At the beginning of September 2021, the news broke that Presidential Inauguration poet, Amanda Gorman, had signed a three-year deal with the global cosmetics firm, Estée Lauder.
Gorman will become the company’s first “Global Changemaker,” veering away from titles, and roles, commonly assigned to brand ambassadors for cosmetics companies; such as “spokeswoman” or “face.” Gorman’s new role will include working with Estée Lauder to create an initiative called ‘Writing Change’ which will give out grants totaling $3million to promote literacy among girls and women.
It was not stated how much Gorman would receive in this deal, but a figure that did pop up a few months ago was how much Gorman had turned down in terms of endorsement deals, barely a month after her Inauguration performance in January; $17 million.
Her rationale was that she wanted to work with brands that aligned with her values.
Still, this hasn’t stopped her from coming under fire for the Estée Lauder deal, with some commentators calling her “a sellout” while others have congratulated her on the move. An apt response to the controversy would be a quote from Gorman herself: “All forms of light come with some form of shadows, and that doesn’t mean you don’t want to walk into the sun.”
Author: Team VoW
Valley of Writers provides resources, tools, ideas and training for new writers. We work with a writers and contributors based around the world. Our primary focus is to equip new writers with skills to help them reach new audiences and achieve their goals.
