Representation, otherwise known as “if you see it, you can be it,” is now table stakes as the conversation finally shifts to diversity and inclusion’s more mature, noble sibling: equity.

According to Eliza Yvette Esquivel, chief strategy officer at New York-based agency Barbarian, brands are vying to make bigger gestures and capitalize on diversity as a cultural trend. But if these public displays aren’t backed up by real commitment, they’re going to get called out.

Why it matters