L'Oreal Has Been Celebrating Blake Lively's 'Diversity' for Years

By Courtney Enlow | Celebrity | January 13, 2017 |

By Courtney Enlow | Celebrity | January 13, 2017 |

L’Oreal’s True Match makeup line has recently been celebrated, deservedly so, for including models like Hari Nef, Sabina Karlsson, and others of a variety of backgrounds. Including Blake Lively. Great! A makeup line that can be used by the picture of blonde whiteness AND women of all races and skin colors.

Except, that’s not exactly what’s being portrayed about Blake “Allure of Antebellum” Lively, she of the LA face and Oakland booty. They’re not using her for her crisp whiteleyness. It’s her own diverse background. For, you see, she is “English, Irish, German and Cherokee.” White, white, white and presumably 15/16ths white.

Yes. Blake Lively is our very own Dave Rose from Happy Endings.

This is generating a lot of Twitter LOLs today, but this is actually not new. It’s only new in that her general caucasity is simply brighter amidst a greater quantity of people.

Here’s the first ad from 2014.

Because I grew up white, I know how common this is. In mostly-white elementary schools, when you discuss ethnic backgrounds for some manner of school project, we learn our ethnic backgrounds generally include only potatoes and maybe spaghetti if you’re one of the more ethnic whites. So in an effort to feel unique, people learn they have a solid 64th Native American and turn into Running Zack.

The thing is, ethnic or racial backgrounds aren’t accessories. They’re not bracelets you can put on and take off as soon as it’s time to buy a house or apply for a job, or not speak up about Standing Rock for that matter. When I Googled “blake lively standing rock” this is really the closest match:

So, if you’re gonna trot out the Cherokee roots for a makeup campaign but not even throw a tweet toward #NoDAPL, maybe you just call yourself “pretty much European.”