COLOR-BLINDNESS

Ralph Lauren always inspired my dreams. Even though I’m not African American, my life was full of discrimination towards nationality.

Life is not fair. For some nations and race it’s even harder than for others.

Watching Ralph Lauren’s paradise world, commercials were making me dream about the better world. That man was always about happy lifestyle and not just about merchandise to me.

They were always showing diversity in their marketing campaigns, where there was no race, no nations, no age, no sexual discrimination. It was all about dream life.

After the brutal murder of George Floyd, Ralph Lauren reacted to the current affairs — “We all want to make a good life for ourselves and our loved ones, to have the opportunity to achieve this is an essential human right. The abhorrent acts of racism, happening across America betray this and everything I believe in” — said Ralph Lauren after.

Even though Ralph Lauren’s target audience is not specified, his costumers are very diverse and his campaigns always include diversity, he did not keep the silence. He posted on social media a supportive statement after couple of days. After the supportive statement, he posted again in a week about further steps, that they would take for the better future towards systematic racism. He stated, that racial injustice is not acceptable and that he would work with his team to educate themselves and support African-American talents. He showed people, that there is no more time to be color-blind. It was great statement, it was not just support, it was more.

Only supportive posts on social media won’t fix anything. They need start for real and give an example to other brands to build diverse world of fashion, not to work with people who show racism, fulfill everything step by step. Real actions are needed. African-American society’s feelings are still hurt because Ralph Lauren dressed Melania Trump for inauguration. Ralph Lauren has to start showing in real life what is American dream for his company. How they see American dream, how citizens of this great country see American dream.

Brands can’t be our friends and Ralph Lauren can’t be, but being in a color-blind position is not an option too. Yes, it is easy. It is easy to live like that, to use African-American models in commercials and pretend we are all equal.

But race is real.

Nations are real.

Even if we don’t focus on race, try to treat everyone equal, and pretend nothing is happening, only makes things worse. Being non racist is not enough. Being color-blind will not provide enough motivation to overcome social stereotypes. It’s hard to see how people judge you with your looks. I know what it is.

I don’t know how we humans got to this and if it is our fault or not, but we have to make things better. It is our responsibility. It has to end. We have to see our colors; we have to see that we are all different, but we have to understand that is what makes our planet beautiful!

We have to value it!

We have to forgive each other for all hate, all discrimination towards race or nationality. We have to take steps for better world.

Otherwise the current situation betrays the reason I moved to this great country.