Fenty Beauty has inclusivity in its DNA, as Rihanna made a point of ensuring all products are made to suit a wide variety of skin tones.
However, a fan pointed out that the singer and business woman should make a conscious effort to invite transgender models to the next casting call.
Twitter user and graphic designer @lbertootero sent Rihanna a DM asking her to invite transgender models to her next shoot and then shared a screenshot of the message she reportedly sent in reply, which explained she wouldn’t do a specific casting call for transgender models.
“I don’t think it’s fair that a trans woman, or man, be used as a convenient marketing tool,” the reply read.
“Too often I see companies doing this to trans and black women alike, There’s always just that one spot in the campaign for the token “we look mad diverse” girl/guy. It’s sad!”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with many gifted trans women throughout the years, but I don’t go around doing trans castings,” the response explained.
“Just like I don’t do straight non trans women castings.
“I respect all women and whether they’re trans or not is none of my business.
“It’s personal and some trans women are more comfortable being open about it than others so I have to respect that as a woman myself.”
Some people took issue with the point made about not specifically hiring transgender models to avoid tokenism.
While others agreed with the statement that tokenism is not helpful, but countered that that doesn’t mean brands do not need to make a conscious effort to hire transgender and gender non-binary representatives.
Just as it is essential for women with different ethnic makeups to be represented in the media - the same women who have not been mirrored in beauty campaigns for too long - transgender people and those who are non-binary need to be incorporated within the conversation, as well as being actively seen.
HuffPost UK has contacted Rihanna’s team at Fenty Beauty for comment and will update this article upon their response.