Myleene Klass has recounted a distressing incident in which she was subjected to a racist comment while celebrating her recent honour. The musician and television presenter was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work in raising awareness of miscarriage. However, Klass, whose mother is from the Philippines, has detailed how an unnamed male guest made a derogatory remark to her at a work gathering.
The incident, which she shared with her followers on Instagram, began with the man making a joke.
“WCM: You should move into the Palace at this rate,” she recalled him saying, to which she replied, “Because I spend so much time there these days?”
The male guest then said, “No because all Kensington houses have a Filipino.”
‘You Limit and Define Me Before I Can Define Myself’
The comment, which Klass described as being from a “white cis male,” was made at an event where her MBE was being discussed and celebrated. She called the remark “worrying” and a stark reminder of the “positive disruption and representation” she aims to evoke with her public presence.
She explained that she has heard similar comments throughout her life, whether it was at a “banker’s dinner in the city” or at the “school gates.”
Read More: Myleene Klass Awarded MBE for Miscarriage Campaigning, Citing Need for Healthcare Progress
Klass posted a screenshot of another message she had received which compared her to a maid. “You look so much like my maid when I was living in Brazil. It is interesting that any woman can be presentable when they have money. Well done!” the message read.
“I am Filipino. I am also liminal. Because our “in” to many countries has historically been through acts of service,” Klass wrote. “We’re often only seen through that lens. That’s why representation and being a positive disruptor matter.”
She continued: “When you assume my role because of my race, you do more than make an ignorant comment, you limit and define me before I can define myself. That is racism. It is insidious. It is why I proudly walk into the Palace, into Parliament, into boardrooms and business meetings. Not as someone’s stereotype of a “good Asian girl” or a fetishised trope. But as myself, occupying space that was never intended for me – and making sure my children see that too.”
A History of Racism
This is not the first time Klass has spoken about experiencing racism. In 2020, she detailed the abuse she faced as a child, including having rock-filled snowballs thrown at her and her hair cut by other students. She also recalled an incident where a group of students in a canteen handed her their trays “loaded up with dirty plates,” telling her, “You’re Filipino, you’re all cleaners right?”
Read More: ‘Slit eye, ping pong’: Myleene Klass shares experience with racism growing up in Norfolk
Klass stressed that racism is not just a thing of the past. She said she still faces casual racism, adding that in her current neighbourhood, the phrase “get a Filipino” is “bandied around so easily when referring to getting a nanny, they don’t even realise they’re talking about a person, an actual person.”
She concluded her message by stating, “Representation is not symbolic; it’s survival and how we break the cycle so that our sons and daughters grow up unshackled by the narrow roles society has written for us.”
