Why Blair Imani Wears in Bold Makeup In Her Viral Videos

Over the last year, our country has witnessed a resurgence of the long-overdue fight for racial justice amidst battling a global pandemic. While we’ve been social distancing, many of us have been called to embark on necessary journeys of self-understanding and learning. This increase of people who are at-home-and-scrolling most of the time has allowed Blair Imani to blossom to new heights of notoriety in the last year. She’s made learning about history, society, identity, and even politics fun.

Imani is the creator of “Smarter in Seconds,” a series of bite-size videos that nimbly address such subjects as consent, cultural appropriation, and gender expression for her audience of more than 400,000 followers (who she calls Smarties). With her effervescent energy, Imani combines vibrant visuals with well-researched lessons — and the added bonus of brightly colored outfits and makeup looks. She started posting “Smarter in Seconds” on Instagram in August 2020 and has recently started to produce a longer-form version of the series called “Get Smarter with Blair Imani” on YouTube as well.

Full disclosure: I’ve known Imani for years. During my own unlearning, learning, and healing journey, I’ve gained a whole new level of appreciation for the work she does and how she shows up in her full being — not only with her new digital…