Racial Diversity In Modeling

[writergal28]

I don't think we're going to see a diverse group of models until the fashion industry accepts more diverse body sizes by giving more opportunity to so-called niche designers to show off their work in a mainstream environment. I do see this happening though, especially if we're loud enough

 

[Bahiyya]

Someone brought up the Aunt Jemima ads earlier so I thought I'd post this link to First Magazine that gives some history behind the ads including an image gallery . Hope this isn't too off-topic .

source: First Magazine

 

[pmegha]

^That ad makes me sick.
Temptilatin? Chilluns?

 

[pmegha]

I wanted to add more:
I looked at the rest of the ads, unsurprisingly as racist as the one here, some probably worse.
I was aware before that the image of Aunt Jemima was offensive, but now I can really see how Aunt Jemima is the poster child for the subservient black slave...it's disgusting.

These ads are really getting me angry the more I look at them, but I'm glad you posted these as I had never seen them before.

 

[iluvjeisa]

Well, what bothers me most is those little subservient looking figurines. Otherwise, to my untrained eye, she looks a bit like any woman in an ad from that time - a lot of ads geared toward domestic workers (house wives) are pretty horrid looking...

 

[nyc_art_style]

yes the dolls! so reckless. and chilluns! what year are those from?
I was just looking at the rest of the ads, and the white woman in it is beautiful and well dressed, but yet Aunt Jemima looks...well...like Aunt Jemima.

and when did Jordan Dunn speak out about this issue?

 

[Bahiyya]

^^ From what I can tell those ads are from about the 30s and 40s.

Jourdan did an interview with London paper The Observer about racial diversity in runway models which came out after the FW 08/09 season . Jourdan talks Prada, Primark and black role models

 

[fashionista-ta]

I'd hope that were true but a trend that has lasted for over 60 years is not a trend.

Quite true ... and I don't think it's been posted here, but I took from Naomi's comments at YSL's passing that using black models was not about a trend for him, though it may have started one ...

That's quite an ad, Bahiyya For a moment I was confused & thought it was the chilluns who were light and fluffy and always tender a la Hansel & Gretel

 

[fashionista-ta]

Well, what bothers me most is those little subservient looking figurines. Otherwise, to my untrained eye, she looks a bit like any woman in an ad from that time - a lot of ads geared toward domestic workers (house wives) are pretty horrid looking...

Agreed, I hate coming across them in antique malls ... I know there are a lot of black people who collect them, but I wouldn't want them in my home regardless of the color of my skin. Only positive images are allowed ...

My house was built in the 20s and I have some women's and shelter magazines from the same time period. I haven't seen many of the black caricature ads in those magazines, but some of the ads targeted to women are quite shocking, including one for Lysol as a, erm, personal care product

PS Impressed with the Jourdan interview ... she's clearly very bright.

 

[SHSH]

from primark home to the £3 pound handbag to prada wow, she was the first black woman to walk prada since naomi in 97 goodness gracious me i didnt even know that. I know that primark in hammersmith as well

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I guess Miuccia caved under pressure ...

 

[fashionista-ta]

Not really, I think pretty much all scientists are firm in their assessment that our species, Homo sapiens, originated on the continent of Africa and then migrated around the world. There's evidence of this, like fashionista-ta mentioned, in our mitochondrial DNA. Scientists also recently discovered that all native peoples in North, Central and South America share 6 female ancestors. There's more about that here.

You can see if you look how the continents fit together like puzzle pieces. That's because they used to all be one land mass & then broke apart ... so a long time ago it was much easier (tho slower) to move around ... you could just walk or ride vs having to get in a boat

There also used to be somewhat similar competing species (like Neanderthals), but we were smarter (& luckier) & won

And there you have it, a brief history of our species

 

[ApertureRomance]

Ok I was upset when I saw this article, it isn't about a black model, but I think it fits the theme of this thread.

This article from nymag covered some of comments from a casting, and basically all the other models except for Indian model Lakshmi got some positive comments. This is all they wrote for her.

I know what has been written for her isn't anything new for models of colour, but I hate that this is still an issue. Maybe I am overreacting because it has been a while since an Indian model had any chance of making an impact in the fashion industry since Ujjwala Raut quite a few years ago.

I think we should email them to have it taken down.

 

[ApertureRomance]

Quite true ... and I don't think it's been posted here, but I took from Naomi's comments at YSL's passing that using black models was not about a trend for him, though it may have started one ...

Well I don't know too much about it but he was a big fan of Katoucha wasn't he ?

 

[fashionista-ta]

Well I don't know too much about it but he was a big fan of Katoucha wasn't he ?

Well I don't know too much either, it was a bit before my time but what she said was that she told him she couldn't be on the cover of French Vogue & he just said "I'll take care of that" & next thing she knew she had a cover B) What a man

 

[ApertureRomance]

aww.


I found this article posted up on ONTD , it' s documentary made about Gerren Taylor.

 

[WerbowyStegner]

In Mexico the whiter people look down on the darker people and the entertainment industry there is 95% of the whiter latinas not the darker ones

 

[xmodel citizen]

In Mexico the whiter people look down on the darker people and the entertainment industry there is 95% of the whiter latinas not the darker ones

It's that way in much of the world, but especially in the Latin American entertainment industry. The majority of famous people from Latin American countries are white, even though the vast majority of the countries are largely mestizo.. For instance, Mexico is 60% mestizo, 30% Amerindian and only 9% white. Yet how many famous Aztec stars are there in Mexico?

It's a big deal in the Caribbean too. There are tons and tons of people with African heritage in the Caribbean but light skin is preferred and considered "better". My friend is Filipino and in their entertainment, almost all of the stars are white, mixed with white (or other, "lighter" Asian ethnicities), or have "white" features, even though almost nobody in the Philippines is 100% or even half white. The fashion industry's preoccupation with whiteness def isn't exclusive to the western world.

 

[iluvjeisa]

One can have a lot of theories, of course, what would you think is the reason white ppl are regarded in that way? There are obvious reasons - it's associated with wealth, white people appear more in media....so are we going to see a shift toward Chinese and Indian idealizations, now that most Western economies are taking a turn for the worse?

 

[Grunged]

#813 that is so disgusting....the grammar, and the blatant racism. who could be so ignorant to create that.

Anyways, as to the person who said that the lack of black models is because black models aren't the "look of the moment" that's complete bull****. It's pretty much (in recent years) always been this way. I've yet to look at past collections and see more than 5 black models in one collection. But it's, obviously, decreased which results in people starting to speak up about it. I find it sad that people get happy about some Resort show having 4 black models in it, that's not really a change in my opinion. There's definitely underlying racism though..