An influencer talent manager is calling out the swimwear brand Cupshe for racial discrimination after they refused to collaborate with Black people for an upcoming campaign!
This week, Niasia Boykin — a talent manager at The Brownstone Collective — went viral on Threads after a problematic interaction with the company. She explained she pitched several of her creators to Cupshe, and the response she got? Niasia shared an email from the brand’s representative telling her they “would not collab with black people this campaign.” WTF?! She wrote in the caption:
“Cupshe told me they ‘would not collab with black people this campaign.’ In writing. On company domain. I run a talent agency. I pitched them on behalf of my creators. This was their response. This is racial discrimination. It is illegal. And it happens in influencer marketing more than anyone wants to admit, usually just more quietly than this. Saving my receipts.”
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Niasia added in a follow-up post that she and the rep had been “in conversation” with each other “over a few messages” and shared briefs before she recommended a few of her clients. That is when she got the problematic, racist email. See the email HERE.
But after going viral, Niasia returned to Threads several hours later with another email from Cupshe. The business claimed they fired the employee responsible for the previous message, writing:
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are shocked and devastated to see this email. The message you received is not reflective of Cupshe, our values, or the way we partner with our creators. We cherish our relationships with our creators and we sincerely apologize for the experience and any harm or frustration it may have caused. As a result, the employee responsible is no longer with the company.”
The email also stated that Cupshe has “taken immediate action internally and are reviewing our processes to ensure our standards are upheld moving forward.” According to the screenshot, the email was left unsigned — and the anonymous apology further upset Niasia. She made it clear in the caption she wasn’t happy with the response, writing:
“Smh what kind of apology is this with no name attached?”
See the second email HERE. And the lame apology is not enough. Why don’t they actually collaborate with some of Niasia’s clients or other Black influencers following this gross incident? You walk the walk, instead of just talking the talk here! Even Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay hopped into the comments to call out Cupshe, saying:
“Hey @cupshe. This is outrageous. We need to see some action on this not just an email. I need to see some black influencers getting paid to be on the next trip or make one of those swimsuit capsules with you.”
She added:
“I’m truly sick of people playing in our faces or being told we exaggerate that racism is alive and well.”
Cupshe hasn’t directly replied Rachel or Niasia’s latest clap back on social media. However, they issued another statement to People on Friday night. A representative said the brand is “aware of the situation” and has “taken action to address this,” adding:
“Our team was disturbed to learn that these interactions took place. The employee responsible was four days into her employment when this occurred, and was immediately terminated. The comments made do not in any way reflect Cupshe’s practices, or the way we engage with creators and partners both internally and externally. We deeply regret the harm and disappointment this incident has caused.”
The rep continued:
“As a company works with a diverse cohort of creators, we are disheartened by this incident and how it has misrepresented us. We are conducting a thorough internal review and are committed to strengthening our hiring, training, and oversight processes to help ensure this does not happen again, and that every Cupshe team member aligns with our core values and priorities.”
We’ll believe it when we see the change. Let’s start with the brand collabing with more Black influencers, creators, and models moving forward. Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Niasia Boykin/Instagram]
