Winnipeg TikTok star featured in Sephora ad campaign

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This article was published 23/07/2021 (1508 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michelle Chubb, 23, still remembers how shocked she was when she opened her email to find a message from beauty brand Sephora inviting her to model for the company.

“I was taken aback. I had to re-read it,” Chubb said. “I didn’t hesitate to say yes.”

The Swampy Cree woman lives in the St. Norbert neighbourhood of Winnipeg. She is a member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation, also known as Oxford House, Man., but grew up in Cross Lake. She spent her childhood learning about her heritage from her grandfather and attending cultural ceremonies with her family.

Sephora announced its all-Indigenous ad campaign last month, which aims to “amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples in Canada while paying homage to their knowledge, wisdom, diverse strengths and teachings,” according to the company’s news release.

Chubb said it was an exciting opportunity she hopes will lead to other modelling gigs.

“Seeing it inspired me to do more of my work,” Chubb said. “I just felt really happy.”

The photographs have since appeared at more than 80 Sephora locations and on the beauty retailer’s digital platforms. Chubb believes this type of representation by a beauty retailer would have inspired her younger self.

“I would have been excited for my future,” Chubb said. “As a child you’re being told you can’t do something because you’re Native, or  what you can’t pursue.”

Chubb first rose to social media fame on popular video sharing app TikTok. Her posts — set to cultural music or today’s hits — focus on her experiences as an Indigenous woman. She shares her daily life, traditions and recounts childhood trauma while raising awareness of issues effecting her community.

“My goal was to inspire Indigenous youth to come out of the shadows and be themselves,” Chubb said. “I know a lot of Indigenous girls and boys who are shy because of what we’re told growing up. I just want them to be comfortable in their own skin.”

Since downloading the app, Chubb has noticed an increase in Indigenous content creators, including local TikTokers Sherry McKay and Theland Kicknosway.

Chubb boasts an impressive 165,000 followers on Instagram and 433,000 on TikTok.

Aside from Sephora, Chubb has also joined forces with popular eyeglasses brand BonLook. She currently has a new partnership in the works but it is yet to be made official. She has also been interviewed by Teen Vogue and was named one of the Top 100 fascinating Manitobans of 2020  by well-known Winnipeg radio personality and philanthropist Ace Burpee.

Chubb is commited to continuing her work, but also hopes non-Indigenous people will take it upon themselves to learn about Indigenous history.

“It really takes a toll on us to have to educate others,” she says.

Chubb can be found on Instagram and TikTok under the username @indigenous_baddie