Munroe Bergdorf

L’Oréal

Transgender model Munroe Bergdorf was fired by L’Oréal last August for making comments about systemic racism on social media.

Bergdorf was sacked after making the comments on Facebook in the wake of protests in Charlottesville in the US that left several people dead.

Bergdorf’s Facebook post asked that white people become aware of any unconscious racism: “Most of ya’ll don’t even realise or refuse to acknowledge that your existence, privilege and success as a race is built on the backs, blood and death of people of colour. Your entire existence is drenched in racism.” Bergdorf said of the L’Oréal racism row: “It puzzles me that my views are considered extreme.”

In a clever marketing strategy, British cosmetics company Illamasqua announced it had signed on Bergdorf to front its new campaign based around gender fluidity.