Lifestyle

By only using white influencers, brands are telling black women we don’t belong


I have been a blogger for 11 years and I’d like to think that I am a bit of a veteran in the game (Picture: Fifi Newbery)

As I scroll through my Instagram timeline, I can’t help but notice the many slim, white faces smiling up at me. I send a polite direct message to the account of one of the brands I encounter:

‘Hey there! This trip looks amazing. I was wondering though, if you ever use non-white influencers for your campaign at all, as it would be awesome to see a bit of diversity on your page!’

I check their page a few hours later, only to see that I have been blocked by the brand.

The influencer community has long had an issue with racial inclusivity, yet it still seems to be a topic largely avoided by marketers, brands, and by white influencers themselves (likely for fear of falling out of favour with the brands and PR companies who pay their bills).

I have been a blogger for 11 years and I’d like to think that I am a bit of a veteran in the game.

I’ve seen my peers turn something that was once a fun hobby into groundbreaking careers, carving out a new digital sector, which enables young creatives to work for themselves and create unique content for brands, often taking the place of traditional advertising agencies.

Yet it is disturbing to see a continued pattern of blatant sidelining and absence of women of colour in this relatively new industry.

As an example, I recently noticed a popular travel company only had two bloggers of colour featured on its Instagram page, while another equally big brand promoted a press trip to the Canary Islands where all bloggers involved were white.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that non-white influencers aren’t used in campaigns – there are brands who are getting it 100 per cent right – but we cannot ignore how overwhelmingly white, slim and able-bodied the majority are.

Black women spent almost nine times more on hair and beauty products than white women, yet we are the least represented (Picture: Kaye Ford @fordtography)

I remember being invited to attend a beauty event a few years ago to celebrate the launch of their new foundation and when I arrived, the only black bloggers there were myself and Patricia Bright.

When I asked whether the brand planned on releasing any foundation shades deeper than eggshell white, I was told that they wouldn’t be ‘any time soon.’

It was at that point I wondered why I had been invited to this event, that was purely and intentionally catered towards white women. Was I only invited to fill a diversity optics quota?

The discussion around the treatment of women of colour in influencer communities has been so extensive that sub-communities have been created with advice on how non-white influencers can help each other.

It’s not just online; influencers of colour regularly share stories of the exclusion and lack of acknowledgement they experience at press events.

‘I had no idea what to expect, but I remember walking down the stairs of the venue, and very quickly realising that I was the only black person there,’ Demi Ryan, a fellow blogger, tells me.

‘Although the brand founders were more than accommodating, the other bloggers and influencers stared at me as if I didn’t belong. I felt incredibly self-conscious while they chatted along but ignored me.

‘I hoped this was going to be a one-time occurrence, but practically every event I’ve been invited to since has been very similar.’

This isn’t an unusual scenario.

Unless you are an influencer of colour who has significant numbers under your belt, you are rarely afforded access into these spaces. It’s ridiculous considering the amount of money we spend on beauty products.

According to a report by Nielsen, black women spent almost nine times more on ethnic hair and beauty products in 2017, compared to our white counterparts. What’s more, we shelled out over £951million for hair care, grooming aids and skin care preparations.

Yet we are still the least represented group, not only within the influencer industry but in beauty and modelling industries, too.

That being said, there has been a huge rise in the hair industry with the ‘golden extension’ trend – a rise in mainstream hair brands extending product ranges to include curly and afro-textured hair, which is often spotted by distinct golden and brown-coloured packaging used to denote the inclusion of coconut and shea butter as the product’s main ingredients.

Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of hard facts or figures surrounding the lack of inclusivity and diversity within the influencer industry. The entirety of the conversation consists solely of Twitter threads created by influencers of colour.

The industry at large refuses to tackle this issue, yet by ignoring the obvious lack of diversity in their campaigns, brands and agencies are complicit in upholding beauty ideals which focus only on whiteness.

Brands are missing a huge mark both morally and financially by purposely omitting bloggers of colour from their events and campaigns (Picture: Kaye Ford)

In 2018, clothing brand Revolve came under fire when it was revealed that they had only invited white women on their #RevolveAroundTheWorld press trip to Thailand. As a result, people took to the comment section of the brand’s social media critcising the lack of diversity, sparking the hashtag #RevolveSoWhite.

The outrage also prompted blogger Valerie Equavoen to create an Instagram page called You Belong Now, which highlights and provides a safe space for bloggers of colour and plus sized bloggers.

And brands like OhPolly have faced criticism in the last few weeks for segregating their ethnic minority and plus size influencers by means of a completely new Instagram account, under the guide of being ‘100 per cent inclusive’, which obviously makes no sense whatsoever. If they wanted to be inclusive, there would be no need for a separate Instagram account, right?

By exclusively using white influencers to tout holiday experiences, beauty and skincare products and fashion pieces, the story being told is that these experiences are only available to white people. Only white women use luxury skincare. Only white slim women go on holiday. Only white women wear a certain brand’s fashion pieces. It needs to stop.

There are brands doing it well, like Sleek Makeup, Makeup Revolution, ASOS, Navabi and Benefit. They have a history of getting the balance right in regards to diversity within their campaigns and coverage.

So, how can we get the ones that need work to broaden their scope in terms of racial equality?

Firstly, brands should hire employees that represent their audiences. Another solution would be for white influencers to hold brands accountable for their lack of diversity and challenge them on it.

In an ideal world, the latter wouldn’t be required, but as we’ve witnessed with most issues surrounding race, media and marketing, the powers that be generally don’t tend to listen or take queries seriously unless it is addressed by someone who benefits from white privilege.

Brands are missing a huge mark both morally and financially by purposely omitting bloggers of colour from their events and campaigns.

It’s time they acknowledged that not only do influencers of colour exist, but that we are viable assets who can add value to audiences that span far beyond the current slim, white and blonde aesthetic.

MORE: Black women who go missing are neglected in a way white women aren’t

MORE: Black women are constantly hypersexualised – it’s time to stop fetishising skin colour

MORE: My Label and Me: Do not call me a person of colour





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.