Racial Diversity In Modeling

[mint condish]

There are black magazines because all popular American fashion magazines might as well call themselves "white magazines", so black women need their own. Times should change, like others before me have said, I want inclusion and diversity, not segregation, "separate water fountains", separate buses, separate schools. That is the way of the world in many Western countries that have a large immigrant population (by the way, all white people in North America are also immigrants), so go ahead and reflect all immigrants equally.

Asian usually prefer the European models versus African models.

Please don't speak on behalf of all Asians, whether you are Asian or not.

There are Asian people who are raised outside of Asia, raised in North America, Europe, what have you. There are hundreds of different Asian cultures. There are literally BILLIONS of Asian people.

Don't speak on behalf of them, you don't know what we like, we are all different.

As an Asian person myself I appreciate diversity, no matter what it is.

 

[wrngco]

There are billions of short people as well, you don't see a break out of short people on the runways.

Tyra, Gemma, Adriana all have the same height/weight or they did when they were first "signed" that is what is similar their face and hair differ but they all have the same body type

my rant I'm sorry

 

[softgrey]

everyone keeps talking about the US...
but isn't this really about vogue UK...?


good one mellow....equal objectification for all......

 

[softgrey]

wrngco- those three girls couldn't have more different body types......

...
and anyway- that is completely off topic...

 

[ChristionCouture]

Softgrey, it's not just about the UK or the US.

Thought this was interesting:
Naomi Campbell: Fashion favours fair skin

Fiery supermodel Naomi Campbell has attacked the fashion industry and glossy magazines for sidelining “black beauty” in favour of fair-skinned models.
Campbell: People don’t appreciate black beautyThe 37-year-old said even she found it harder to get onto the coveted front cover as editors of magazines like Vogue consistently chose less prominent white models for news stand impact.
And she has vowed to set up her own modelling agency in her beloved Kenya in an attempt to redress the balance.
“Black models are being sidelined by the major modelling agencies,” she told local journalists at a press conference in the beach resort of Malindi, Kenya, where she is on holiday.
“It is a pity that people don’t appreciate black beauty”.
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”.
Campbell, notorious for her temper tantrums and who has earned a lucrative living as one of the world’s most famous black models, was speaking at the luxury hotel owned by former boyfriend Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore, the head of the Renault Formula One team.
A regular visitor to Malindi, she is now expected to fly to Nairobi to scout for talents among modelling agencies.
“I don’t want to quit modelling until I find that black models get equal prominence and recognition by the world media and information instruments” she added.
Alek Wek has a successful international careerBorn in London, and a model since she was just 15, Campbell first appeared on the cover of Vogue aged 17 in 1987.
She last made the cover five years ago.
Several African models have done phenomenally well.
These include Alek Wek, from southern Sudan, Waris Dirie from Somalia and Iman, also from Somalia and the supermodel wife of singer David Bowie.
But, even the model agency Storm acknowledged she may have a point.
“There is a growing ethnic diversity, but it’s not happening quite as fast as was predicted,” said Storm director Simon Chambers.
“None the less we do expect the very best black boys and girls in the industry to reach the highest echelons of modelling - like Naomi and Alek have done”.
Miss Campbell, who is with the IMG agency, said she had now begun contacting scouts to help set up an agency that would find and train women to become models.
“I believe there are pretty girls from your lovely country who can grace the international catwalk and the front pages of fashion magazines with proper strategies,” she told the Kenyan press.
A spokesman for Vogue said they had no comment.

{telegraph.co.uk}

 

[writergal28]

Joseph26:
Interesting, but I think you forgot about a few things. Do you know what state the publishing industry is in? Even the most successful magazines aren't making that much profit. Who's going to back the thousands of designers with money for distribution/manufacturing? Which stores are actually going to carry the clothes? Which advertisers are willing to advertise in a new publication with few readers to start out? How much are they going to pay? Which writers are going to work for this new publication? The cost of promoting a new magazine is going to cost what? What if the magazine doesn't break even for a year, who's going to keep it afloat? What if Vogue changes their image and starts getting diverse and edgy? Will this new magazine fold and our readers flock back to the "fashion bible?"

It doesn't have to be a big magazine. In fact, it doesn't even have to be printed at all. Some people, especially the young are quite content with online. And it's cheaper too. There are a few magazines that run on a blog platform, which also lowers the cost. Money can be made through ads (from what I understand, if you want to advertise on, say, Perez Hilton, you'd have to be prepared to shell out a lot)...you can also charge people to read archives or other premium services.

 

[ChristionCouture]

I'm not sure if that can really compete with a 840-page magazine (Vogue Sept). Mainstream magazines showcase clothes that are accessible to many people around the world. A lot of ethnic designers don't really have good distribution for some reason. I already have a blogzine website (soon to be clothing line). I'm trying to do my part and I only attend fashion shows that have included various people of color in their past shows. I recently landed an exclusive interview with designer Mastaka Matsumura. He's the Creative Director/Head designer for Giuliano Fujiwara. He also happens to be Asian.

I plan on interviewing Victor Glemaud, a Black designer.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Please don't speak on behalf of all Asians, whether you are Asian or not.

There are Asian people who are raised outside of Asia, raised in North America, Europe, what have you. There are hundreds of different Asian cultures. There are literally BILLIONS of Asian people.

Don't speak on behalf of them, you don't know what we like, we are all different.

As an Asian person myself I appreciate diversity, no matter what it is.

I would say that the majority of Asians tend to go for the European look. The # of those living abroad are much less than those living in their native lands. I have a strong feeling, although I may be wrong, that Middle Easterners have a inclination towards European models also.

So bottom line is, there is a bigger market for European models.

 

[sepia]

As I said, people need to ask themselves "Why is that?" Clearly, it's because of racial bias that has been force-fed to the public, mostly through the media. If all the media ever shows you are "beautiful white women", that's what people begin to associate with beauty, even at the expense of their own features. As people have proposed in the thread, why not "force-feed" more diverse images, like they do with everything else in the industry? You show people enough images of things and call it beautiful, they'll eventually come to accept it. The industry has convinced the world that some very odd-looking, non-classically featured women (Gemma, Kate Moss, tons of others) are beautiful and the essence of chic, after so much exposure. I'm sure they could do the same with models of color.

 

[ChristionCouture]

It must be exhausting to read the minds of Asian people across the world.

 

[mellowdrama]

^yeah, all day it's "bean-curd" this "Mao" that. Bloody exhausting.

 

[Joseph26]

I don’t want to quit modelling until I find that black models get equal prominence and recognition ...

lol,more than a threat that's like a pretext, a justification to be not critiziced due to her lack of life out of the biznes, she knows that won't never happens so in her dreams she wants to believe that she will be the only one forever.

there's a similar story here in Mexico with Lupita Jones, Miss Universe 1990, she in charge of the "Miss Mexico - Nuestra Belleza", and she said the same "I don’t want to quit this charge until I find that a mexican girl get the Miss Universe title again" but it's pretty well known that she doesn't prepare correctly to the girls 'because she wants to be the only mexican Miss Universe in history, plus she wants her job forever.

 

[Joseph26]

It doesn't have to be a big magazine. In fact, it doesn't even have to be printed at all. Some people, especially the young are quite content with online. And it's cheaper too. There are a few magazines that run on a blog platform, which also lowers the cost. Money can be made through ads (from what I understand, if you want to advertise on, say, Perez Hilton, you'd have to be prepared to shell out a lot)...you can also charge people to read archives or other premium services.

that's the attitude! it's all about being positive, being negative we are not going to go anywhere.

 

[Joseph26]

Joseph26:
Interesting, but I think you forgot about a few things. Do you know what state the publishing industry is in? Even the most successful magazines aren't making that much profit. Who's going to back the thousands of designers with money for distribution/manufacturing? Which stores are actually going to carry the clothes? Which advertisers are willing to advertise in a new publication with few readers to start out? How much are they going to pay? Which writers are going to work for this new publication? The cost of promoting a new magazine is going to cost what? What if the magazine doesn't break even for a year, who's going to keep it afloat? What if Vogue changes their image and starts getting diverse and edgy? Will this new magazine fold and our readers flock back to the "fashion bible?"

writergal28 has already replied what I had to say.

 

[eternitygoddess]

As I said, people need to ask themselves "Why is that?" Clearly, it's because of racial bias that has been force-fed to the public, mostly through the media. If all the media ever shows you are "beautiful white women", that's what people begin to associate with beauty, even at the expense of their own features. As people have proposed in the thread, why not "force-feed" more diverse images, like they do with everything else in the industry? You show people enough images of things and call it beautiful, they'll eventually come to accept it. The industry has convinced the world that some very odd-looking, non-classically featured women (Gemma, Kate Moss, tons of others) are beautiful and the essence of chic, after so much exposure. I'm sure they could do the same with models of color.

Well they have always preferred lighter-skinned people from the start. It wasn't just because fashion magazines force-fed them light-skinned models.

 

[honeyisle]

I think bottom line is that Editors like Anne Wintour and the powers that be JUST DON'T CARE, because the lack of diversity doesn't affect them in any way. They don't think outside the box, because they've never had to.

 

[writergal28]

I'm not sure if that can really compete with a 840-page magazine (Vogue Sept). Mainstream magazines showcase clothes that are accessible to many people around the world. A lot of ethnic designers don't really have good distribution for some reason. I already have a blogzine website (soon to be clothing line). I'm trying to do my part and I only attend fashion shows that have included various people of color in their past shows. I recently landed an exclusive interview with designer Mastaka Matsumura. He's the Creative Director/Head designer for Giuliano Fujiwara. He also happens to be Asian.

I plan on interviewing Victor Glemaud, a Black designer.

I'm not sure if Joseph wants to compete with Vogue. Not everyone does. I don't either.

 

[sepia]

Well they have always preferred lighter-skinned people from the start. It wasn't just because fashion magazines force-fed them light-skinned models.

So are you saying people are inherently more drawn to white or fair-skinned people? Even before magazines, there were ideologies that dictated what people considered beautiful and not beautiful. By your logic, no one should have given ethnic model cosmetic contracts because everyone is more drawn to white models anyway. Why give Veronica Webb a contract with Revlon if she's not marketable?

 

[eternitygoddess]

^No. The poster I replied to said that the idea of light-skinned as force-fed to the public. I'm pointing out that Asians have always preferred light-skin. I'm trying to show why there might be such a big demand and market for European models and less for African models.

 

[ChristionCouture]

How can one person speak for an entire race? Have you met every Asian in the world? How do you know what they like?