The response that I've had over the last two days has been the worst time of my
life but it just speaks volumes about society and it just stands again
it stands for everything that I am against and I don't have words
This is transgender model Munro Bergdorf - earlier this week a major makeup firm hired her
as one of the faces of modern diversity for an advertising campaign
I just started speaking more about my experience
But just days later she's been sacked by the firm for now deleted Facebook post in the wake of white
supremacist rallies in Charlottesville suggesting that all white people are
racist she said "honestly I don't have energy to talk about the racial violence
of white people anymore yes all white people"
she continued "your entire existence is drenched in racism once white people
begin to admit that their race is the most violent and oppressive force of
nature on earth then we can talk" L'Oreal said in a statement
L'Oreal supports diversity intolerance towards all people irrespective of their
race background gender and religion we believe the recent comments by Monroe
Bergdorf are at odds with those values and as such we have taken the decision to end the partnership with her
So first of all Monroe you say there's a context
in the comments that you made can you just explain what that context is
Well I wrote this status in response to the Charlottesville attacks I was angry and
I think everybody was angry at that point but I wrote it because I wanted to
talk about where the root of racism is and that much of the West benefited from
so it was important for me to put it into context of why this might be
happening I mean everybody was angry we're seeing white supremacists marching
around with tiki torches and it was absolutely insane so really in my head I
didn't think that there would be that much of a problem in identifying that
racism is coming from white culture is coming from white privilege it's coming
from white supremacists this isn't a situation where people
level playing field society is not level society is built on the foundations of white supremacy
But the problem is if you say you're talking about
Charlottesville and you weren't angry a woman died at Charlottesville
protesting ... and she was a white woman so but when you say all
white people yeah alienates her as well - Not really because when I
was saying all white people I'm talking about the structural racism talking
about systemic racism I'm talking about how we are conditioned to believe
certain things in society nobody is born racist we're all born exactly the same
but it's how society conditions us to think you can of course be an ally and
I've got many many allies of all races but it's how you think and if you're if
you're saying that you're not racist and what are you doing to dismantle racism
because you can benefit from racism
You don't accept that it's simplistic to say all white people
No, I think the problem is is that a lot of people think that racism
is actively calling someone something you can think it and you can see
yourself as superior and really I think that racism is being aware that you are
part of a structure and not doing anything about it - You come from a mixed
race family, do you find it odd that you're now being accused of anti
white prejudice - I find it ridiculous, I mean having to explain what was
put in the Daily Mail which was completely out of context they made it seem like I was
just ranting about white people for absolutely no reason when I was
literally talking about white supremacy to have to explain that to my mom is
heartbreaking because I'm halfway and my mom's white and I would never and the
whole side of my mom's family is white so why would I ever say that all white
people are racist and I hate white people is ridiculous I want everyone to get on
with everybody and I just don't understand how calling out the roots of
racism somehow makes you a racist that just doesn't make sense to me
and L'Oreal have sacked you yes how do you feel I mean
if that's how they deal with diversity if that's how they deal with actually
calling out racism then I'm glad I would like a public apology because if they're
truly for diversity if they're anti racism then they can just look up
everything that they brought to my doorstep everything that I can ever
think in the deepest is my mind - This is online abuse in reaction? Yeah completely and I've heard
nothing I've heard absolutely nothing no one's got in contact nothing I mean
You were hired as part of a campaign to reflect diversity
L'Oriel says that you don't reflect their values anymore well I would like
to know what L'Oreal's values are if they're going to hire Cheryl Cole who
punched a black woman in the face and I don't understand where their values lie
I called out racial hatred I called out systemic racism I didn't call anyone
anything I said that all white people are socialized to be racist because we
live in a racist society that doesn't mean that all right white people are
racist inherently it's just like saying that women are socially conditioned to
be submissive men are socially conditioned to be sexist because this is
the society that we live in we don't live in a utopia where everything's all
fine and dandy this is life this is difficult and white supremacy is a
reason why we have racism in this country as I was exposed to a lot of
racism from being a small kid to being a young adult and I was extremely aware of
being different and looked down upon to a certain extent
my dad was called the n-word I was called the n-word I no heard it as a kid
we all conditioned to be different genes and I'll make up that our DNA is human
but we are all different and it's about learning to live with each other but
also identifying where things come from we can't just say racist and you know
that's that's an insole is it's not an insult racism is a form of behavior so
going from just a few days ago you were being lauded as L'Oreal's first
transgender model and celebrated to the situation you now find yourself in yeah
how does that feel I mean I've had better weeks
I don't really know what to say other than I especially disappointed in
L'Oreal the Daily Mail I expect that from them but it was extremely low I was
also I've also found out that the person that gave that false information that
out of context text to the Daily Mail was someone that I went to university
with that didn't like me and they actively posted on their Facebook that
they wanted to take me down a peg or two and I think that that speaks volumes as
well because when you see a black trans woman doing well that's what you want to
do that's horrendous and I think it just speaks volumes the response that I've
had over the last two days has been the worst time of my life but it just speaks
volumes about Society and it just stands again it stands for everything that I am
against and I don't have words I know Bergdorf thank you very much
coming in thank you
you