Model Mushk Kaleem addresses accusations thrown at racially diverse Elan campaign
In the wake of the most recent Black Lives Matter wave that has hit not just the USA, but also most of the world, issues related to black/dark-skinned people are being regarded with more sensitivity than ever before.
This can be seen with the reaction to the latest Elan ad campaign. It features models Mushk Kaleem and Gabriel Fords, the latter being a Kenyan man.Elan’s campaign “gives out a message of acceptance and racial harmony,” according to head designer Khadijah Shah.
Some people criticised the campaign for using a black man as a “prop or an accessory”, and for racial appropriation, which is when one adopts elements of an outside, often minority, culture, without understanding or respecting the original culture and context. Mushk Kaleem addressed these comments in a recent Instagram post.
“BEAUTY HAS NO SKIN-TONE!This Elan campaign is so close to my heart and with it’s launch, it is extremely sad to see all the negativity that is pouring in. Posing alongside me, in this stunning campaign is my beautiful friend, who I had an excellent time working with, and who I also learnt a lot from- Gabriel Fords,” she wrote.
“Unfortunately, many people are speaking about how the male model is being used as a prop or an accessory. Why is that so? Because of the color of his skin? Because we haven’t yet normalised the concept of a brown-skinned desi girl with a dark-skinned man? Because we still vessel an underlying sense of racism? Because we don’t believe that all skin tones are unique, and that love knows no colours?”
She went on to describe her experience in Kenya, “I stood in the picturesque Lamu town, I tried my best to honour the beauty that the land had presented. I was met with warm, welcoming people who wore their culture and heritage on their sleeves like badges of honour and who proudly told me all about their customs, their scenic landscapes and their eccentric yet native clothes. Blue Kenyan waters and head-turning architecture left me mesmerised, and I know I left a part of my heart in Lam”.
“This campaign is a celebration, and a declaration of love, of equality, of acceptance, of tolerance – of cultures and heritages without any borders and boundaries! Gabriel Fords, who is as much a vital part of this campaign as I am, is ?????????????????????, is absolutely not portrayed to be as one. This entire shoot screams inclusivity. It is about bridging cultures, about educating people about the normalcy of an interracial love. It shows that beauty is not one, but all colours; that love is not one, but all cultures. I’m very careful about who I choose to work with and would never be a part of something problematic or dehumanising. Gabriel Fords- has been given proper credits for his work. I had a great time shooting, and I’m very proud to be part of this campaign! Here’s to thinking beyond the colours of our skins ?? #MushkKaleem #Elan #KhadijahShah”.
Khadijah Shah also took to Twitter to combat the negative claims.
What is cultural appropriation? According to the oxford dictionary or in its simplist form: The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.
— khadijah shah (@khadijah_shah) June 2, 2020
There has been no adoption by Elan of any African cultural or religious symbols. Our Kenyan Model Gabriel Ford is dressed as a cosmopolitan male, there is no depiction of any African religious or cultural persona by him or by the female model @mushkkaleem
— khadijah shah (@khadijah_shah) June 2, 2020
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