listening and learning and considering. However, I don’t look at business as anything other than a partnership. And in any partnership both parties need to leave the table happy. There will be compromises here and there, but the great thing about having great partners like CoverGirl and the folks I work with in the movie business and the music world is that they listen. They’re also open to learning. I’m adventurous some days, and some days I’m just very steadfast on doing what it is that I have in my mind. I know how I want to come across and what I want to say. I just have to stick to my gut.
