Munroe Bergdorf is a multi-hyphenate with a career spanning different industries: she’s a model – having appeared on the cover of British Vogue and going on to serve as a contributing editor to the magazine recently – a writer and an activist, to name just a few strings to her bow. However, a significant part of her career is working with brands on campaigns and partnerships.

For Bergdorf, working with brands has to be a collaborative process if it’s going to be a genuine and authentic partnership. “With bravery, we need to think about what it is we’re doing here. Are we wanting to make change? Or are we providing an image of change?” she asked at this year’s Advertising Week Europe event. She went on to say that so often, people are providing the image of change but not necessarily following through with it – especially when working with people from marginalised communities. Brands have to understand the wider conversations happening in the world and be prepared for all outcomes, including when something goes wrong.

“You want a trans person as the face of your brand but you haven’t necessarily thought about the transphobia that comes as a result. You want a Black person on the front of your magazine but you haven’t thought about the racism. When you champion and put marginalised talent up for opportunities, you need to understand that person’s reality and it has to go deeper than surface-level,” said Bergdorf.

She also talked about cancel culture and wokeness and what these terms have come to mean in our day-to-day lives. “When some people talk about cancel culture, they’re talking about accountability… But there needs to be a sense of responsibility, a willingness to be held to account when it goes wrong,” she said, explaining that there needs to be an openness to understanding why people criticise or push back on certain things. “The worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and hope that it’s going to go away, because it won’t.”

So, how can we effectively bring about change? Well, it comes down to those people who are willing to put their heads above the parapet. “A lot of people want to be part of change and want to be part of the conversations, but very few are willing to be the person who sets the standard. Because that’s bravery, and the world will look back and see that change as a force for good.” 

Images: Advertising Week Europe; Getty