Beyoncé's taught us a lot of things over the years, like how hard work pays off, how to make lemonade outta lemons, and how to be an overall BOSS.
Dope, right? Well, it gets better, because this wasn't just a money move (although, I wouldn't be mad if it were). According to ESPN writer Nick DePaula, Reebok was also in the running for this partnership, but Bey allegedly walked out of their presentation because it wasn't racially or culturally diverse enough.
This is about Beyoncé so you should watch it but also @NickDePaula tells a really interesting story of why Beyoncé walked out of her meeting with the Reebok people and ended up signing with the adidas side of the brand instead. Representation, baby.
"She kind of took a step back and said, 'Is this the team that would be working on my product?'" Nick explained. "And somebody said, 'Yes.'"
"And she said, "Nobody in this room reflects my background, not my skin color, and where I'm from and what I want to do,'" he continued. "And so she kind of took a step back and then she left, and it did not come to terms."
People definitely had some things to say about this on Twitter.
@BeyLegion @NickDePaula @Reebok @Jumpman23 @UnderArmour Beyoncé: is this the team that would be working on my product? Reebok: yes Beyoncé:
Many users took this anecdote to mean that Reebok either isn't racially diverse as a company and/or didn't have the foresight to consider Beyoncé's demographic or her own personal history.
@BeyLegion @NickDePaula @Reebok @Jumpman23 @UnderArmour She hit them with the I’m good love, enjoy. Companies believe they can get away with not have diverse staff but not everyone especially Beyonce has to accept that
@Reauxhanrex @BeyLegion @NickDePaula @Reebok @Jumpman23 @UnderArmour Imagine losing out on a partnership with BEYONCE because you couldn't find a single black person to work on the pitch team. What a COLOSSAL f*ck up & disappointment that Reebok couldn't hire people of color. Welp, Adidas did!
@Rachel__Nichols @NickDePaula More should walk out. It’s the case 98.5% of ALL major brands. They will have ONE that’s typically a freelancer they hired for that ONE project. Speaking from experience. Don’t be a free billboard for people that will NOT employ you or your people. #Staywoke
Several people pointed out that Adidas actually owns Reebok and questioned the overall impact of Beyoncé's alleged actions, while others countered that the issue ultimately comes down to representation and branding, not sales.
@digital__junkie @BeyLegion @NickDePaula @Reebok @Jumpman23 @UnderArmour @adidas Not the point. Reebok is a subsidiary, and that subsidiary did not provide the representation she was seeking. Adidas, the HEAD obviously did. Just because it’s a subsidiary doesn’t mean they promote the same way, have the same project or advertising teams, or any of that. Bye.
Regardless of where you stand on the matter, you've gotta admit that (1) this partnership is HUGE, considering that Bey's a black woman making boss moves in a white-male-dominated industry, and (2) this sends an important message to companies aiming to work with and sell to us, as black people.
So, what have we learned here today, class???
