L’Oréal Paris ‘regrets’ racial spat with ex-ambassador Munroe Bergdorf and offers her new role

By Becky Bargh | Published: 10-Jun-2020

L’Oréal admits it regrets the handling of the British transgender model’s sacking in 2017 and has asked her to join its new UK Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board

Ex-brand ambassador Munroe Bergdorf has rejoined L’Oréal Paris after a racial spat ensued surrounding her sacking in 2017.

Bergdorf was fired by the French brand shortly after being appointed, due to a controversial Facebook post in which she responded to far-right protests in the US.

The argument was recently revived when L’Oréal Paris posted its support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The British model hit back at the beauty creator calling its social media posts a PR stunt and “capitalising from a marginalised movement”.

“Where was my support when I spoke out?” she wrote.

In a new statement on the brand’s Instagram page, L’Oréal Paris’ Brand President, Delphine Viguier addressed the feud and announced that she had offered Bergdorf a position as part of the newly formed UK Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board.

The Board will be used to ‘influence and inform’ action plans against racism inside and out of the company, according to the brand.

“We will honour Munroe’s advocacy for both the trans and black communities,” the statement read.

“L’Oréal will be donating to associations that support social justice and causes that are deeply personal to Munroe’s experience.”

Viguier also admitted that she regretted the handling of Bergdorf’s dismissal in 2017.

Speaking about a conversation between the two, she said: “While we both agree today that negative labels should not be used to define all individuals in any group, I understand much better the pain and trauma that were behind Munroe’s words back then and the urgency she felt to speak in defence of the black community against systemic racism.

“I regret the lack of dialogue and support the company showed Munroe around the time of her termination.”

Speaking about her new position, Bergdorf said it was the “perfect opportunity to practice what I preach”.

She added: “I believe in accountability and progress, not cancellation and grudges. While what happened 3 years ago was extremely traumatic for me personally and professionally, sitting on a board to provide a voice and a champion for black, trans and queer voices in the beauty industry is important to me.”

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