Modern Chic: Deepica Mutyala.

Although I was born in America, I actually grew up with my grandparents in India until I was four years old. I had a very big connection with them and as a result, they came to stay with us in America every summer growing up. They couldn’t speak English so we bought the Indian channels on Dish TV to combat that problem. One specific advertisement that would always come up on the channels that they were watching was Fair and Lovely, an Indian skincare brand that advertised that by using their product your skin would become lighter and more beautiful. Watching that advertisement time and time again severely impacted me, and led me to think that lighter colored skin was the only way to be beautiful. In fact, a lot of South Asians can relate to this same sentiment; one specifically I would like to point out, however, is Deepica Mutyala. 

Now CEO and Founder of the skincare company Live Tinted, she also saw these same advertisements growing up, which led her to not only using Fair and Lovely to make her skin lighter like her white peers in America, but also dyed her hair blonde and got blue eyed contacts to fit in. This is why representation matters, and the products that celebrities endorse matter, because it can lead to a deep lack of self-confidence and body image issues, something that I can personally attest to. As Mutyala finally realized that skin color did not represent how beautiful someone was, she was inspired to start a career in the beauty industry to advocate for diversity.

Mutyala’s career started taking off when one of YouTube videos of her red lipstick hack went viral in 2015. Fast forward three years later, she launched a company to promote inclusive beauty for everyone, Live Tinted. Her skincare company focuses on representing all skin types and colors because everyone is stunning in their own way. The company’s mission is to shape a storytelling platform that focuses on the underrepresented people in the beauty industry, while mixing in culture and individuality along those lines. 

Live Tinted’s growth as a company and what Mutyala was able to achieve with it is absolutely phenomenal and can change people’s lives forever; especially one of those little girls who sees a Live Tinted advertisement and is able to find somebody like them on the screen. Although I wasn’t able to be one of those little girls, I find peace in knowing that someday my future daughter will be able to know that she is beautiful in her own way, and see South Asian representation, not only in the beauty industry, but also in the business world as well.

You can shop Live Tinted’s products at: https://www.livetinted.com/collections/gallery.

I have also featured some of Live Tinted’s products below, so please go check that out if interested!

I related to Deepica’s journey on a personal level, and I hope that you all were able to enjoy reading this post! I will be back soon with an another post; any guesses on who it will be about? Leave your answer in the comments!

Cheers,
Nithya ♡