MP: What was the driving force behind TONL?
KO: I recognized [the lack of diversity] when I was creating content for Sorority Secrets. We were creating our own images and also trying to find some online, and I couldn't find any [black women].
"How many of us are so programmed to see the world as white that we don't even notice when we are perpetuating that idea ourselves?"
A friend of mine actually came up to me and said, "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you showcase any black people on Sorority Secrets?" How many of us (people of color) are so programmed to see the world as white that we don't even notice when we are perpetuating that idea ourselves? I was blind to it because I wasn't even focused on race; I was focused on quality images [and] could only find [them] of white people because the majority of white people are given those opportunities. That was when I really shifted my thought process on how I was portraying my brands.
What you see in TONL's photos is a reflection of our personal circle. When we first started, we saw no reason to tag our photos as "black girl" or "Mexican man." But we eventually made the decision to do so, to the best of our ability. We recognize the power in providing proper identifiers; it's important to embrace people's identities.
![MP: What was the driving force behind TONL?
KO: I recognized [the lack of diversity] when I was creating content for Sorority Secrets. We were creating our own images and also trying to find some online, and I couldn't find any [black women].
"How many of us are so programmed to see the world as white that we don't even notice when we are perpetuating that idea ourselves?"
A friend of mine actually came up to me and said, "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you showcase any black people on Sorority Secrets?" How many of us (people of color) are so programmed to see the world as white that we don't even notice when we are perpetuating that idea ourselves? I was blind to it because I wasn't even focused on race; I was focused on quality images [and] could only find [them] of white people because the majority of white people are given those opportunities. That was when I really shifted my thought process on how I was portraying my brands.
What you see in TONL's photos is a reflection of our personal circle. When we first started, we saw no reason to tag our photos as "black girl" or "Mexican man." But we eventually made the decision to do so, to the best of our ability. We recognize the power in providing proper identifiers; it's important to embrace people's identities.](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/KL8jAGcHi7a1OKJexYTD1qAbnG8/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2018/01/19/995/n/42301552/netimgNnINTQ/i/MP-What-driving-force-behind-TONLKO-I-recognized-lack.jpg "MP: What was the driving force behind TONL?
KO: I recognized [the lack of diversity] when I was creating content for Sorority Secrets. We were creating our own images and also trying to find some online, and I couldn't find any [black women].
\"How many of us are so programmed to see the world as white that we don't even notice when we are perpetuating that idea ourselves?\"
A friend of mine actually came up to me and said, \"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you showcase any black people on Sorority Secrets?\" How many of us (people of color) are so programmed to see the world as white that we don't even notice when we are perpetuating that idea ourselves? I was blind to it because I wasn't even focused on race; I was focused on quality images [and] could only find [them] of white people because the majority of white people are given those opportunities. That was when I really shifted my thought process on how I was portraying my brands.
What you see in TONL's photos is a reflection of our personal circle. When we first started, we saw no reason to tag our photos as \"black girl\" or \"Mexican man.\" But we eventually made the decision to do so, to the best of our ability. We recognize the power in providing proper identifiers; it's important to embrace people's identities.")
