Diet Prada Bashing Brands On ‘Fake’ BLM Support To 19 Million Followers Is Content You Need Right Now

Today on ‘which brand has fucked up this week’.

POSTED 11.06.20 10:38 BY KATT RODRIGUES

Wow, 2020 really has been a wild ride, the last few months the world has gone through a truly historical experience in so many different ways, we will talk about these times for the rest of our lives.

Amongst the tales we shall tell our grandchildren is the one of an Instagram account named Diet Prada - who bravely fought off the racist brands of the world with their army of 1.9 million followers behind them...okay, the story might not go exactly like that but the recent bashing that has been going on is something we will absolutely be mentioning in our later years.

Famous Insta brand Diet Prada have been using their platform lately to post coverage on the BLM movement and evolving world events associated with this, including the complete tearing apart of famous fashion houses and beauty brands who have supported the BLM movements on social but behind the scenes have been known for being racist organisations on different levels.

Zimmerman, Reformation, L’Oreal & Celine are amongst those who have had accounts of insider racism pushed back into the spotlight after they have ‘seemingly’ been all about diversity and sticking together, yeah right.

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@zimmermann , another likely fave of Boho Karens worldwide, is under fire after throwing their hat into the performative allyship ring. As multiple former interns came forward with their experiences facing and witnessing anti-Black discrimination at the company, a telling brand guideline was leaked. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In the “Grooming & Presentation Standards” portion of the retail employee manual, Black women are completely absent in favor of the likes of Olivia Palermo and various VS angels. This is actually an updated edition—the photos of Asian models were added only after employees raised complaints about its lack of diversity. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The makeup portion features an exhaustive list of beauty products aimed at achieving a glow like Romee Strijd or Candace Swanepoel, but the hair section is where things get really problematic. By specifying that hair must be “soft, textured loose waves, or blow-dried straight”, while prohibiting “high buns, top knots, plaits, braids”, the language seems worded in a way to make it incredibly difficult for any Black employees to wear their hair natural or in accordance to their cultural identity. Ex-employees say this version of the guide circulated up until Sept. 2019. For reference, the NYC Commission on Human Rights issued new guidelines in Feb. 2019, stating that the targeting of people based on their hair or hairstyle will be considered racial discrimination. An updated version specified that hair could be worn in its natural state, but still prohibited buns, knots, and braids. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In comments on the brand's post, former intern @desireejcelestin describes a high-level employee mocking a Black model’s hair, comparing it to a dust bunny she picked up off the floor. The model complained to her agency, and was temporarily dismissed until her agent resolved the issue. Zimmermann requested the model apologize. Other Black interns also came forward saying they weren’t allowed to attend the runway show because they “didn’t understand the brand”, while others attended. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There's a slight silver lining to these hollow posts though—they’re exposing myriad injustices POC face in an industry that seems more rotten day by day. •

Una publicación compartida por Diet Prada ™ (@diet_prada) el 8 de Jun de 2020 a las 1:06 PDT

Reformation is a brand famous for its sustainable ethos - clearly that's the only ethos they give a shit about. Former employee Santiago revealed that she had been subject to racism at work after being repeatedly turned down for company growth opportunities that she was more than qualified for and told to help interview the outside applications of white women for the roles instead.

Other allegations include a picture of two white female team members posted to Instagram, eating fried chicken with the caption ‘happy black history month!’ Although this caused a scandal, the woman in question has since been promoted to VP of wholesale.

Next up there’s Zimmerman, a boho brand whose infamous “Grooming & Presentation Standards' document was shared in the post, it essentially makes it impossible to work for them unless you are white.

Honestly you should read this thing, hair can ONLY be worn in ‘soft, textured loose waves or blow dried straight” and apparently they choose what brand of makeup you can wear and what products to use, it literally tells you what eyeshadow shade to wear....sorry, who are you again?

This guide was still in circulation up until September of 2019 and a former intern has spoken out about a high level employee mocking a black member of staff's hair and comparing it to a ‘dust bunny’ she removed from the floor.

Celebrity stylist Jason Bolden revealed after Celines black square went up that they don’t dress black celebrities unless they have a white stylist and L'Oreal's old scandal with model Munroe was once again mentioned as they too posted in ‘solidarity’ with the BLM movement despite a history of public racism.

L’Oréal champions diversity. Comments by Munroe Bergdorf are at odds with our values and so we have decided to end our partnership with her.
— L'Oréal Paris UK (@LOrealParisUK) September 1, 2017