Makeup Tutorial Showing Abused Women How to Hide Bruises is Cleverly Disguised Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign
British makeup artist and YouTube personality Lauren Luke shocked her 440,000 subscribers when she appeared battered and bruised in her latest online tutorial.
Entitled "How To Look Your Best The Morning After," the step-by-step guide ostensibly walks women through the process of covering up black and blue markings left on the skin by a "jealous type of partner."
Happily, the frightening instructional video is not real: Luke recorded it as part of a new public service campaign for the anti-domestic-violence group Refuge called "Don't Cover It Up." Sadly, the situation depicted in Luke's video is a reality for many women around the world. According to Refuge, "65% of women who suffer domestic violence keep it hidden."
Luke herself was never a victim of domestic violence, but she does know what it's like to be afraid of an aggressively overprotective boyfriend. "Sometimes it was like living with a volcano which could erupt at any second," she told AdWeek. "I felt I was walking on egg shells just to keep him from exploding and smashing something across the room."
In another interview, Luke admits she had no idea how many women were affected by domestic violence. "I was absolutely gobsmacked," she said. "It's not just physical abuse, it could be emotional, psychological, and financial as well."
Luke's PSA follows a mini-trend of YouTube makeup artists starring in awareness campaigns. Back in April, Nikkie de Jager of NikkieTutorials appeared in a similarly jarring faux-tutorial that illustrated the risks of putting on makeup while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.
