Racial Diversity In Modeling

[eternitygoddess]

^True.

If I saw Vogue populated wtih Alex Weks, I'd be kind of confused.

BTW, Naomi Campbell has very Western features.

 

[m.j.]

there is no top model who is black in last few years... instead of being more open , i mean they thaught us that in schools, it is like the rasism is silently expanding. so, naomi i s right, but that is not enough. amd what about designers? why isn't there a single black designer?
this is really unfair. on one hand, the whole american music scene is based on hip hop and rnb... but the other parts of art are reserved for white people.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

im not saying mx campbell doesn't have a point, but this bothers me:

She added: “I even get a raw deal from my own country. For example, I hardly come on the front pages of London’s Vogue magazine.
"Only white models, some of whom are not as prominent as I am, are put on the front pages”.

it sounds really egotistical, and there are other reasons why some people are put on covers are some aren't. her temper problem for one...

 

[seanutbutter]

Oh, please. Even if Campbell got her way and more black models were featured in Vogue, what would the advantage be? The only thing that'd come out of that move would be controversy and debate, and we really don't need anymore of that. She needs to learn there are more important things in life than certain races being featured in the pages of a magazine.

 

[xPedro]

seanutbutter you're so right! I don't know why people need to complain about this subject ... black or white, doesn't matter we're all humans, we're all the same, we have the same obligations and the same rights !

 

[Glittery_Bug]

I agree with her. Fashion is sadly not an ethnically level playing field.

 

[KhaoticKharma]

It is, sadly, the mood of fashion right now. Until one girl comes along who can singlhandedly change the 'in' look, like Kate Moss for the waifs and Gisele for the Brazilians, things will pretty much stay the same.

And I seriously doubt that 'that girl' is going to be Chanel Iman or even Emanuela de Paula.

A lot of it has to do with what people associate with certain 'looks'. You don't see a lot of tall, voluptuous blondes on the runway these days because right now the fashion world loves sad, depressed, and strange looking, to go along with the state of the world- sad, depressed, and strange.

 

[misssakura]

I think it's equally racist to demand that more 'black' models be put in. I think it's stupid. There are many beautiful 'black' (seriously I hate this word but I can't think of anything better, brainwashed) models around. I think the problem is a lack of diversity in general, Vogue (imo) has become stale. The same articles, the same models, it's really dull and the only issue I buy anymore is the big runway edition.

I don't think it's because "black" (again that word) is any better (as Naomi is actually implying, not realising that racism is distinguishing between two or more races, what she is doing in fact.) it's because different PEOPLE are beautiful, different cultures and backgrounds and when the models are being sourced from one agency that has a distinct taste, it all gets a little narrow minded.

 

[kahlilg]

LOL at this thread.

I agree with Naomi.

 

[Spike413]

KhaoticKarma has a point. Four or five years ago, you couldn't open a magazine without seeing Liya, or Yasmin, Ujwalla, and Ai (who aren't black, but if we're discussing diversity, you can't ignore the absence of other cultures/races in modelling.)

Unfortunately the pendulum has swung in favor of the "blank canvas" model, the human equivalent of the LBD, as of late. It sucks, but it is what it is.

 

[Zen]

Hmmm, I don't know what to think of this.

 

[sethii]

african models do have a harder time succeeding in modelling. Kinee Diouf has never appeared in vogue magazine!!! shocking!! I think asian models are used more than africans because asia has huge number of fashion customers. Maybe we will have to wait until africa becomes richer.


read this article!
http://www.thestar.com/Life/article/186823

"It's never going to be easy for black girls," says Toronto-based Honorine Uwera, who appeared in the Westwood and Miyake shows this week. "I never understood why they would only use one or two black girls because really if you are going to use any at all why not cast more?"

Some of the reasons she has heard for not being cast is that she is too dark or too skinny. But most times no reason is given."

 

[LeBelAge]

I think it has always been harder for Black models to make magazine covers.

I agree with Naomi on principle, but the thing that bothers me about her comments is that when she was on top and getting most of the "Black model" jobs, she never complained, at least I am not aware that she did.

The reason why Naomi is not now getting the coverage she's used to is simply because she is older and looks it. This is a youth driven industry, Naomi should know that.

 

[fouroclock]

I think it's more of the casting directors and the agents than the magazines. Nobody's pushing the black models. If they do that, no one will complain of 'affirmative action.'

 

[kissmesweet]

I think it's not just black models, but dark-skinned models or even Asian models as well... I do think that Campbell's right though: we need a diversity and that's what fashion stands for.

 

[Zen]

I agree with her. Fashion is sadly not an ethnically level playing field.

Fashion may not seem like it's in an "ethnically level playing field" but personally I feel a lot has changed through out the years for the ethnic community within the fashion and beauty selling industry. I believe the fashion industry is more accepting of cultural differences now and are also less judgemental to those of different sexual orientation. However, elsewhere (mostly America) bigotry exists in that, people are simply closed minded because of what they are taught from parents or from the community they are from.

Regarding miss Campbell's message on this issue, I can only hope she sees that all races should be embraced and not one race outshining another. I hope she sees that there are purpose in this world and reasoning that is more meaningful than to make arguments for argument sake. After all, Vogue (IMO) is a bit monotonous, repetitious, lacking in variety, and dull, dull, dull from their stories, editorials, ads and their covers. So, is it truely going to change any of those boring stories, editorial and ads by putting more ethinic models on their cover, let alone more black models? Hope I didn't come across harsh

 

[seanutbutter]

LOL at this thread.

What's so funny about the thread? I thought the discussion was interesting, not humorous.

 

[Acid]

i think that the arguement is flawed because in reality you can't force somebody to do something if thats not what they want to do.

if a magazine wants to put a white girl on the cover and not a black girl, i dont think that is being racist, you just have to accept thats the decision that theyve made.

if i decide to wear white tshirts on a day to day basis and not black tshirts, somebody cant accuse me of being prejudice towards black tshirts, its just that i chose white tshirts instead... and if some day i decided i would wear a black one today then i can do so...

its a very difficuly subject i know because girls of colour always feel second best in media type industries but i dont think that the general public or the people who put together publications are conciously being racist when they make their decisions

 

[Boluda]

hmm this seems to be another case of noami campbells enormous ego getting in the way: why do other less known models get to be on the cover of Vogue..boohoo

shes prob right, but its all about standards of beauty. if the world was ruled by ppl with black skin, it would be the other way around.
just look at r&b and rap videos then ask yourself why everyone cast in the video (actors, dancers, token 'hottie',etc) are black.
c'est la vie.

 

[bismarck]

On a sort of unrelated note, I don't think that the standard of beauty would be all that different if a different ethnicity was in charge of things (and I'm talking about Monica Bellucci etc. beauty, not sickly, unhealthy, Vogue beauty). Beauty is beauty, and not every white person looks like Cindy Crawford believe it or not. One of the most beautiful men I've ever seen was (this'll sound awful) in a National Geographic, a picture of an African nomad tribesmen. He was ten times hotter than basically every white man I've seen. I think we tend the see whites as more beautiful because we're constantly bombarded by pictures of beautiful white people as opposed to beautiful black, Asian, etc. people, so we think that the features of beauty are all white when really they're everywhere.

And on another note, while I do agree that we seem to be regressing in terms of diversity, at least there are more Asian faces in high fashion. I mean, that's something right. Not very many covers, but Asians are at least better represented than they once were.