Al Haqeeqa
MuslimGirl.com believes in forging new spaces for our voices in every step we take. We launched our #HalalPaint collection with ORLY this Ramadan in an effort to create a place for Muslim women in the beauty industry, and it has been celebrated as the first mainstream collaboration of its kind catering to Muslim women.
While we initiated the partnership with individuals at ORLY that believe in our message as passionately as we do, new information emerged regarding ORLY’s leadership showcasing anti-Muslim, anti-Black and anti-Palestinian stances, after we launched and sold out the #HalalPaint collection, that directly contradicted the ideals of tolerance, acceptance, and equality at the core of the partnership and what we do.
We believe in the idea that brands can grow, learn from and rectify past mistakes, and move forward to truly actualize the potential of brands to enact social change. To honor our commitment to our partnership, Muslim Girl acted upon these developments immediately after they came to our attention several weeks ago, and used the opportunity to constructively engage with ORLY’s leadership to consult, educate on, and remedy the mistakes that surfaced after the collaboration was launched.
ORLY’s leadership was receptive to this discussion and reaffirmed their commitment to rectifying these sentiments internally, such as by making the generous gesture of donating all profit from the collection to our new Muslim Girl Foundation. Unfortunately, after repeated correspondence, they did not follow through on their agreement to adequately and publicly respond to the concerns raised, prompting important questions from our team and readership alike.
In light of this, it is for the concerns rightfully raised by our team members and readers that MuslimGirl.com feels our partnership with ORLY cannot continue. MuslimGirl.com stands with its readers and all minority groups as part of a movement that will not stand for bigotry, racism or the promotion of hate while capitalizing on targeted groups.
As a millennial startup on the frontlines of our nation’s rapidly changing landscape, we are grateful to the discourse that this partnership has inspired on the need for greater representation for our voices, the realities of the risks and challenges of elevating them in a commercial space, and ultimately the personal and professional responsibilities we all have to promoting social good. We intend to use this experience as a learning opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to working with and elevating brands that authentically share our principles of tolerance and inclusivity for all human beings.
We celebrate #HalalPaint for the historic milestone it represents. Its groundbreaking reception is a testament to the fact that our readers are eager for diverse representation, and we remain determined to provide it persistently, honestly, and unapologetically. We look forward to building on the contributions of #HalalPaint to this cause and the many future opportunities we hope it has created to continue pushing forward from here.
