Diverse representation is an expectation, but as individuals no longer allow themselves to be defined in singular terms, there's mounting pressure on brands to understand and sensitively reflect how the intersections between race, gender, class, and ability impact people's everyday lives.

As awareness of brand virtue-signalling grows, people in the LGBTQ+ community are demanding genuine allyship beyond the co-opting of the rainbow flag on logos and packaging. These sentiments provide a significant opportunity for brands to forge stronger connections with consumers.

In the Understanding Allyship Deep Dive, we explore how brands reacted to the BLM protests in 2020, unpicking how people want them to show support and the consequences of offering only surface-level action. What role should individuals and businesses play in tackling social issues?

The ‘death of the #girlboss’ has galvanised conversations about White feminism and how it fails to advocate for women from historically marginalised communities. Canvas8 spoke to author and journalist Koa Beck about her book White Feminism and why brand allyship should be intersectional.

The burden of solving gender inequality is being redistributed in Australia, as campaigners at Fck The Cupcakes work to involve and engage more men with the ‘Be The Change’ project. Allyship is taking centre stage in many fights for equality as brand involvement continues to evolve.