Glow Up is bigger than a make-up show, it鈥檚 part of a cultural movement championed by a generation who don鈥檛 want to be defined by appearance.
The Wall To Wall production team behind Glow Up say that 鈥渄iversity and inclusion is woven into the DNA鈥 of every show in its latest series. Diversity was a key part of the editorial. It was highlighted this through the creative brief challenge each week, where the make-up artists (MUAs) expressed themselves and their different lived experiences through their work.
In series three, 40% of the contestants from black or ethnically diverse background and more than half were LGBTQ+. This included a non-binary contestant and two neurodiverse MUAs. Through the stories of these contestants the audiences could hear about experiences that they may not otherwise have had the opportunity to learn about.
For instance, Glow Up series three contender Sophie Baverstock speaks of how her autism has helped her. On the show Sophie said: "Although my autism doesn't define me, it definitely affects my personality but in a good way. It's definitely more of a gift."
Glow Up鈥檚 mission to embed diversity into the show didn鈥檛 stop with the contestants. The production purposefully worked with specialist agencies that had disabled models on their books. It also had more than a quarter of its guest judges from black backgrounds.
Off-screen, the 主播大秀鈥檚 diversity funding supported production talent from underrepresented backgrounds step into new roles. Of the core 85-strong team, 27% were from ethnic minority or socioeconomic diverse backgrounds or had disabilities. These roles included series producer and producer roles.
Back on camera, Glow Up was continuing to drive change in series three through use of pronouns in the contestants鈥 introductions 鈥 something that television critics welcomed. called Glow Up 鈥渁 ground-breaking piece of telly鈥.
Glow Up contestant Jack Oliver, who is non-binary, entered the competition with they/them pronouns and it was important for the production team that this was taken on board as they worked hard to create an inclusive culture, on and off screen.
The production team called Jack, and all MUAs, before the show was aired to say they were hoping to use pronouns on-screen and to check that they were comfortable with this. They all were. The use of pronouns on-screen for the first time was dubbed by and called on other reality shows to follow suit.
Glow Up鈥檚 innovation didn鈥檛 stop on the show. It went into the world. . To amplify Glow Up鈥檚 theme of self-expression and identity, guest judge - and TikTok鈥檚 biggest make-up superstar - Abby Roberts collaborated with make-up creator Ines Alpha to create a 3D mural in Liverpool of Maya Jama.
鈥淚 am truly happy to see TV shows like Glow Up that celebrates diversity, creativity, individuality and self-expression,鈥 says Ines Alpha. 鈥淭hose are very important keywords in my artistic practice, and I couldn鈥檛 be more pleased to be part of this.鈥
The 主播大秀鈥檚 in-house creative agency 鈥 主播大秀 Creative 鈥 were behind the mural as part of their Make Your Mark campaign to showcase the third series of 主播大秀鈥檚 Glow Up.
Susan Ayton, 主播大秀 Creative Director, says: 鈥淕low Up is bigger than a make-up show, it鈥檚 part of a cultural movement championed by a generation who don鈥檛 want to be defined by appearance and want to express themselves freely.鈥
Glow Up: Britain鈥檚 Next Make-Up Star (8x60') is a Wall To Wall production for 主播大秀 Three and was filmed with strict Covid protocols in place. The Executive Producer is Melissa Brown and the series producers are Leah Caffrey and Zinia Scroggs. It was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller of 主播大秀 Three, and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. The Commissioning Editors are Emily Smith and Max Gogarty. Wall to Wall Media is a Warner Bros. Television Production UK Ltd. Company.
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