One look at Janelle Monáe and you wouldn't be off base to assume her skin was manufactured in a NASA laboratory. It's glowing, radiant, and dewy—the kind of complexion you think exists only after using FaceTune. But here we are in real life and dammit, if she told me she consumed solely cultured veggies to get that glow, I'd probably hightail it to the nearest farmers' market.
What's ironic is that as the face of the new Vitalist Healthy Elixir Foundation for CoverGirl, finding makeup that complemented her skin tone was a harrowing process growing up. Monáe could never find the right color base to match her skin, thereby making her feel as if she wasn't important to the beauty industry. "I didn’t see a lot of women represented with my complexion or hair texture in a mainstream way. I had a difficult time," she tells Glamour of her adolescent years. "Representation matters, no matter if you wear a small amount of makeup, no makeup, or heavy makeup."
It's a mantra that Monáe isn't afraid to keep repeating, especially if it helps young girls who felt the same way she did growing up. "I hope that 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."
We caught up with the star on the set of her new CoverGirl campaign (sneak some peeks of it below) to talk more about her beauty philosophy, representation in media, and how she's finding comfort in the uncomfortable.
Glamour: You've talked about how it used to be a struggle to find foundation shades that matched your complexion. What was that like?
Janelle Monáe: As I started to become a young woman, and I started to wear my own makeup, I had a difficult time. I had to mix shades to find my correct color. I don’t have to worry about that as much as I used to growing up, but I do know there are both young girls and older women who are constantly going through that.
Glamour: When you used to mix colors to find the right base, did you feel confident that you were getting it right?
JM: Not every time. I had some bad photos where my foundation didn't match my skin color—I learned the hard way! [I'd] try to delete photos that someone posted of [me]…like, uh, I didn’t have my makeup together! I was trying to figure out things, but that’s what life is about. I’m not focused on being perfect. I like trial and error. You learn through those uncomfortable experiences. And now I know what doesn’t work for me, and I know what does.
Glamour: Have you ever felt excluded from the conversation in terms of beauty? Either when you saw an ad in the media or at the store?
JM: Yes, I absolutely felt left out of the conversation when it came to cosmetics. This was when I was a teenager and growing into a young woman. Even when I became an independent artist, I didn’t see a lot of women represented with my complexion or hair texture in a mainstream way. When I decided that I was going to embrace what made me unique even if it made others uncomfortable, I had to really tell myself that over and over again—it became my mantra. I was really excited when CoverGirl saw me as an individual. The brand respected my complexion and hair texture, and the fact that I wanted to wear tuxedos and focus on being an artist and creative. Slowly but surely, we have women like myself and like Zendaya, women of color, who are represented more and more in the beauty world. I’m just happy to be in that number.
Glamour: What do you hope women take away from your role as a CoverGirl?
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.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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