Rihanna to the rescue! About a month after SZA claimed she was racially profiled at a Sephora store in California, the Fenty founder sent her a gift card for good measure.
On April 30, the “All the Stars” singer Tweeted that while she was shopping at the beauty retail chain in Calabasas, an employee called security on her to make sure she wasn’t stealing. “Can a b—h cop her fenty in peace er whut,” she later added.
Then this past Sunday, May 26, SZA posted an Instagram Story that showed a snap of a Fenty gift card and a note personally signed by Rihanna. “Go buy yo Fenty Beauty in peace sis,” it read. “One love — Rihanna.”
“Thanks queen,” she wrote on the Story with praying hand and heart emojis.
After the incident back in April, Sephora was quick to respond and show support. “Hi, SZA. We’re sorry to hear about your experience at our Calabasas store and appreciate you bringing this to our attention,” they Tweeted back at her on May 1. “We want to let you know we take complaints like this very seriously and are actively working with our teams to address the situation immediately.”
The response continued in another, “You are a part of the Sephora family, and we are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels welcome and included at our stores.”
This wasn’t the only public statement the company made. It also issued the following statement to select media outlets: “We have been informed of an incident at our Calabasas store and in addition to reaching out to SZA directly, we are gathering more information about the incident in order to take the proper next steps. We take complaints like this very seriously, profiling on the basis of race is not tolerated at Sephora. Our purpose has always been rooted in our people and ensuring that Sephora is an inclusive and welcoming space for all our clients.”
