Another video about tween girls terrorizing a Sephora went viral recently, but not in the way you’d think. Rather than clearing the Drunk Elephant skincare section or buying expensive perfumes, this group of girls in Boston decided to engage in blackface. Yes, blackface in 2024. This was genuinely confusing to me as to the point of this “joke,” but it burst my bubble. I had thought of the next generation as being sensitive to such matters, but I was brought back to a reality in which people are a product of their environment. I had initially seen a few reactions on TikTok but skipped them since I am generally uninterested in viral racially insensitive videos. Still, when Temi, a lifestyle influencer I follow for aspirational videos, who is also Nigerian and an international student, posted about the situation, I had to see what this was all about. I was surprised to realize she was a witness to the event and was the one who made the original viral video.

The gist

These young girls, according to Temi and other eyewitnesses, decided to venture into the darker toned concealers and foundation and put on a full face, while making monkey noises and giggling, all the while being filmed by one of the mothers in some form of amusement. When confronted by Temi, one of the women said that she should talk to the girls, not her, and did not apologize for the encounter as she said it was not her doing. While on her way out with her teammates, Temi heard loud yells by the mums of some of the girls and was told to delete any video that was made as they did not give their permission to be filmed, and the girls were too young to know what they were doing. This ended with Temi explaining to the mums how shallow such thought was, as these were girls old enough to use and shop for makeup, and how ludicrous it was for her as a 22-year-old to be lecturing full-grown women on how wrong the situation was. 

The crux of the issue lies in the choice of these girls, and the reactions or lack thereof from their parents. According to Sephora, the store’s “top priority is to create a welcoming and inclusive shopping experience for all. We are extremely disappointed by the behavior of these shoppers at our Prudential Center location, and as such, they were asked to leave our premises. Under no circumstance is this type of behavior tolerated at Sephora.” Although I do not doubt Sephora’s mission of inclusivity and fostering welcoming environments, it is an interesting statement considering Temi said the girls were not kicked out, but rather a staff member confronted the mother and explained how distasteful their actions were, not only for consequential reasons of the girls’ futures but for the shameful act committed.

Temi is Black and Nigerian, and as an international student, she specified that this was especially jarring to witness as detailed in her Tiktok reaction video. Having to talk to the mothers was another example of how people of color (POC) affected by racial insensitivity are still tasked with the role of educating ignorance, which is ludicrous! Sadly, it’s common amongst people of color. As much grace as I want to extend to these girls and blame it all on their parents, I find myself questioning their intrinsic values, as most POC kids do not often get the luxury of making such careless decisions and are not met with grace during this age. It was deeply unsettling for many reasons, but especially due to the age excuse; right and wrong in this scenario is not rocket science.

This situation leads me to a concerning realization of the reality that no matter what strides are made for equality and embracing of diversity in America, there are still people who not only teach hate to their children but encourage it. Hate like this grows, especially when encouraged, and we end up fostering a tense political and social climate. Hate in this form is almost always learned behavior, and although these kids might not have meant a lot by their actions, their chaperones did. I was not shocked at one of the mothers taking a video amusingly, and I’m only hoping these kids see this as a teachable moment and examine how hurtful and insensible their actions were.