THE IGNORANT ASPECTS of society were highlighted once more after Munroe Bergdorf’s clash with L’Oréal. In a Facebook post about August’s Charlottesville incident she said all white people are unknowingly socialised to be racist, in the same way that women are socialised to be submissive, or gay men to feel shame. A day after Munroe was announced as L’Oréal’s first trans model, her post was used in a disparaging article, out of context, by the Daily Mail. In the most embarrassing call I’ve ever seen a corporation make, L’Oréal interpreted the Mail’s disapproval as a decree to end its partnership with Munroe. It seems L’Oréal preferred women to be seen and not heard. It wanted Munroe’s face and body, but not her mind and voice. It seems the company’s drive to be representative of society is just box-ticking.
You can’t claim to celebrate diversity and not acknowledge history, and it’s impact on every industry today: from politics to business, theatre to the police force.