Black Women Elevate Each Other's Beauty with Joyful Compliments

Gassing up each other's looks is a radical act of communal care and celebration.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Black women have a unique culture of enthusiastically complimenting and uplifting each other's beauty, from hair to outfits to skin. This 'compliment culture' is described as a form of reciprocal joy, where Black women insist on naming and amplifying each other's shine, creating moments of safety and belonging in a world that often tries to dim their light. The author shares personal experiences of spontaneously complimenting strangers, and how these exchanges lead to deeper connections and the swapping of beauty tips and routines.

Why it matters

This story highlights the powerful role that positive affirmation and communal celebration play in Black women's lives and beauty rituals. In a society that often marginalizes and undervalues Black women, this 'love language' of hyping each other up serves as a radical act of self-care, solidarity, and resistance.

The details

The author describes Black women's compliment culture as 'reciprocity as radical joy' - a way of insisting on naming each other's shine, celebrating it, and amplifying it. This can take the form of spontaneous compliments from strangers, or deeper exchanges where beauty tips and routines are shared. The author recounts a story of running across a busy street to compliment a woman's gorgeous Afro, leading to a five-minute conversation where the author learned the woman's entire haircare routine.

  • The author wrote this story in February 2026.

The players

Julee Wilson

The author of the story, who is the Beauty Editor at Large at Cosmopolitan magazine. She has previously held beauty editorial roles at Essence and Huffington Post.

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What they’re saying

“Gassing each other up isn't extra. It's our love language.”

— Julee Wilson (Cosmopolitan)

“Put another way, if complimenting were an Olympic sport, Black women would be the Sha'Carri Richardsons of the track—nails did, edges laid, and absolutely smoking the competition with every word of affirmation.”

— Julee Wilson (Cosmopolitan)

The takeaway

This story celebrates the unique 'love language' of Black women, where enthusiastic compliments and mutual upliftment are acts of radical self-care and community building. It serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of positive affirmation, especially for marginalized groups who face constant challenges to their worth and visibility.