A fashion and beauty YouTuber is accusing a shopping app that invited her on a trip of using her as the token Black girl as evidenced in their lack of interest in her once she got to Fiji.
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After Kianna Naomi attended a trip to the beautiful island, she sounded off on Dote Shopping in a YouTube video saying that the brand didn’t have interest in taking photos of her. She also said that she felt like an “outcast” among the white girls who clicked on the trip, leaving her feeling ostracized.
“I didn’t want to be the problematic Black girl, and I didn’t want to be labeled as ungrateful because I’m literally in the most beautiful country there is.”
This admission comes nine months after Dote invited Naomi and a group of young women to the country. Naomi is a YouTuber influencer with well over 740,000 subscribers.
But she says it was clear she was the “token black girl” there just to benefit the company by helping them to look as if they were promoting diversity.
“I’m so glad I got to experience it, but I wish it hadn’t been with this company,” she admitted.
“I know what you’re thinking, honestly. “It’s not that big of a deal, it doesn’t matter,”‘ she continued in the video. “But I want to let you guys know it’s not about getting pictures in Fiji. It’s about feeling unwelcome, it’s about feeling uncomfortable, it’s about feeling like an outcast.”
“Diversity is not throwing one black girl among a whole bunch of white ones and being like, “Aye we’re diverse,”” she said.
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Dote has previously been accused of racism during the Coachella festival where it was said the brand segregated white influencers from non-white influencers in the California home they rented.
In a statement the brand denied the claim.
“Dote’s mission is to foster diversity, inclusivity and equality, and we would never do anything deliberately to hinder that objective. Dote has hosted several trips for our brand ambassadors, and we have always gone to great lengths to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
Dote said it was “saddened that some creators and commentators have misconstrued some of the facts.”
“Are we perfect? Of course not. We have learned from every trip and have done our best to make improvements to every experience,’ the company continued. ‘We take constructive comments very seriously, and we continually strive to build a community that promotes and celebrates diversity and equality.”