An influencer trip to the Swiss Alps sponsored by the Black-owned beauty brand Topicals did not go as planned for its 20 guests this past weekend. But this time, the brand wasn’t to blame for the ensuing drama.
The ski trip took a troubling turn at the QC Terme Chamonix spa, as one of the guests, Nella Rose, later explained on Instagram. When she and two other Muslim influencers dressed in modest swimwear made their way to the spa’s swimming pool, an employee stopped them. “The guy goes, basically, ‘You can’t go in there … They can’t go in dressed like that,’” said Rose, adding that the employee directed them to the spa shop to buy bikinis and swimsuits. A lifeguard then told the rest of the group they were making other guests uncomfortable, Rose said.
As the Topicals group prepared to leave the spa entirely, the staff threatened to call the police. “You’re going to spend a good time at the police station,” said one uniformed employee, as seen in a video posted by another of the trip’s influencer guests, Sab. “That Islamophobic shit, that racist shit — we weren’t going to stand for it,” said Rose in a now-deleted video. (QC Terme Chamonix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
Topicals addressed the incident on Instagram and Twitter on Monday, alleging discrimination and harassment. “Experiencing racism and Islamophobia in this magnitude as a group of Brown and Black creators was horrific to say the least,” the brand said in a statement. “In true Topicals fashion, we took our business elsewhere — quick, fast, and in a hurry … As a Black-owned brand, we will not allow this to stop us. We will continue to place Black and Brown creators at the forefront of our branded experiences.” Topicals said it would donate $10,000 to French Muslim and Black organizations “to help build local power and joy within marginalized communities.”
In France, full-body “burkini” swimwear is banned in public pools, and bulkier clothing such as men’s board shorts are also prohibited, ostensibly for hygiene reasons. In 2022, when the mayor of Grenoble tried to propose new rules allowing full-body swimwear, the issue became a political controversy. A French court later upheld the ban.
By Chantal Fernandez , 2024-04-02 00:46:41
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