CeeCee Meadows Brings Indigenous Beauty to the World

[I grew up on a farm in a small town outside of Yuma, Arizona. I was the oldest of four siblings and grew up in a pretty rough neighborhood. We didn't have a lot, but we helped each other out. School was a safe haven for me, so I grew up there and eventually became the first in my family to graduate from college.

My twenties were a real blur. I made six figures in finance, drove a sports car, and just lived really, really fast. I got married, had a little girl, got divorced, and when I was 27 I was diagnosed with cancer. Insurance only covered part of the surgery and medication. Being a single mother with only one income and being sick was a challenge. I lost my house, my car, and my savings, all to pay for treatment. I had another baby right after I went into remission and ended up homeless with two children. It was crazy to go from a really successful person to being broke.

But I'm super optimistic and I think it changed my life. I grew up in a negative environment, but there was always a spark inside of me that wanted to do something good. Growing up, it saved me when I was stuck. I always dreamed of owning my own cosmetics line. My passions are makeup and philanthropy, so I figured out a way to combine the two. I moved to New York and went to beauty school. And in 2018 I became the first Native American makeup artist to lead a show backstage at New York Fashion Week. I launched Prados Beauty (opens in new tab), used my products on models, and began selling online the following year.

Once the business was successful and the products were selling, we decided to give 50 percent of our profits back to the indigenous community and those in need, especially veterans and children with special needs. We just started a non-profit organization called the Prados Life Fund to raise funds to send PPE to Native American communities hit hard by the pandemic and to fire and police departments on reservations. I have a patch that was sent to me by the Zuni tribe as a thank you for their support. Seeing them every day reminds me that even though we are a cosmetics company, we can make a difference in people's worlds.

Indigenous representation in beauty is important. I personally identify as Yaqui and Comanche. When I think about indigenous beauty, I am thinking about amplifying the voices of all of us, not just certain tribes. Using brightly colored species like turquoise, yellow, and orange helps accomplish that. We have a lot of indigenous makeup artists on our team, and they come up with very beautiful eye looks, and some of them wear regalia or post pictures of themselves wearing beaded jewelry. Our brand is about being really proud of who we are and telling our story through our makeup. It is also an opportunity for consumers to learn about indigenous cultures. We can remind people that we are more than just a false Pocahontas story and that we are more than a massacre in the history books. We are still here.

To support the Meadows' work, visit pradosbeauty.com (opens in a new tab)

This article appeared in the April 2021 issue of Marie Claire.

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