Season 01, Episode 04: Performing Self-Care Online
The BLK IRL Podcast is an audio docuseries that explores the business of “influencing” and the power dynamics at play in the act of cultural exchange. Join host Anuli Akanegbu as she dissects themes related to race in the influencer economy through research-supported commentary and intimate interviews with predominantly Black content creators, scholars, entrepreneurs, activists, marketing experts, and cultural critics.
In this episode, Anuli talks to Saleam Singleton, a Brooklyn based men’s skincare + beauty advocate and content creator about how he creates boundaries between his online persona, the Method Male, and who he is offline as well as how performing self-care online came to be one of the ways that he honors himself.
FEATURED SPEAKER: SALEAM SINGLETON
Saleam Singleton is a Brooklyn based men’s skincare + beauty advocate and content creator. He’s currently a contributing writer for Byrdie.com and represents as part of their Byrdie Boy franchise. A native of Philadelphia, Saleam grew up expressing himself through acts of beauty and personal style. He also discovered his interest in media early on - and has since combined his passions. His goal is to contribute to the inclusion of Black men’s voices in the beauty industry.
Referenced materials
Ates, Alex. The Definitive Guide to Method Acting. Backstage.com. November 5, 2018. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/the-definitive-guide-to-method-acting-65816/
Butler, Judith. Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal. Vol. 40, No. 4 (Dec., 1988), pp. 519-531. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday. 1956.
Grey Ellis, Emma. Why Women Are Called ‘Influencers’ and Men ‘Creators.’ Wired. May 29, 2019. https://www.wired.com/story/influencers-creators-gender-divide/
Paula’s Choice On The Rise Program. https://www.paulaschoice.com/on-the-rise
Singleton, Saleam. How Beauty Became My Form of Self-Expression by Saleam Singleton. Byrdie. March 20, 2020. https://www.byrdie.com/the-method-male-4797047#:~:text=The%20Method%20Male%20is%20about,things%20they%20love%20about%20themselves
Singleton, Saleam Tyree. The Method Male. https://www.instagram.com/themethodmale/?hl=en