Last week, after Rapoport wrote a post for the Bon Appétit website about the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd food writer Korsha Wilson took to Twitter and defendant a society of dazzling women of color. Many more accusations surfaced online Monday, in part prompted by a 2013 Instagram photo of a brown-faced Rapoport for Halloween.
At the end of a day in which the food media world was full of discussions about magazine culture and the inclusion or lack of different voices in the industry, several Bon Appétits members employees either publicly said they would stop appearing in popular magazine videos until they were made or published changes that demanded his resignation.
On Monday night, Rapoport announced his resignation. “I’m leaving as the editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit to think about the work I have to do as a human being and enable Bon Appétit to come to a better place,” Rapoport published on his Instagram.
The controversy brings new attention to the problem of media representation on food. And it will also be a blow to the magazine and Condé Nast, which Bon Appétit recently considered a surprising success story, especially when magazines for a younger audience are desperate.
Last month, Bon Appétit won four National Society of Magazine Editors awards, including overall excellence for service and lifestyle. Behind the print magazine, the brand has grown a successful YouTube channel.
“As a global media company, Condé Nast is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace. We have a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination and harassment in any form. Accordingly, we strive to ensure employees are paid fairly, according to their roles and experience. , we take the well-being of our employees seriously and give priority to their culture in the first place, “said Joe Libonati, General Manager of Communications Condé Nast.
Among the employees at the magazine who called Rapoport was assistant food editor Sohla El-Waylly. IN Story on his Instagram on Monday, El-Waylly said she earns only $ 50,000 and said only white editors are paid to appear in magazine videos, while she is not despite her growing presence in videos and a large number of fans.
Contributed by Bon Appétit Priya Krishna forwards the tweet Instagram post of Rapoport brown face and wrote: “This is fictional, simple and easy. It erases the work that BIPOC has been doing on staff for a long time, behind the scenes. I plan to do everything in my power to get EIC and systems that support actions like they consider these responsible. “
Senior food editor Molly Baz, the star of the YouTube channel, said in Instagram story that it will not appear in videos until the company guarantees equal pay.
Alex Lau, former employed photographer, Tweeted that one of the reasons he left Bon Appétit was the lack of support for people of color and the problem with leadership to listen to representation issues.
Condé Nast was appointed Rapoport editor for Bon Appétit in 2010. He was previously a style editor at GQ and has worked in a magazine conglomerate since 2000.
Rapoport did not respond to a request for comment.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly added Claire Saffitz to a quote that was not hers.
