Myleene Klass has spoken out about experiencing racism and 'ignorant' comments related to her Filipino heritage, including an incident that occurred during celebrations for her MBE. The 47-year-old musician and television personality was awarded the honour by King Charles at Windsor Castle last month for her services to women's health, miscarriage awareness and charity.
In a series of Instagram posts on Monday, Klass responded to a troll who had commented on a previous post about her performing at a wedding. The troll wrote: '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!' Klass then shared her own experiences of being compared to domestic workers.
'This was said to me at Westminster. At a bankers' dinner in the City. At the school gates. 'You look like my Filipino cleaner. My maid. My nanny,'' she wrote. 'All honourable jobs. But interesting this is the only connection ever made. I am Filipino. I am also liminal. Because our 'in' to many countries has historically been through acts of service, we're often only seen through that lens.'
Klass added: '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.' She stressed the importance of representation, calling it 'survival' and a way to break cycles of societal limitation.
In a follow-up post, Klass recounted a specific incident at a work gathering where her MBE was being discussed. A white cisgender male made a 'joke' saying: 'You should move into the Palace at this rate.' When she asked why, he replied: 'No because all Kensington houses have a Filipino.' Klass described the comment as 'worrying' and said it underscored why she is proud of her work in positive disruption and representation.
