Iconic

So, What’s Munroe Bergdorf Been Up To Since Leaving Twitter?

Our Twitter feeds have been sorely lacking since Munroe Bergdorf quit the platform in February. The Black trans model and activist had routinely been facing transphobic, racist and misogynist threats on the app, while Twitter would often take hours to remove discriminatory comments. 

So, she left, calling for Twitter and other platforms like it to take action against racism and transphobia in their coding and hiring practices.

“If you can censor a nipple and a picture gets taken down with a nipple on it straight away … then why can’t you develop an algorithm that targets transphobic speech or racism?” Bergdorf asked the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “If you’re only investing in cis white men, or cis white people, to write the algorithms then there’s a huge oversight there when it comes to lived experience and the nuance of hate speech.”

A Twitter spokesperson responded, writing, “We prohibit targeting individuals with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category.” But no actual changes have been made to the platform in response to Bergdorf’s complaints.

Bergdorf was totally valid in leaving Twitter — it is, in many ways, a cesspool of hate. But it does mean it’s harder to keep up with all the amazing work she does. So, what has Bergdorf been up to since February?

She reminded us to remove ourselves from negative spaces.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

A little over a week after leaving Twitter, Bergdorf took to Instagram to show us that taking time for yourself and your own needs should always be a priority. She captioned some beautiful pics with a message about the dangers of social media.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of having breaks or removing yourself from spaces, virtual or physical, that have a negative impact on your mental health,” she wrote. “Step away from what no longer serves you.”

She wrote about the modern state of being trans.

In March, Bergdorf shared an essay about the modern-day struggles of being a trans person.

“Being transgender in 2021 is an exhausting test of endurance, where an already heavily marginalized community is expected to jump through hoops while navigating an increasingly hostile social and political environment, both on and offline,” she wrote.

She went on to detail the ways media and lawmakers are furthering transphobia, both in her home in the UK and overseas in America.

“So, the question remains, what are governments going to do to protect the wellbeing of an already heavily marginalized group? And when?” she asked. “At what point can we be honest about what this transatlantic trend truly is? Genocide.”

She was a winner, baby.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

Bergdorf not only graced the cover of GLAMOUR UK, but was a recipient of the magazine’s Women of the Year Awards. She won Gamechanging Influencer, a title she rightly deserves.

“Glamour UK – Thank you for your support, for championing ALL women, and for not being afraid to have the tough conversations. I appreciate you all so much,” she wrote on Instagram.

She honored International Transgender Day of Visibility.

March 31 is a day to uplift the trans community, and Bergdorf made sure to clarify that though visibility is great, it’s nothing without action.

“Yes, visibility and representation are important and it’s amazing that our stories are being told. It’s fantastic that trans youth now have role models to look up to and that we are getting to speak for ourselves, but we can’t be afraid to demand more,” she wrote on Instagram. “We can’t let visibility become a bandaid on a bullet hole, when the reality is that so many in our global trans community are in desperate need of far more than they currently have access to.”

She spoke up about mental health in the queer community.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

National Student Pride, the UK’s biggest gathering of LGBTQ+ students, hosted a panel on mental health. Bergdorf was one of the featured speakers, alongside “Drag Race UK” winner Lawrence Chaney and YouTube celebrity Daniel Howell.

“In the UK, we’ve got a huge systemic transphobia problem, and being one of the most visible trans people in the UK, on top of being queer, on top of being Black, I get a lot of hate, so I’m not going to put myself on a platform that doesn’t safeguard my feelings and my mental health,” she said, referring to her experience on Twitter. “I think it’s just being diligent, and just thinking about what is best for you.”

She welcomed a new furry friend.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

Though Bergdorf’s dog Nelson sadly passed away this year, she was able to find joy in adopting a new puppy, Harry. 

“I took some time to mourn and decided that although Nelson could never be replaced, new energy would definitely be welcomed into the house,” she wrote on Instagram. “It’s been just over a week and he’s settled into the family seamlessly. A complete angel.” PRECIOUS.

She celebrated the beauty of Black hair.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

In collaboration with fashion brands ​​Ahluwalia and Mulberry England, Bergdorf was featured in a video series about Afro-Caribbean hair.

“Black hair is beautiful, but the culture that surrounds it is just stunning,” she said. “From wigs to weaves, to braids to locs, to natural hair and all the things in between. I’ve gone from feeling limited by my hair to feeling liberated by my hair.”

She gave a powerful speech at London Trans+ Pride.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

Bergdorf was vocal about the power of Pride for all of June, but her feelings were best summed up in her speech at London’s Trans+ Pride march.

“To live in a world that does not see you, that ignores your suffering, that legislates against your existence, that strives to control your bodily autonomy, that simultaneously fetishes you and dehumanizes our image. That is divine: to resist that daily,” she said.

“Still we show up, and we show out. And we keep on going,” she went on. “To me that is divine. That is strength. That is worthy of love, respect and peace. You only need to look around to see how many of us there truly are. No matter how isolated we have felt in our past, we are no longer silenced, we are no longer in the shadows, we are here. Take up this space. This space is yours!”

She continued to serve looks.

Of course, besides all her fabulous activism, Bergdorf is a supermodel for the ages. Here are just a few of the looks she’s blessed us with this year.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

Don't forget to share:
Read More in Culture
The Latest on INTO