Beauty Fix with Naomi Shimada

Latest Episodes:

Ageless Fashion with Zandra Rhodes Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada speaks to one of her personal fashion icons for the Beauty Fix finale.

Dame Zandra Rhodes has designed flowing kaftans and killer frocks for rock stars and royalty since 1969, from Grace Jones to Alicia Keyes, Princess Diana to Paris Hilton, from Queen to The Queen.

And she’s still standing out from the crowd at 80, rocking a bright pink bob and even brighter make-up. Zandra shares her timeless tips for sustainable style and for reinventing your look in lockdown.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

Photo: Dame Zandra Rhodes/ Naomi Shimada Credit: Chris Bissell/ BBC

Nail Transphobia with Charlie Craggs Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada talks manicures, myths and dream salons with the nail art activist, author and model.

Charlie Craggs studied at the London College of Fashion and it was there that she dreamt up Nail Transphobia, offering truly transformative treatments. Her mobile salon is a safe space where anyone can receive a free manicure from a transgender beautician and learn more about life as a trans or non-binary person, while enjoying a shape and polish.

After seven years on the road, the salon has been forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic, but Charlie shares the rituals of self-care and self-preservation that are keeping her spirits up during lockdown.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Photo: Charlie Craggs/ Naomi Shimada Credit: Vicky Lawton/ BBC

Carefree body hair with Deba Hekmat Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Naomi Shimada meets fellow model Deba Hekmat, who's broken the beauty rules and stopped caring about body hair.

For Deba, body hair is complicated, cultural and even comforting. Determined to put Kurdish beauty on the fashion map, Deba has modelled for streetwear and catwalk brands and now believes her body hair is for showing, not for shaving.

She joins Naomi to discuss how growing her body hair also grew her body confidence.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Photo: Deba Hekmat/ Naomi Shimada Credit: Suleika Mueller/ BBC

Unfiltered Beauty with Kadeeja Khan Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada talks to the beauty blogger about dropping the filter and showing her adult acne.

Since she was 19, Kadeeja Khan has been building a following as a beauty blogger from her bedroom, under the name EmeraldXBeauty. For years she was fighting a silent battle of 'Instagram versus reality.' Then she decided to do things differently - and posted a video that changed her life. Kadeeja tells Naomi about how her perception of beauty has changed, from concealing to revealing.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Image: Kadeeja Khan/ Naomi Shimada Credit: Kadeeja Khan/ BBC

Bald is Beautiful with Emmy Combs Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada chats with the social media sensation and special effects make-up artist transforming beauty standards.

Emmy Combs lost her hair at two years old and found the confidence to lose her head covering at sixteen. Now twenty, she's built a five million strong following online by sharing her make-up transformations, from Instagram glam to TikTok illusion, all while showing her followers that bald is beautiful.

Naomi speaks to this one woman special effect all the way from LA to talk proms, pro-tips and the colour pink.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Photo: Emmy Combs/ Naomi Shimada Credit: Tasia Wells_Getty Images/ BBC

Inclusive Make-up with The Plastic Boy Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada speaks to a pioneering blogger about beauty without boundaries.

Gary Thompson AKA The Plastic Boy first fell in love with make-up as a teenager in Birmingham, even though shades to suit his skin tone were hard to find. Later, when he couldn't find black male beauty bloggers to inspire him in the UK, he decided to start his own channel. Since breaking into the mainstream with an appearance in a landmark make-up advert in 2016, he's been using his platform to speak out.

In a conversation recorded in the months following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Gary tells Naomi about the inequalities he still sees within the beauty industry, from advertising campaigns to board rooms and from cosmetics counters to social media.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Photo: Gary Thompson/ Naomi Shimada Credit: Jade Keshia Gordon/ BBC

Fashion for Everybody with Sinéad Burke Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada meets Sinéad Burke, the former teacher now schooling the fashion industry on designing and marketing for people with disabilities.

In 2019 Sinéad became the first self-described ‘little person’ to attend the annual Met Gala fashion fundraiser and feature on the cover of Vogue. But when will the industry move beyond such milestones to become truly representative and inclusive?

Fashion blogger and teacher, turned campaigner, consultant and author, Sinéad Burke is now educating children and chief executives alike. By working to fix fashion to represent people of all shapes and sizes, she’s also expanding the very idea of beauty.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Sustainable Beauty with Dr. Richard Blackburn Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

Model Naomi Shimada asks if it's possible to go green in our beauty routines, to help fix the beauty industry for people and planet.

Now that so-called ‘clean beauty’ is on trend, online and, chances are, on a shelf near you, it seems easier than ever to bring sustainability into the bathroom.

Or is it? Could it be clever marketing, playing on so-called ‘chem-phobia’- fear of chemicals - and cashing in on the need to clean up the planet in a climate emergency?

From green chemistry to greenwashing, Naomi quizzes Dr. Richard Blackburn, Associate Professor specialising in sustainable materials at the University of Leeds, and co-founder of Keracol, the company behind Dr. Craft cosmetics.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

Celebrating Skin Tone with Tan France Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

Naomi Shimada speaks to the Queer Eye stylist about challenging skin lightening in the beauty industry and colourism in society.

Tan France recounts his own healing process, from secretly using skin lightening cream as a child, to learning to love the skin he's in and celebrating every skin tone on social media using his Shaded account.

In a conversation recorded following the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020, with beauty brands showing their support online, Naomi asks Tan about his hopes for healing the industry as well as the individual.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Embracing Natural Hair with Ebonee Davis Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Naomi Shimada speaks to fellow model and activist Ebonee Davis about embracing her natural hair texture.

When her breakthrough fashion campaign coincided with the fatal police shooting of an African American man, Philando Castile, in 2016, Ebonee's open letter to the fashion industry calling out systemic racism made headlines.

What does it mean - and what does it take - to defy Eurocentric beauty standards, against a backdrop of racial inequality and injustice?

In a conversation recorded before the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed, Ebonee speaks to Naomi about learning to love her hair and her heritage and helping others do the same.

Presenter: Naomi Shimada Producer: Kirsty McQuire Researcher: Candace Wilson Editor: Rebecca Stratford

If you are affected by issues raised in this episode you can get more information at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.