Lana Condor’s Neutrogena Campaign Is About Representation as Much as It Is About Skincare
Lana Condor is one of Hollywood’s most popular young stars. She became widely known after starring in the film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and its sequel, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.
With Condor’s popularity, it is not surprising she has been chosen to be the face of the skincare brand Neutrogena. However, for Condor, this new campaign is not just about promoting skincare products. Rather, it is also a chance for her to represent Asian Americans in the type of work that has seen very little diversity.
Lana Condor loves Neutrogena products
In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Condor explained she has been using Neutrogena products for a long time, which has made her new role as the brand’s representative feel natural.
“My mom introduced me to Neutrogena products, so I’ve been using this brand since the beginning and for as long as I can remember,” Condor shared. “I actually feel equipped to talk about the products, which gives me relief because talking about skincare would suck if I knew nothing about it.”
Condor is ‘proud to be an Asian face’ for such a popular skincare brand
Condor seems very eager to promote Neutrogena, but she also made sure to discuss what this campaign means for her and other Asian Americans.
Condor told Marie Claire, “To be completely honest, I feel really proud to be an Asian face of Neutrogena. The initial response from my followers has been about how awesome it is to see an Asian face in skincare for such an iconic brand. I want young girls and guys to see this [announcement] and believe they can do it, too.”
She also touched on the importance of seeing oneself represented in industries that affects many people, such as skincare.
“I really want to represent inclusion in makeup; beauty can be very ostracizing if you don’t see yourself in it,” Condor said. “With skincare, my hope is that everyone feels proud of the skin they’re in. I want to show others who may feel alone, that we can all feel safe, represented, and a part of something.”
Condor has talked about the lack of Asian representation in Hollywood
Condor’s breakout film, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, has been praised for featuring an Asian-American lead that is three-dimensional and does not conform to outdated stereotypes.
However, before landing her famous role, she also struggled to navigate an industry that seems to have limited characters for Asian American actors.
“As I kept auditioning and working in the industry, I started being more aware that there was a possibility certain projects didn’t hire me because of the way I looked,” she told Who What Wear. “I’ve never been more aware of my Asian-ness and female-ness than in the film industry.”
Nevertheless, Condor remains positive that things are changing, especially with the popularity of movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Crazy Rich Asians. Speaking to Teen Vogue, she reveals her belief that Hollywood is changing its approach to writing Asian American characters because viewers are no longer putting up with offensive stereotypes.
“I don’t know why it has taken so long [for Hollywood to change],” Condor said. “My best guess is that Hollywood felt that they could get away with it. That they could cast the funny Asian to be, say, comedic relief, as a supporter. Or cast the smart Asian as a supporting lead. And that was enough. I think they just felt that they could get away with it, and they did for a very long time.”
Condor added, “I think now people are too smart. I don’t think people have the patience; they’re not blind. They don’t have the patience to watch a movie that doesn’t look like real life.”
