The cosmetic retailer is facing mounting backlash after Hailey Bieber’s Rhode launch in Sydney, where critics say an overwhelmingly white guest list exposed the beauty giant’s failure to reflect its diverse customer base.
Hailey Bieber’s hyped skincare brand Rhode drew massive crowds to Mecca’s Sydney flagship last week, but the retail giant is now under fire over what critics say was a glaring lack of diversity among invited guests and influencers.
Rhode’s arrival in Australia and New Zealand has been one of the most anticipated beauty launches of the year. The brand, which debuted in 2022 and has since become a global “it girl” staple, chose Mecca as its exclusive retail partner for the region, a move industry analysts described as a strategic alignment between two “community‑first” brands targeting the same young, trend‑driven demographic.
In the lead‑up to launch, Mecca and Rhode orchestrated a major campaign in Sydney. Social media posts and local discussion threads described Luna Park being closed off for filming and a scheduled appearance by Bieber at Mecca’s George Street flagship, prompting some fans to camp outside the store overnight in the hope of catching a glimpse of the model‑turned‑entrepreneur.
‘Everyone palm coloured’: social media calls out homogenous guest list
As footage from the Sydney Rhode event rolled out across TikTok and Instagram, a parallel conversation emerged: who was – and wasn’t – in the room.
On a popular Australian beauty forum, one user posted a thread titled “Rhode event – no diversity,” questioning why the event’s influencer and VIP line‑up appeared overwhelmingly white. “Why is everyone palm coloured, there’s no diversity at all,” they wrote, sparking a wave of similar comments.
Although social posts from the event have showcased a handful of guests from diverse backgrounds, critics say the overall visual story – particularly in prominent content shared by influencers and circulating on TikTok – did not reflect the multicultural reality of Sydney or Mecca’s customer base.
Mecca and Rhode have not publicly commented on the diversity criticism at the time of writing.
The optics problem for a ‘community‑first’ powerhouse
The backlash lands awkwardly for Mecca, which has built its brand around community, inclusivity and a highly curated edit of global beauty names. The company now operates more than 100 stores and employs thousands of staff across Australia and New Zealand, positioning itself as the dominant beauty specialist retailer in the region.
Industry coverage of the Rhode partnership has framed Mecca as the natural home for a Gen Z‑leaning, social‑media‑native label: both brands trade heavily on community language and the idea of being more than just a sales channel. That’s part of why the apparent homogeneity of such a high‑profile launch has struck a nerve.
For many critics, diversity isn’t just about who appears in brand campaigns, but who gets elevated with access and opportunity – through paid partnerships, exclusive events and platform‑building moments that can significantly boost an influencer’s profile and income.
A pattern of scrutiny
This is not the first time Mecca has faced public scrutiny over aspects of its culture and conduct. In 2019, the retailer launched an independent culture review after dozens of anonymous current and former employees posted allegations of bullying, favouritism and discrimination on an industry watchdog Instagram account.
At the time, Mecca’s founder and CEO Jo Horgan said the company had “zero tolerance for bullying, harassment and discrimination of any kind” and outlined new reporting channels and a listening tour by an external culture specialist to gather feedback across its markets.
The uproar around the Sydney Rhode launch also taps into a long‑running debate about representation in the beauty industry more broadly.
Globally, brands have made highly visible moves toward inclusivity – expanding shade ranges, casting more diverse models and leveraging the language of empowerment. Yet critics say these gains are uneven, often sidelining people of colour, plus‑size shoppers, older consumers and those with disabilities when it comes to who is centred in marketing, events and product development.
In Australia, where more than half the population has at least one parent born overseas, the contrast between the country’s demographic reality and the faces often seen in fashion and beauty content can be stark. For shoppers from marginalised backgrounds, seeing yet another major beauty moment dominated by familiar, mostly white influencer archetypes reinforces a sense of exclusion.
The Rhode event controversy has prompted renewed calls for retailers and brands to rethink not just who they feature in campaigns, but who sits on guest lists, PR seeding spreadsheets and long‑term partnership rosters. Critics argue that if beauty companies are serious about community, their version of that community must reflect the full spectrum of their customer base – not just those who fit a narrow, algorithm‑friendly mold.
What happens next
As the dust settles on Rhode’s debut week at Mecca – with products selling out online and in stores and queues still forming for restocks – the retailer faces a choice about how to respond to the criticism.
So far, the conversation is largely unfolding on social platforms and forums rather than mainstream media, but the thread about the event has gained significant engagement among beauty enthusiasts. Industry observers say that while a single launch’s guest list might seem trivial compared with corporate or workplace issues, it can be a visible indicator of whose voices are prioritized behind the scenes.
Advocates for greater representation say meaningful change would involve more than simply slotting a token number of diverse faces into future events. Instead, they want to see long‑term investment in creators and communities of colour, transparent criteria for partnerships, and a willingness to cede space and resources to a wider range of storytellers.
For now, Rhode’s Australian chapter is off to a commercially strong start – but Mecca’s handling of the diversity backlash may determine whether the brand’s much‑promoted “community” feels genuinely inclusive, or like another carefully curated club that too many customers are still watching from the outside.
