From Aussie WOC to
Unlearning Shit
Hi! I'm Ashlene
In 2020, I called out Australia’s top beauty and fashion brands for excluding dark skin in their advertising, and it went viral. After 20 years in advertising and navigating the planet as a woman of color, I've seen my share of racism. My journey has always been about centering people of color and dismantling the status quo. Learn more and join the community here:
Pulling Up Australia
Feeling frustrated by the lack of diversity in Australia, especially in fashion, beauty, and media, I started an Instagram account in 2019 to promote Aussie women of colour. Little did I know that within a year, I would face online slander because of it.
Returning to Australia after 20 years in New York, the overwhelming presence of white faces in media and advertising left me dumbfounded. I've always been vocal about my South Asian heritage and the importance of representation.
In 2020, amidst the global Black Lives Matter movement, I urged Australian brands to feature more dark-skinned individuals in their campaigns, proposing that 25% of their digital presence represent people of color. I called out over 100 brands for exclusively featuring white people on their Instagram accounts.
The subsequent “Pull-Up” campaign led top brands, including Vogue Australia and MCoBeauty, to change their advertising policies to be more inclusive.
During the same year, I was trolled and bullied online, an experience I wrote about on Medium. It’s tough to endure unwarranted criticism, but it pushed me to delve deeper into understanding issues like white feminism and performative activism in Australia. Brown women generally have such a hard time being heard here but I wanted to be the last. I changed the name of the account to Unlearning Shit and kept going!
Along the way, I connected with fellow advocates such as Ruby Hamad, author of the amazing "White Tears/Brown Scars," and actress Pallavi Sharda. I’m immensely proud of the supportive community, which I never expected to find upon my return to Australia.
Ashlene's Story
From Syd To NYC & BACK
Raised in Western Sydney and facing a lack of South Asian representation in the media, I launched a teen magazine for South Asians called "Hot Ashes," which evolved into the first website for South Asian youth in Australia. Soon after, in 2002, I moved to New York to pursue journalism, interviewing artists like Rihanna, Usher, Missy Elliott, Aamir Khan, and Kanye West before transitioning to the corporate world, where I would work in advertising and marketing for the next 20 years.To date, I have worked with the biggest celebs, influencers and brands in the world. I have been a vocal advocate for diversity, particularly regarding the digital pay gap between white and POC influencers. "As the only woman of colour in the room, advocating for diverse talent often becomes me vs. them," I told Business Insider Australia.I am currently working on the Influencer Playbook, a culmination of my experience in influencer marketing and talent development for those looking to grow their presence and close BIGGER brand deals. For more information scroll down or visit www.agameagency.com.
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I've worked with the biggest content creators in Australia and the USA, as well as billion-dollar brands on their influencer marketing campaigns. Now, I WANT TO HELP YOU turn your passion into a thriving career.
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