tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post34935169051432362..comments2023-06-28T02:48:04.997-07:00Comments on Make Fetch Happen: Vogue Asks, "Is Fashion Racist?"Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05203282439086730023noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-32076857048823477722008-08-01T18:00:00.000-07:002008-08-01T18:00:00.000-07:00@ Anon 3:59"...Ironic isn't it?"No. And for the re...@ Anon 3:59<BR/><BR/>"...Ironic isn't it?"<BR/><BR/>No. <BR/><BR/>And for the record, the NAACP to my knowledge as never said anything about the all white issues of Vogue that go to press most months. <BR/><BR/>I don't think that black models should be segregated into one "special" issue either, I think they and models of other races should be in the magazines every month. The fact that in this day and age white owned fashion magazines still think black skin and features are undesirable or "non-aspirational" is racist. This issue of Vogue and "Miss Black America" are responses to white racism. But since you are "not a racist", I'm sure you can understand that.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05203282439086730023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-73163378117131236532008-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:002008-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:00I am not a racist, BUT, how come there is "somethi...I am not a racist, BUT, how come there is "something" that is "all black" all over and no backlash from anyone? I'll bet that if there were an "all white" something, there would be hell to pay from the NAACP, and other organizations. Exmple, there is a Miss Black America, but no Miss White America. Ironic isn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-46985826272879434102008-08-01T12:24:00.000-07:002008-08-01T12:24:00.000-07:00Wow, reading you blog verified a lot of the same f...Wow, reading you blog verified a lot of the same feelings I have about the state of black beauty in congruence with the fashion industry. While I applaud the efforts of Italian Vogue for releasing their "all-black" issue, I cannot help but feel in the aftermath of this hooplah the mass of fashion magazines will retract back to their use of waspy, blonde blue-eyed 100 lbs. models. Now this is not an attack necessarily against white models per say. Whether or not you find white, Asian, Latin or black models to more beautiful is immaterial. What this issue boils down is how all of us, particularly those us living in westernized, eurocentric dominated societies have been conditioned to believe what beauty is. Which is a tall, fair skinned, fine featured, light eyes and straight hair. All one has to do essentially is study history, read classic novels and poetry and you will see there how eurocentric ideals of beauty have been more valued as an ideal standard of beauty. My point here is we are all victims of this type of socialization. As fas as editors, agents and designers are concerned they are pertinent to the issue, but as much as the AUDIENCE. Forgive me for saying this, and I do not mean in any way to make a generalization of young women, but I would bet a significvant sum of money, that if you survey most young women, regardless of race or ethnicity, they all aspire to the look of a thin, blonde blue-eyed rich white woman. I say this, because I have socialized with many people, of many races, and almost all have a slight yearnign to look like the Charlize Therons and Nicole Kidmans of the world. In addition, that is what the majority of men have been conditioned and desire in a mate. Studies have shown that black women are seen as sexually and romantically less desirable that white, Asian or Latin women. Which proves another point that whilst Asian and Latin women are also underrepresented in fashion, they are still regarded as being sexually and romantically more desirable than black woman because they still fit a Euro-centric idea of beauty, which is being of lighter complexion, finer featured and straight hair. Black women, particularly dark-skinned black women with West Afrcan features have never, and will never fit a eurocentric standard of beauty. Put a Alek Wek next to a Salma Hayek or Lucy Liu and you will see what I mean. As much as black women say they are pro-black and anti Euro-centric propaganda, the fact that black women get weaves, and wear colored contacts proves my point. Black women also secretly strive for the blonde thin, blue eyed ideal. Which brings me back to my original point. There is a reason why black models on the covers of magazines do not sell as well as white looking models. "Blackk" as beauty ideal is not inspirational to most young girls regardless of race. In the age of Hannah Montanas and Lindsay Lohans young girls want to be that versus a darker skinned African girl. It is neither right or wrong it is what it is. As far as whether or not black models will ever receive their moment in the sunshine, first society's definition of beauty has to expand to include women of all races. And what I mean is you will see non-ambiguously ethnic Black, Latin or Asian girl and will be able to look at her beautiful and inspirational without thinking of her race.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-31440028210996482672008-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:002008-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00Great post, you can do something with words :)Jess...Great post, you can do something with words :)<BR/><BR/>Jessie - <A HREF="http://www.sharingfashion.com" REL="nofollow">My fashion blog</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-92017770959927782572008-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:002008-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00I read the article in Vogue and felt like the auth...I read the article in Vogue and felt like the author was skirting the issue. She laid out the problems but then made excuses for them without getting any concrete answers.<BR/><BR/>Well, that's 5 minutes of my time I'll never get back.Asi Modhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02809684067940765704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-40982551354114758062008-06-26T18:14:00.000-07:002008-06-26T18:14:00.000-07:00Felicity said:Black women tend to have a more heav...Felicity said:<BR/><BR/><I>Black women tend to have a more heavier structure, than white women, even if you get very slim black women, they will look slightly heavier than white women. We cannot compete with that and being that thin</I>.<BR/><BR/>I have to disagree. There is so much genetic variety among black people. In East Africa, women are often very thin after having a number of children. Many of the West African teenage girls who live in my city are much thinner (six 8 and smaller) than the average African American girls of the same age. Most African-American girls and women are bigger largely because of diet and lack of exercise. I see more 250 and larger among AA than I do continental African women. Even with the weight problems, there are 40 million African-Americans in this country, and it should not be impossible to find at least 15 who are between 5’9-6’0 and wear a size 0-4matt williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14336864718324358033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-35169514094924235152008-06-26T15:18:00.000-07:002008-06-26T15:18:00.000-07:00I agree with you byrdie on all counts save Chanel ...I agree with you byrdie on all counts save Chanel Iman. She was on the Tyra show with her mother not long ago. Her mother is black/Korean and her father is black.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05203282439086730023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-2518047920777587322008-06-26T14:29:00.000-07:002008-06-26T14:29:00.000-07:00Besides beauty and creativity, the fashion industr...Besides beauty and creativity, the fashion industry has always exploitated...errr, I mean, capitalized on the female body. The truth is, as statistics show, black Americans display the strongest designer/brand loyalty. We spend money we don't even have on designers and brands (both are corporations) that really don't care about us. They've taken us for granted, they feel no need to spend time, energy, or money marketing to us, because we're a built in obedient faithful demographic. Or maybe they feel seeing a skinny white model in an outfit raises its value.<BR/><BR/>And what's all the fuss over half-Korean Chanel Iman and the clamoring over skinny Jourdan Dunn? It's more of a "model of colour" spread than a black model spread.<BR/><BR/>This article is a good read too.<BR/>http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article3883269.ece<BR/><BR/>I tell you...once Obama takes office, things better change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-47500193049692553742008-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:002008-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:00I love this article so much I posted about it on m...I love this article so much I posted about it on my blog today. I know I don't always comment but I always read what you have to say and I love what you write.Arielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12449769052098717111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-81450892607429757992008-06-25T07:31:00.000-07:002008-06-25T07:31:00.000-07:00@aj plaidNope, I lay the blame on the fashion edit...@aj plaid<BR/>Nope, I lay the blame on the fashion editors and the other people in charge of editorial content. Anna Wintour and her professional cohorts are the ones who controls the images, including what model "type" will be photographed. Having worked at Conde Nast and observed the kind of people who work there, esp. at Vogue, skinniness reigns in the editorial departments. The closer the physical proximity to, say Anna Wintour, the thinner the person is. Exceptions exists, i.e. Andre Tally, but they are rare. In other words, the physical environment at Conde Nast in reflected and reinforced in the magazines. It's a hermetic world of skewed beauty. And it's skewed to be white. <BR/><BR/>The images of those models are not real, who are the fashion editors? Apart from Anna Wintour, Black women tend to have a more heavier structure, than white women, even if you get very slim black women, they will look slightly heavier than white women. We cannot compete with that and being that thin, affects your health. I sometimes wonder if it is worth it and maybe, black people having their own magazines and maybe focusing on places like Africa, particularly South Africa, South America and the Caribbean, there are lots of designers, who would like exposure. I look at the Asian fashion magazines, the Asian continent is very big and have a lot of fashion magazines, designers etc and now the European are trying to tap into their market, because of the potential.Felicityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640532435058567373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-45793833649426444582008-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:002008-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00@ felicity--I can't blame "the gays" for Black mod...@ felicity--I can't blame "the gays" for Black models mot being on the runways and the magazines. 1) The statement that they want to see boys instead of women is essentially equating gay men to pedophiles, an age-old stereotype. Gay men tend to like over-18 men, not boys. 2) The statement makes a dubious link of LGBTIQ men to the discrimation to Black folks--internecine in-fighting between two marginalized <BR/>groups who, honestly need to form coalitions. <BR/><BR/>Nope, I lay the blame on the fashion editors and the other people in charge of editorial content. Anna Wintour and her professional cohorts are the ones who controls the images, including what model "type" will be photographed. Having worked at Conde Nast and observed the kind of people who work there, esp. at Vogue, skinniness reigns in the editorial departments. The closer the physical proximity to, say Anna Wintour, the thinner the person is. Exceptions exists, i.e. Andre Tally, but they are rare. In other words, the physical environment at Conde Nast in reflected and reinforced in the magazines. It's a hermetic world of skewed beauty. And it's skewed to be white. <BR/><BR/>Sorry about the length.:-(<BR/><BR/>P.S. Brigette, "cranky is the new black" should be your blog's subtitle.AJ Plaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07695762243887398872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-46349660518720433272008-06-24T06:53:00.000-07:002008-06-24T06:53:00.000-07:00Brigitte, your blog is very good, I have been thin...Brigitte, your blog is very good, I have been thinking about what this and I think that the world of modelling is very competitive and I really wonder if there are that many jobs at all. In the 90s the industry was willing to embrace more people of colour, and those girls, were really glamourous, full figure, look at the models now, many on the catwalk are stick thin. I think that the industry has a lot of homosexual men, who want to see boys than women. Black women even if they are slim, still look very womanly. How many black girls are going into modelling, it is easier to use famous black women, such as Jennifer Hudson, and Rihanna to be on the cover of your magazines. The industry wants to see black women in a certain way, not to be seem as elegant, that is why they prefer lighter shade black women, also it is about having the right contacts. If hour shaped black girls did modelling in Italy, French etc. They will cause such a sensation.Felicityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640532435058567373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-37009253047442742792008-06-23T23:20:00.000-07:002008-06-23T23:20:00.000-07:00Very thought provoking. I find it interesting that...Very thought provoking. I find it interesting that the racist thinking of the fashion world as a whole is tossed like a hot potato. Editors, to photographers, to agents, to designers and it goes on and on. No one wants to cop to their shyte.<BR/><BR/>Sad indeed. With all the $$$ black women spend, I wonder that we haven't just pulled the financial plug on supporting these mags and products until we get representation.Lenoxavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17146647934577010384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-51829571730005386942008-06-22T17:45:00.000-07:002008-06-22T17:45:00.000-07:00Bravo!Given that many (not all) workplaces, and or...Bravo!<BR/>Given that many (not all) workplaces, and organizations went through a cultural shift ages ago, it stumps me that fashion holds onto old <A HREF="http://literaryfashionista.blogspot.com/2008/06/is-fashion-racist-our-perceptions-of.html" REL="nofollow">perceptions</A> and is slow to get out of the gate. And, "cranky is the new black" is the best slogan to come in <I>ages!</I>Kananihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317494343177263398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-81490673727949374882008-06-22T12:53:00.000-07:002008-06-22T12:53:00.000-07:00As consumers we have a right to demand products th...As consumers we have a right to demand products that address our needs and desires. There are great blogs online, why doesn't someone start a magazine!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-72644359765783084382008-06-22T09:49:00.000-07:002008-06-22T09:49:00.000-07:00Black consumers pour millions of dollars into the ...Black consumers pour millions of dollars into the country. I can only imagine how much money sistahs spend buying clothes and fashion magazines. We should be represented on the cover of magazines in all our glory!! What happens to little black girls buying mags now and nary see a black model. What kind of message is that sending out. That whole idea that one or two get work and the other black models get the shaft is ridiculous. Love your post and keep bitching on!!Shellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11807876444563019161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-42009210609697053062008-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:002008-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00Hi Leela,I don't really know what the solution is....Hi Leela,<BR/><BR/>I don't really know what the solution is. I think some magazines might start feeling pressure and include more non-white models but only to keep up appearances. I think that people who love fashion but hate the status quo will just start their own blogs or online magazines. The problem is that it fashion bloggers are still pretty dependent on print media for photos and information unlike gossip bloggers who can easily get a head start of tabloids. Ony time will tell how this all pans out.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05203282439086730023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-35208000745721009042008-06-20T20:11:00.000-07:002008-06-20T20:11:00.000-07:00You know what Bridgette, until I read this post, I...You know what Bridgette, until I read this post, I never thought about this. Now that you've brought it up, it's like an enlightenment.This is a problem, but what do you think is the solution?? :(Leelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09833247306347794031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-44842173751130425242008-06-20T20:01:00.000-07:002008-06-20T20:01:00.000-07:00"Cranky is the new black". LOL - loved it - Great ..."Cranky is the new black". LOL - loved it - Great post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-90662292581745295962008-06-20T18:28:00.000-07:002008-06-20T18:28:00.000-07:00lpd, you are really very kind for saying that :)lpd, you are really very kind for saying that :)Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05203282439086730023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-35349151832740450422008-06-20T18:05:00.000-07:002008-06-20T18:05:00.000-07:00Excellent post! I wish I could write as well as yo...Excellent post! I wish I could write as well as you. And I'm so glad you created this blog. It's on my short list of "must read daily!" blogs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-18854834249877998572008-06-20T16:55:00.000-07:002008-06-20T16:55:00.000-07:00"I still haven’t forgiven my mother for making get..."I still haven’t forgiven my mother for making get a jheri curl. I honestly think of it as child abuse."<BR/><BR/>LOL...Beauty Is Diversehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10391862182408461540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581615684343808280.post-67350174379926519132008-06-20T15:27:00.000-07:002008-06-20T15:27:00.000-07:00Lawsuits are a reality in any other industry becau...Lawsuits are a reality in any other industry because nobody will be brave in the fashion world. When you have a solid case, perhaps it's time to take action. That article seems like an evasive and half-hearted exercise in social relevance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com