Empowering our Girls through Social STEAM®.
Celebrating 22 yrs. of Reel Impact
Celebrating 22 yrs.
Celebrating 22 yrs. of Reel Impact Celebrating 22 yrs.
Our philosophy is “Reel Beauty is Skin Deep.”®
Reel Beauty Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to empowering girls in Chicago and across Africa through mentorship, leadership development, and programs that bridge social-emotional learning with STEAM education. Founded in 2004, Reel Beauty has spent more than two decades empowering girls to recognize their value, amplify their voices, and lead with confidence.
Social STEAM® Lipsticks & Shadows Curriculum
Social STEAM® integrates Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) to empower girls to explore identity, purpose, and possibility.
Through creative, beauty-industry-inspired lessons, girls build self-confidence, self-efficacy, and essential 21st-century skills — including communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
The program aligns directly with the five CASEL pillars:
Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making.
Lipsticks & Shadows, a signature ten-session series within Social STEAM®, uses metaphors and tools from makeup artistry to teach deeper life lessons about authenticity, confidence, and resilience. The series helps girls define beauty from the inside out while envisioning future careers in STEAM fields.
Real Impact
Reel Beauty has successfully implemented its programming in 14 Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Below is a list of schools where our programming has made a meaningful impact in the lives of our girls.
Langston Hughes STEM Elementary School
Rich Township High School STEM Campus
John C. Hope College Prep
South Shore High School
Esmond Elementary School
Air Force Academy High School
Pullman Elementary School
Betty Shabazz International Charter High School
James H. Bowen High School
Options Laboratory School
Edgar Allan Poe Classical School
Jesse Owen’s Elementary Community Academy
Fernwood Elementary School
Orville Bright Elementary School
Our Cultural Initiative at
The Uzima Center in Mwanza, Tanzania in Africa.
In June 2011, Reel Beauty, Inc., launched its first international program, “Uzuri Wa Kweli” in Tanzania, Africa, at the Uzima Centre with 30 girls. We took our 10-week curriculum and translated it into the native Swahili language and implemented our workshops with 15 girls. The program since has been facilitated with 30 girls. In 2014, our Founder, Deida Massey, visited the Uzima Center and while there, spoke to the girls about their goals and how to become a positive impact within their village. In addition, sponsors from the Global Health Initiative at the University of Chicago and countless volunteers collected hygienic items to give to the girls while in Africa.
“Our philosophy is “Reel Beauty is Skin Deep.”
— Deida M.., Founder
Latest from Reel Beauty Inc
Follow along our journey as we continue our mission. Mentoring Program for girls in Chicago & Africa.
