L’Oreal’s First Transgender Model Fired for Saying ‘ALL White People are Racist’

According to The Sun, L’Oreal Paris has fired British model Munroe Bergdorf, the first transgender model employed by the makeup giant, after she wrote a Facebook post that called all white people racist. Let’s have a look at The Sun’s transcript of what she actually said in the now-deleted post.

She reportedly wrote: “Honestly I don’t have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people.

“Because 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. From micro-aggression to terrorism, you guys built the blueprint for this s***.

“Come see me when you realise that racism isn’t learned, it’s inherited and consciously or unconsciously passed down through privilege.

“Once white people begin to admit that their race is the most violent and oppressive force of nature on Earth… then we can talk.

“Until then stay acting shocked about how the world continues to stay f***** at the hands of your ancestors and your heads that remain buried in the sand with hands over your ears.”

The most off-putting thing to me in this whole piece is her use of the word “y’all”. Bergdorf is British, and British people don’t say “y’all.” Not only have I never heard a British person say “y’all,” I can’t even mentally conceive of what it might sound like in a British accent. Seriously, close your eyes, turn off the TV and just imagine for a second, if you will, the Queen of England saying “We are not amused, y’all.” Can’t be done. After I finish this article, I’m going to call one of my British friends and get them to say “y’all” for me, and I’m willing to bet they won’t actually manage to form the word.

But maybe we should talk about the substance of what she said for just a second. Some circles of people have taken to defining racism as institutional racism instead of the common-use definition of racism as personal racial bias. This leads to a lot of conflict just over wording because while all white people benefit from institutional racism to some extent, it’s a relatively small (but still far too high, as evidenced by the presidency of Donald Trump) number of people who fit the term racist of its definition as being explicitly racially biased. There, you’ve now had a white man explain racism to you, you’re now qualified to write a blog entry on Tumblr that starts with “Ugh”.

But anyway, I’m inclined to disagree with both some of the finer points of her post as well as her firing. I don’t think any race has a monopoly on imperialistic violence. Genghas Khan raped so many women in his campaign of world conquest that roughly 1 in 200 people are direct descendants of his. But I also don’t think we should be telling a transgender woman of color what the proper way to express her anger over white supremacist rallies occurring in United States should be, either. Bergdorf characterized her remarks to The Sun thusly:

“When I stated that ‘all white people are racist’, I was addressing that fact that western society as a whole, is a SYSTEM rooted in white supremacy – designed to benefit, prioritise and protect white people before anyone of any other race.

“Unknowingly, white people are SOCIALISED to be racist from birth onwards. It is not something genetic. No one is born racist.”

She’s clearly an intelligent woman who has put a lot of thought and passion into her position. On the other hand, L’Oreal Paris were well within their their rights not to want to associate their brand with a British person who says “y’all”.