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Deepica Mutyala, a self-proclaimed “beauty expert,” found herself with the entire internet side-eyeing her for attempting to do a Black woman’s hair in one minute … and having it fail miserably — all while live on the Today show.

She tugged, grabbed, and ruined model Malayia McNaughton‘s hair:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIpjE8cjLlZ/

You guys, our readers, had a lot to say about this Today show fiasco and all that was wrong with this unfortunate situation:

In addition to ruining her hair on live TV, many of you realized the deeper ramifications of what we had watched.

Although many of us may work in the entertainment, fashion, and beauty industry, we are still a minority, and other professionals are often not well equipped to deal with our hair and skin tones. Rather than learning how to, many times we have to do it ourselves, or worse, we just aren’t booked for talent.

The internet went IN on the YouTube personality — and rightfully so.

People of color have a long way to go in the industry in terms of representation, but hairstylists, makeup artists, and stylists should be prepared to deal with the differences of those who are melanin rich.

Mutyala made another video where she recognized this and came back to teach us the art of admitting your ignorance, and uplifting those whose stories might not yet be “mainstream:”

  1. She recognized her mistakes and apologized.
  2. She used her platform to uplift the other Black women in the video. She displayed their social media handles in large font. She filmed the segment in a salon owned by Tiarra Monet.
  3. She openly listened and learned from Black girls, who talked about natural hair and growth.
  4. She even made fun of herself. The video ends with them “mocking” a one-minute hairstyle … done on Mutyala herself! After making big mistakes, you sometimes have to laugh about it.

While some have accused the YouTube personality for using this as a PR stunt (she only used girls with high social media followings, and McNaughton’s original reported that Mutyala “probably never wanting to work with natural hair again,” etc.), I think this is a good look for everyone involved and a learning moment.

Check out the video below:

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Facebook, Twitter

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For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.