It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century discrimination is still prevalent on the runway. You would think after globally adored supermodels like Iman,Veronica Webb, Naomi Campell, Tyra Banks, Liya Kebede and Alek Wek put in laborious work, breaking down color barriers to pave a lane for new faces like Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls, Chanel Iman, Sessilee Lopez and Chrishell Stubbs to thrive, that Paris and Milan, the fashion capitols of the world, would finally accept that models of color are just as beautiful as the white faces that dominate the catwalk. Is being the muse of a famous designer the only way a black model can succeed? Unbeknownst to many, the late Gianni Versace was instrumental in catapulting Naomi’s illustrious career.
However, it’s unfair to place the blame entirely on European cities. Jezebel reported that New York’s most recent Fashion Week (Fall 2011 shows) featured 137 designer shows and presentations, with 5,269 fall looks, of those, 4,468 (84.8%) were modeled by white women. Unacceptable! Carol White, Premier Model Management founder and Naomi Campbell’s former agent, told the Daily Mail, “at the high end, it is slightly better now. But in the mid-range–the catalogues, the e-commerce websites– it is difficult. They want girls who are ethnic, but light-skinned girls. If a girl is very dark, they say no.”
Does the archaic and very ignorant illusion that lighter skin is prettier than darker skin still exist?
Carol believes the problem stems from Paris and Milan. “There, they absolutely don’t want black girls. A black model has to be a real star before you can take her there. They only take a black girl when the biz is buzzing about her.”
StyleBlazers, we need to hear from you on this one. Is the fashion industry racist?
-Metanoya Z. Webb
See some of our beloved runway beauties in the slideshow below:
IMAN
