Here at The Glow Up, we’ve already extolled the virtues of vlogger Sailor J, whose hilarious video tutorials and social commentary consistently keep us in stitches. But this week, she took tutorial to a new level when she subversively addressed the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Fla.—as well as the many similarly horrifying events that preceded it—in her video “(Thoughts & Prayers) Makeup Look.”
The popular YouTuber notes in the video, “This isn’t a new look; it’s been out for a while,” before proceeding to showcase an entirely invisible makeup line. Her imaginary colors include “If You’re White, It’s a Mental Illness, and If You’re Brown, You’re a Terrorist,” “Bulletproof Black” (to match the vests we’re going to have to start putting on our children), “Money” (because that’s all our country cares about) and “The Blood of Our Children” (because it’s what we’re bathing in these days), which she pantomimes applying to her face.
Our personal favorite? The blush: “So we look flushed with embarrassment, like the rest of our country.”
The point? That thoughts and prayers are nothing without action to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again. But in case you thought Sailor J was just here for the hits, she also links to the GoFundMe page of the Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund, which so far has raised over $2 million of its $2.5 million goal.
There’s not much to laugh about regarding this recent act of domestic terrorism in Florida—or the countless preceding acts of police brutality, gun fatalities or or lax gun control in this country. But if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that “thoughts and prayers” aren’t the solution. And because every one of us is entitled to speak on this travesty, we salute Sailor J for bringing it to her platform’s attention. Because as she says, nothing stops a bullet like “thoughts and prayers.”