Style As Resistance: How BIPOC Beauty Rituals Are Acts Of Wellness And Liberation

Beautification throughout history was more than aesthetics for BIPOC communities. The concept of beauty in our society dates back to ancient mythology, with goddesses like Hathor, Lakshmi, and Oshun who embodied physical grace, abundance, and divine connection. Beauty has been used as armor, ritual, and a path to return to ourselves. In ancient Egypt, beauty was sacred and seen as a sign of holiness. Both men and women wore makeup not only to express themselves but as a form of spiritual and physical protection. Green malachite eyeshadow, red ochre clay, and kohl eyeliner weren’t just cosmetics; they were tools to ward off the evil eye, protect the skin, honor the gods, and connect to something higher. Similarly, in India, Kajal has been worn for generations to protect against evil spirits, improve vision, and promote wellness, while henna brings blessings, health, and spiritual wisdom. Across Indigenous cultures worldwide, face paint is used in ceremonies for protection, transformation, and connection to the unseen. For many of us, especially those from historically marginalized communities, beauty has also been a form of cultural preservation and resistance. A way to protect our identities, express our power, and feel rooted in who we are. 

Sometimes beauty is the ritual that gets us through the day, acting as a shield, a portal, and a quiet declaration of our inner strength, allowing us to show up even when the world feels unsafe. Sculptor, jeweler, and Brooklyn native Johnny Nelson, who crafts heritage and heirloom pieces, shares, “I think it can be as simple as the quote ‘to know who you are, you have to know where you came from.’” Displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, his brand, Johnny Nelson Jewelry, honors revolutionary Black figures and sacred symbols to celebrate life while fostering community. Designing Harriet Tubman stud earrings and Marcus Garvey rings, his collection is made for the ancestors. “I feel we can be attracted to specific fashion styles like head wraps, jewelry, and body coverings, etc, because of past life connections,” Nelson says. “It could be because these fashions or costumes may feel like they’re armor, invoking the strength and courage of the past to make the wearer feel more like their true, powerful best self,” he adds.

Both beauty and wellness center on care, but the intention behind the care is what differentiates them. When they overlap with authenticity, beauty becomes a holistic tool. Like choosing skincare products that honor your origin, makeup that becomes a ritual of self-expression, or incorporating your spirit into beautification, like the bindis worn by Indian women to adorn their third eye. Beauty can uplift the soul, just like wellness uplifts the body and mind. They meet where reverence and well-being cultivate a better life for oneself. Beauty can become an empowering spiritual practice that amplifies our self-care as a way to affirm our worth and reconnect to ourselves in a world that can easily distract us. It’s not about perfection; it’s about presence. 

The challenge arises when beauty is filtered through external validation rather than internal connection, especially when we measure our worth by colonized standards. The Western lens often pushes a narrow idea of what’s beautiful, rooted in colorism, which can lead to imposter syndrome, low self-worth, comparison, and even co-dependence on makeup or surgery to feel validated. Then beauty can become a mask that hides our true emotions instead of helping us process them. It can create a split where we look “put together” but are unraveling inside. We lose touch with our natural beauty and the deeper truth that beauty begins within. Johnny’s work has been worn by celebrities, including Beyoncé, Issa Rae, Spike Lee, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Kaepernick, Lupita, Buju Banton, and many more. Nelson is grateful to work with such influential people admitting, “My work consists of pieces for empowerment; however, the US isn’t built to uplift black men and women. I create intentionally crafted statement pieces to spark conversation about our past, our powers, our triumphs, resilience, talents, healing, and a greater future that is amongst us when we tap in.” True wellness shifts us from surface-level pretty to feeling beautiful and self-acceptance. We have to ask: are we adorning ourselves to feel more like us, or to escape ourselves?

When we define beauty through our lineage, spirit, and lived presence, it becomes a reflection of wellness, but when we don’t, we risk chasing illusions instead of embodying our essence. Johnny believes, “Style as resistance means wearing pieces that reflect the times; past, present, and where we want to go. Conversational pieces that inform,” to bring change. Johnny is currently releasing a Black Hairstory Collection. “I reimagined the all-power fist and black panther party symbols as hair bobbles, bobos, beads, and bobby pins. This is a new way to honor the crown and remember the beauty inherent in our community and across the diaspora.” Whether it’s braiding your hair, applying oil to your skin, or adorning yourself with makeup, these practices can act as self-preservation. They help us slow down, return to the body, and create a moment of sacred care. When practiced with intention, beauty rituals can support nervous system regulation by providing routine and grounding, which can signal to the body that you are safe, you are seen, and you are loved. These moments of embodiment help calm the stress response and bring us out of survival mode and into connection. When we approach beauty as a sacred act rather than a performance, it can be a deeply regulating process. It invites us back into our bodies and offers a sense of control, self-expression, and self-love, all essential for mental wellness. 

We improve our mental health by remembering that our boundaries are the highest form of self-respect. Honoring our energy means saying no with grace and choosing relationships that nourish us rather than drain us. But boundaries aren’t just about saying “no,” they’re about choosing you in a world that often demands self-abandonment. Strengthening mental wellness starts with self-awareness and self-compassion. The more we honor our own needs and speak to ourselves like someone we love, the more our self-esteem naturally strengthens, and beauty can support this growth when used intentionally. When beauty becomes a ritual that you practice to better your well-being, it becomes wellness. Explore mirror work, looking into your eyes and speaking loving affirmations to yourself, while you do your makeup each day or get ready in the morning. Discover shadow work and inner child healing as deeper invitations to explore the roots of low self-worth or codependency, often tied to unprocessed wounds. When we acknowledge and integrate these parts of ourselves, we build our self-esteem and confidence. 

As a Black healer, an herbalist and medicine woman, something as simple as preparing a herbal facial steam or doing an evening skincare routine with herbal oils that I made is deeply healing. It’s not an act of vanity but a way of connecting to our vitality through self-care. Mindfulness practices like daily gratitude, meditation, and journaling help anchor the mind in the present and shift our focus to our well-being. EFT tapping is a powerful somatic tool to release limiting beliefs and calm the nervous system in moments of anxiety or emotional overwhelm. When we mindfully take care of our hygiene, beauty routines can be great for building our self-love practices. Nelson adds, “I feel like seeing and honoring the power and work of our ancestors allows us to see and ignite the power and potential within ourselves to continue building and growing where they left off. For now and future generations.” That’s the heart of true wellness, loving who we are and taking care of our whole being mentally, physically, and spiritually.