- In a tweet shared on Tuesday, SZA said that a Sephora employee at a store in Calabasas, California, called security to make sure that she wasn’t stealing makeup.
- The musician, who says she once worked for the beauty retailer, wrote that she had a “long talk” with an employee who she referred to as “Sandy Sephora,” and just wanted to buy Fenty Beauty products “in peace.”
- Fans of SZA called the employee in question “disrespectful,” and accused them of racial profiling.
- In a statement sent to INSIDER, a Sephora representative said the brand aims for its stores to be “an inclusive and welcoming space,” and is “gathering more information about the incident in order to take the proper next steps.”
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
On Tuesday, SZA said on Twitter that a Sephora employee at a store in Calabasas, California, called security to check that she wasn’t stealing makeup.
The Grammy-nominated musician nicknamed the employee in question “Sephora Sandy,” and said she had “a long talk” with them.
“Lmao Sandy Sephora location 614 Calabasas called security to make sure I wasn’t stealing. We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy,” SZA wrote on Twitter.
In another tweet, she wrote that she was trying to shop for Fenty Beauty products “in peace.”
Many fans were quick to defend the musician
While some called the Sephora employee disrespectful, others accused them of racially profiling SZA.
Sephora also reached out to SZA over Twitter
The brand’s official Twitter account called SZA a “part of the Sephora family” in its message responding to the artist.
“You are a part of the Sephora family, and we are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels welcome and included at our stores,” the tweet reads.
In a statement sent to INSIDER, representatives for the retailer said Sephora aims to be “an inclusive and welcoming space” for its shoppers.
“We have been informed of an incident at our Calabasas store and in addition to reaching out to SZA directly, we are gathering more information about the incident in order to take the proper next steps,” a Sephora representative said in the statement.
“We take complaints like this very seriously, profiling on the basis of race is not tolerated at Sephora,” the statement continued. “Our purpose has always been rooted in our people and ensuring that Sephora is an inclusive and welcoming space for all our clients.”
SZA has an unreleased song about Sephora, in which she sings that she used to work there
On Twitter, SZA retweeted a fan who wrote that the artist once wrote a song about the beauty retailer.
While the song has never been officially released, a leaked snippet includes lyrics about Beautyblenders and other items within the store.
“You’ve been on time/Beautyblender/F— sephora/I love Sephora/Just cannot afford the things up in there,” SZA sings in the unreleased track.
The song lyrics also suggest SZA used to work at the retailer, as she sings, “I used to work there,” and referred to it as “the only job I never got fired from.”
Representatives for SZA did not immediately reply to INSIDER’s request for comment.
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