Cosmopolitan magazine has pulled a cover that would have featured “The Bachelor” contestant Victoria Fuller after finding out she used to model for a clothing brand that highlighted the slogan “White Lives Matter.”
Fuller was awarded the digital cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine with this year’s bachelor Peter Weber after winning a challenge during Monday night’s episode. But the award was quickly taken away when the magazine discovered Fuller was a part of a controversial and racist campaign.
Cosmo editor, Jessica Pels, stated that all she knew was “their first names and the energy they conveyed through the camera lens” when she chose a winner. “It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I found out that the woman I’d chosen had, in her past, modeled in an ad campaign wearing White Lives Matter attire,” she wrote. “It’s been reported that what she modeled for was actually a Marlin Lives Matter organization focused on preventing white and blue marlin from being overfished, which used ‘white lives matter’ and ‘blue lives matter’ messaging on its promotional shirts and hats,” said Pels.
She continued, “In my view, the nature of the organizations is neither here nor there – both phrases and the belief systems they represent are rooted in racism and therefore problematic.” She added that the White Lives Matter movement “does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand.” “We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and any cause that fights to end injustices for people of color.”
Pels said she and the Cosmo team are brainstorming their next move regarding the cover. Independent reports that Pels and her team have “had many long discussions.” “We’d already printed the fashion shoot in our March issue, complete with an inset of the cover, and of course the episode had already been filmed,” the editor said. “Ultimately, what felt right was choosing not to publish the digital cover on our website or social feeds, and simply being honest with you, the audience we respect about what happened and where we stand.”
