The influencer economy has always been fluent in aesthetics, but rarely in ethics. Brands know how to curate diversity for the feed, but when it’s time to defend the very people who make their marketing look inclusive, the captions go quiet.
After Huda Mustafa’s livestream, where a caller called EBONY Power 100 honoree Olandria Carthen the N-word and laughter followed, silence filled the timelines. The same brands that love to repost Olandria’s content, that fill her comments with heart emojis and “stunning” reactions, have suddenly gone missing. The same brands that send her PR boxes and invite her to influencer dinners are nowhere to be found when she needs public protection.
@yupthatsme3094 Louis are you not black? Why is you first reaction is to laugh? Wow I’m truly sick to my stomach #hudaloveisland #louisrussell #olandria #livestream #loveislandusa ♬ original sound – yupthatsme90210
This is what “post-DEI” and “2020” look like. The corporate language of inclusion without the moral infrastructure to back it up. The press releases got prettier. The budgets got smaller. And the moment Black women are disrespected, the support collapses like a flimsy social strategy.
Let’s name the hypocrisy. If Olandria is good enough to model your lipsticks, sell your swimwear, or headline your diversity reel, she is good enough for you to defend publicly. Silence is not neutrality. It’s neglect. It’s saying her Blackness is good for your brand’s optics, but not worth your brand’s voice.
And to the companies still standing behind Huda, a woman with a biracial daughter, without accountability, it’s time to decide what your partnerships mean. You cannot claim to love the culture while ignoring racism. You cannot court the Black dollar while protecting the people who weaponize language against us. Influence without integrity is still violence.
What we’re watching is not just a Love Island scandal, it’s a reflection of the influencer economy’s moral vacancy. A case study in how quickly allyship evaporates once it’s inconvenient.
If you can send her PR, you can stand up for her. Because the beauty of a brand is not in its packaging, it’s in its principles. And right now, too many brands look polished on the outside and hollow within.