Entre a representação e a identidade: um estudo de caso do retrato da mulher negra nos materiais publicitários de uma empresa de cosméticos do Norte do Brasil

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the representations of Black women in cosmetics advertising in Brazil, with a special focus on campaigns aimed at the Northern region of the country. The research aims to understand the marketing strategies employed by local and large corporations in addressing issues of inclusion, diversity, and racial representation, particularly regarding Black women. The study analyzes advertising campaigns from a company that presents brands such as Raiz da Beleza and Ewah Beauty to assess how Black women are portrayed in promotional materials, considering aspects such as superficial representations, tokenism, and the use of stereotypes. Furthermore, the research employs concepts such as coloniality of power, structural racism, and epistemicide to understand how brands perpetuate or challenge dominant social and racial norms through advertising. The study also questions the extent to which brands are truly committed to genuine representation or merely addressing the demand for “diversity” superficially. This is na exploratory research, characterized as a case study with a qualitative approach and basic nature. The chosen method was semiotic content analysis. The findings indicate that despite progress in including Black women in advertising campaigns, representations are still limited and often stereotypical. Brands continue to engage in tokenism, where the presence of Black women is occasional and often reductive, focusing on physical or cultural characteristics that reinforce a stereotype of resistance or subordination. However, the study highlights that brands genuinely engaging with and connecting to Black audiences must move beyond these superficial representations, promoting true diversity and challenging Eurocentric beauty standards. The research concludes that transformation in advertising practices is urgent, with brands being called to reflect the pluralism of Brazilian society and foster authentic inclusion that goes beyond superficiality and seeks true representation of Black women.