Against inclusivity-washing in the outdoors

Note: this blog has been moved to Substack.

At last week’s excellent Kendal Mountain Festival, a panel session led by a marketing agency and a leading outdoor footwear brand caught my eye. The panel’s description talked about “promoting diversity and inclusion in the outdoors” and started with “pale, male, stale…” - words that would not look out of place in my own work. To a casual listener, the agency’s work sounded great. The invited panellists, whom I admired, shared their inspirational grassroots community work to challenge the narrative, and the brand regularly funds impactful projects. So what did I take problem with?

The first signs were comically obvious: two white guys leading a panel on diversity and inclusion, with a white guy as the promo photo. “We understand your target market, because we are your target market”, the marketing agency states on their website’s page before listing their all-white team. True inclusion in the outdoors requires tackling systemic issues. It does not consist of pretending that the white able-bodied man on stage promoting a for-profit company is in any way inspiring to real marginalised communities who face real barriers to access.

Instead, it requires amplifying grassroots voices, bringing them into decision-making, accountability, and a humbleness to listen to those with lived experiences. “You are of course entitled to your own opinion” I received after challenging the speaker. I speak on behalf of a minoritised community, and when we don’t have a seat at the table or money to back our campaigns, we always have the right to complain. As one commenter pointed out, I “totally missed the point” - and this is why I advocate for educating those who have never faced barriers to access about those encountered by traditionally marginalised communities.

It became clear throughout the talk that, to them, the purpose of “promoting” diversity is to unlock new market segments to sell more products. “Brand responsibility” was thrown around. Let’s be clear - real activists are bringing the outdoors to more people, but profit-driven marketing firms seek to exploit these newcomers as white saviourists, even under the problematic guise of B-Corp. It is extractive rather than empowering. Responsibility must come with accountability.

Insidious inclusivity-washing

Promoting your company as one that cares about radical change, while doing nothing to address systemic issues, is called inclusivity-washing. Its least harmful effects materialise as tokenism and vacuous panel discussions. It surfaces as corporate fat-shaming masquerading as public health promotion. And perhaps most insidiously, it lures socially-conscious outdoors folk in with high-profile sponsorships, capitalises on them, and outplatforms the activists and charities making real change. The day after, a camping business’ panel featured amazing panellists who really understood access; yet, their business model imposes more barriers, and derails the campaign for access by monetising it. The marketing consultant rebuts: “don’t criticise us, criticise those not doing anything” - herein lies the performative, accountability-dodging chicanery of inclusivity-washing.

It has downstream effects on marginalised people. Festivals think they are fostering change by platforming these companies and sponsors, yet the erasure of our voices continues. The status quo simply remains unchallenged; meanwhile, our community members will continue to face racism not only in their daily lives, but at the festival in front of our very eyes.

by Andrew Wang | with thanks to Eben Myrddin Muse

Figure 1: the panel's ticketing site.

Figure 2: me, confused at some questionable Lunar New Year decorations in November.