The
topic of race and diversity in the fashion industry is one that constantly
garners attention, primarily because tension is still alive in a world that
boasts itself as all encompassing and varied. In 2008, fashion magazine Vogue Italia, under direction of editor
Franca Sozzani, decided to open up the discussion about race with an all black
issue featuring black designers, models, and editors. It was successful, but also
incredibly singular. A magazine issue from 5 years ago doesn’t seem entirely
relevant in regard to race issues in 2014. And to make matter worse, Vogue Italia seems to be at the center
of a very powerful controversy about race that they seemingly caused.
A
recent article written by Jason Campbell in The
Business of Fashion, discusses Vogue
Italia’s latest initiative, “Vogueista Black”, a separate part of their
website that features content on black fashion figureheads. Separate from their
regular homepage, the site actively segregates white industry members from
their black peers. This poorly executed decision stimulates the idea of
“separate but equal”, which can only be deemed racist. The magazine has come
forward to say that it was not their intention to come off as racist, noting
that they even offer a section for plus size readers, which adds insult to
injury for minority groups inside the fashion industry. This type of indirect
racism seems much too obvious for an industry that truly needs to change its
ways.
In September of 2013
retired model and fashion activist, Bethann Hardison, launched a social media
campaign to shame designers who obviously lacked African American models in
their runway casting. Entitled “Diversity Coalition”, the board has prominent
members like models Naomi Campbell and Iman, who work together to shed light on
racism in the fashion industry. Hardison sent out a letter to those designers,
whose cast consisted of all white models, alerting them to the social media
onslaught the coalition had prepared. Slamming and publically naming specific
designers, the coalition also made that letter available online to both the
general public and the media. They used the media factor to their advantage,
discussing their endeavor with the New
York Times and New York Magazine.
Iman being the most outspoken, prominently told journalist Eric Wilson of the New York Times, “If you engage the social media, trust me, it will hurt them
in their pockets. If you take it out there, they will feel the uproar.”
And the women
were indeed successful, as the designers felt that uproar. Their venture
reached a wide audience and interestingly enough, after the initial steps the
coalition took, member Naomi Campbell brought something to the media’s
attention that was finally a push in the right direction: an earlier Calvin
Klein show had no models of color, while the Spring 2014 show had 6 models of
color in the show. It was finally a step in the right direction.
In addition, what
makes Hardison’s media campaign strong is that according to Pew Research Center,
the majority of American adults get there news through social media platforms,
where 64% of U.S. adults are active on Facebook alone. In addition, 30% of these
Facebook users get their news from Facebook, meaning that as Facebook continues
to increase news medias presence on user home pages, an important issue like
lack of diversity in the fashion and modeling industry will potentially have a
much larger audience than it previously engaged with. I think it would be even
more impactful if Hardison’s coalition takes to YouTube, the second most
important social media news platform, to get their message out. You can find
interview clips, but what the group really needs is a dedicated channel and
social media team that has control over various social media accounts. Demographically,
the race of Facebook users is 63% white, which means that Caucasian social
media users stand to be greatly educated on a race issue they may not have been
aware of otherwise. However, 55% of non-white users actually prefer YouTube and
Google Plus as a means to get news, indicating that by focusing on these media
platforms, the group can establish an audience familiar with the issues faced
by the coalition.
But perhaps the
real issue isn’t with casting directors or designers, but with the media. Off
the top of my head, I can think of the 3 prominent African American editors
working in the fashion industry who are actually visible: Edward Enniful, style
and fashion director of W magazine,
Robin Givhan, author and contributor to Huffington
Post and The Daily Beast, and
Andre Leon Talley, who is no long editor-at-large to Vogue, but still works with the magazine. The shift also needs to happen
within the media industry: more African American voices and editors means a
stronger focus on race relations in the fashion and media industries,
respectively.
So, the question
remains: what needs to be done in order to ensure that the African American
community is better represented on the runway and in the fashion world? What
about the media with regard to not only more editors of color, but also
attention focused on getting a message of equality out to the public? Should
there be more social and news media coalitions like Haridson’s in order to
attract more attention to the cause? What are some ways in which this cause could
benefit from a larger media presence? And is Vogue Italia justified in their segregation?
George Fracasse
Works Cited
-Campbell, J. (2014, January 19). It’s time to address fashion’s race problem. Retrieved from
http://www.businessoffashion.com/2014/01/op-ed-time-address-fashions-race-problem.html
-“News
Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov.
2013. Web.
-Phelan, H. (2013). Racism
on the runway: How Bethann Hardison’s Diversity Coalition is Changing Fashion.
Retrieved from
http://fashionista.com/2013/09/racism-on-the-runway-how-bethann-hardisons-diversity-coalition-is-changing-fashion/
-Rivas, J. (2013, August 9). Social media activists target fashion week shows with no black models.
Retrieved from
http://fusion.net/culture/story/social-media-activists-target-fashion-week-shows-black-17725
-Wilson, E. (2013, August 7). Fashion’s blind spot. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/fashion/fashions-blind-spot.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
A strong sense of racism is still present in today’s world. Issues of race and underrepresentation are always circulating about the media. The TV show Girls gets constantly criticized for having no racial diversity , since it is focused on four white girls. SNL was lacking black cast members and writers, so now some black actors and writers have been added to the show. Racism is present in our everyday lives and in the media that we consume. Diversity and racism are tough topics to talk about as well as underrepresentation. You never seem to notice certain aspects of society until you analyze it through a particular lens. Personally, I wouldn’t have picked up on the fact that a lot of women of color are not featured in magazines. I see on the covers of magazines Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Sofia Vergara. I never saw it as a huge issue, but that is most likely because I am not a minority. It truly shocked me that in a study it was found that “82 percent of mainstream magazine covers since September 2012 featured only white women, with each magazine featuring only one person of color during that time span”(Anne). Women of color in fashion magazines Study shows a shocking lack of representation for women of color, later concluded that only 6% of the models in the 2012 fashion week were black(Anne).I’m glad this has been brought to my attention, because I was not conscious of this issue in the fashion industry.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware five years ago that Italian Vogue featured an all black issue. I don’t understand why this is deemed racist when they are trying to showcase a minority. I think Vogue had the right idea years ahead of time, why not dedicate a whole issue to black people? If the magazine industry issues really wanted to get ahead they should create double issues, one featuring white culture and the other half featuring a minority. They could switch up the featured minority each month; one month could be Latina, and the next Asian. Addressing any race issue is a tricky, it is a touchy subject and very easy to offend people. I agree that changes need to be made, it is 2014 and the fact that black people still aren’t being treated fairly is sickening. Hardison was making the right strides by launching a social media campaign concerning this issue. According to The Pew Research center it discovered that 30% of Americans received their news off of Facebook.( Mitchell,Page) That is a large chunk of society, by launching a social media campaign Hardison reached a large audience with an important issue. Facebook is a crucial tool, it can spread a message to a lot of people quickly. Also, adding iconic supermodels like Iman and Naomi Campbell would help gain publicity. No one is better to speak out about the issue than the models that actually encountered racism in their careers. Twitter is also a media powerhouse in informing the public about issues that need to be changed. 45% of 18-29 year olds use Twitter to get news. It was also said that Twitter users were more likely to be more knowledgeable, holding more bachelors degrees(Mitchell,Page). I found this to be an interesting statistic, less educated people are on Facebook I would never imagine that. The main point is that Facebook and Twitter are excellent platforms to use for a campaign and get an important message across.
The media and social media in particular is the ideal way to get your point across. Hardison took the right plan of action by calling out certain designers and putting them in their place. The campaign yielded positive results adding more women of color to the runway. This campaign helped but blacks aren’t the only underrepresented races, we still have a long way to go.
-Kim Fanch
Works Cited:
Anne, Kim “Women of color in fashion magazines Study shows a shocking lack of representation for women of color.” MSN.9. Feb. 2014
Amy Mitchell, Dana Page “Twitter News Consumers Young, Mobile, and Educated” Pew Research Center. 9. Feb. 2014
Racism in the media is a tricky subject and it always seems to come up in many of my Media Studies classes. Last semester, as part of my final project in my History of Sitcoms class, I talked about the TV show Friends and the criticism they faced with the lack of minorities in their supporting characters. Up until the ninth season, the only non-white actors featured on the show were very minor character roles. In the ninth season, they introduced the character of Charlie Wheeler, a paleontology professor played by Aisha Tyler who is involved in a love triangle between two main characters. After her character was introduced, however, the show was given criticism for creating a character only because they were getting criticism for not doing so. (Deggans) I think this is similar to what happened with the article George mentioned about “Vogueista Black.” People weren’t happy with African Americans being underrepresented, but when you make a “special” I think you are kind of singling them out and acknowledging that they are different and putting forth the idea of “separate but equal.”
ReplyDeleteAnne’s article says that seeing only white women in the media “impacts how all of us, including girls and boys, value ourselves and others.” I think it has a huge impact on kids. If they are shown early on through TV shows and magazines that white people are superior to black people, then in the back of their minds, I think that is what they will always think. When I was little I remember seeing a commercial for the African American Barbie on TV. That year for Christmas, that was what I asked for. It didn’t matter to me that I was white and the doll was black. Years later, my mom told me that many of our friends and relatives were shocked by the fact that I wanted the doll for Christmas, but my parents didn’t care. They couldn’t see a reason why I couldn’t have that Barbie. That was the doll that I wanted. To me, that doll wasn’t any different just because of her dark skin and hair. I think it is important that kids are taught this at an early age.
I think that the best way to get this message across is through social media. According to the Pew Research Center Demographics of Social News Consumers, 64% of US adults use Facebook. I agree and think that a YouTube campaign would be extremely beneficial. 51% of US adults use YouTube and it is regularly featured on our Facebook newsfeeds. While we all like to say that we read the news, how many actually do. But I think people are more inclined to watch a five minute video instead and it is much more powerful. If you have people like Naomi Campbell who have actually experienced it, telling you her story, it is so much more powerful than seeing statistics on a chart or reading an article about it.
- Maria DiSalvo
Anne, Kim. "Women of Color in Magazines." MSN.com. 16 Aug. 2013. 10 Feb. 2014. Web.
Deggans, Eric. "Swerving Again: After Her High-profile Role on Friends, Aisha Tyler Continues to Blaze New Career Paths." St. Petersburg Times. N.p., 12 Mar. 2004. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. 10 Feb. 2014. Web.
To answer your question, I think in this day in age there is a lot that can be done to change the amount of representation African Americans get in the fashion world. Equality is something that is becoming more and more of a trend as well especially on social media. Recently I can remember my entire Facebook page consisting of profile pictures and posts of a picture with a red background with the “=” sign symbolizing LGBT equality. The media is a great way to get messages out there in today’s society because most people are connected to one or more social media sites. These messages can reach millions of people in a matter of minutes thus making people aware.
ReplyDeleteFashion gets most of their exposure on the runway, and then in print magazines to my knowledge. This is a very good thing for minority groups. It is, because in the article, 2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms, says that, “Magazines rank as the #1 medium for advertising acceptance (76%)” and also that “56% follow a magazine brand on Twitter.”(Wagner). Both of these facts point to the heightened exposure and following of magazines by the fashion media. This is significant because these media followers are following the largest branch of exposure that fashion reaches. This way, the amount of representation African American and minority groups get is more likely to be achieved. The article also states that, “51% retweet articles from a magazine's Twitter feed.” All these shares have to have a great impact on the industry and further spread messages in the fashion world. Twitter has become one of the largest ways to send and receive information among people in our age demographic. It’s how I get most of my news, and it comes instantaneously, via my friends, or the trending topics. This is also good for the spreading of equality because in the article Twitter News Consumers: Young, Mobile and Educated, it says that “Twitter news consumers also tend to be more educated than the general population and than Facebook news consumers.” (Mitchell). Reaching a more educated audience, it makes the message that much more likely to be received, acted upon, and re-shared.
Oddly, I feel for Vogue Italia. I honestly think they tried to branch out and do the right thing in regards to incorporating a minority group into their company. It is looked upon as segregated and arrogant in today’s society in America, but we also have to remember that it is a little more “old school” in Europe. New ideas and things that we see as silly are not as accepted there. I think it was a huge step for them to even make the separate branch and once they figure out how to incorporate it in a more sensitive, flattering way, it will be a great example for other European fashion magazines. This, mixed with models seen around the world and speaking out, like Naomi and Iman did, will only help the cause.
-Arianna Paluzzi
Amy Mitchell, Dana Page “Twitter News Consumers Young, Mobile, and Educated” Pew Research Center. 9. Feb. 2014
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
Nicolette Illiano
ReplyDeleteRace in the media seems to be a trending topic in many of my media studies classes both this year and in past years. It’s evident that there is an issue of lack of representation in all forms of media including television, film, advertising and magazines, as George focused on. Kim Anne’s article specifically mentions the lack of representation of women of color in mainstream magazines. She states that a recent study “discovered that 82 percent of mainstream magazine covers since September 2012 featured only white women, with each magazine featuring only one person of color during that time span.” While this an issue for obvious reasons, it becomes an even bigger problem when you look at the statistics of magazine sales and consumption. Many people believe that in this new age of technology magazine sales could not possibly be at a high. However, it’s exactly the opposite. A press release from the Association of Magazine Media proved that 2013 was in fact a successful year for magazine media and “agency spending on print magazines was up 9% through November 2013.” This shows that the information and advertisements published in magazines are being actively consumed by readers. The press release also stated that “Magazines rank as the #1 medium for advertising acceptance (76%)” in 2013.
So if women and young girls are purchasing these magazines and consuming the advertisements and information included in their pages, what are they taking in? They are seeing predominately white females on almost every page. More specifically, they are seeing skinny, white females. These women, especially young girls, flip through these magazines and think that what is on their pages is societies norm, or what they should be. This is extremely concerning because clearly not every single female in our society is skinny and/or white. Media’s representation of women is often times the root of women’s self-esteem issues. In her article, Anne quotes Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the MissRepresentation.org team, stating, “The limiting ideal of beauty perpetuated by the media not only exalts particular body types and age groups, but dictates which colors of skin are considered beautiful and which are not. This impacts how all of us, including girls and boys, value ourselves and others.”
As if it wasn’t bad enough to have magazines promote the skinny white female through print, they are taking to social media to spread the word even further. Many magazines have twitter and facebook accounts as a way to get their articles out on the internet. Because of the immediacy of social media these ideas are being consumed at an even faster rate than print, being shared by consumers through retweets and likes. As a society, especially the “technology generation”, our goal should be to get the media to start spreading images of real, diverse women. Then the retweets and shares wouldn’t be so bad.
Anne, Kim “Women of color in fashion magazines Study shows a shocking lack of representation for women of color.” MSN. 10. Feb. 2014
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 10. Feb. 2014.
This issue of race in 2013-14 is very intriguing, especially since it is a topic many would have thought to be dissolved by this day in age. However, with the constant news flashes across multiple media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, BuzzFeed, etc.), it is surprising that the issue of black representation in both magazines and fashion is just now reaching my ears. This fact alone makes me question two things: How accurate can “The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings” article be in citing that traffic to the top 25 news websites is up 7.2% if this topic hasn’t been more widespread? Also, what are Naomi, Iman, and Bethann doing wrong with their campaign that this hasn’t yet become a social media craze? One would think that with the constant bombardment of news topics paired together with campaign promoted by high-profile leaders that the issue of black representation in magazines and fashion would have garnered a bit more of a public response after a whole year.
ReplyDeleteAdvertising appears to be up around the board regarding media platforms. Specifically discussing magazine advertisements, MPA boasts a 6% advertising increase between both print and tablet issues. Being a hotspot for fashion inspiration and trend reports, magazines would be a tremendous start for advertising “Diversity Coalition” and its cause. Recalling our discussions from class last week, we know how invasive and annoying those Facebook ads can get. George cited that 30% of active adult Facebook users even get their news from the social media site. Clearly the leaders of “Diversity Coalition” aren’t very social media savvy, because if they spent a little money on advertising and promoting their cause on Facebook alone, at least that 30% of users would have been exposed to the issue at hand and how it affects what we see.
When it comes to campaigning, Twitter is usually the leading social media platform, as its 140 character description and hashtags force users to get right to the point. Hashtags are even notorious for starting a movement. Once the particular hashtag gets tweeted enough, it eventually appears on the “trending topics” display on the site’s home screen, thus reaching even more people. Even if Twitter isn’t a person’s primary platform for getting up to date on breaking news, Twitter still makes those articles widely available to its users, especially if those users follow their favorite publications and news outlets on the site. Pew itself described Twitter users as “Young, Mobile and Educated.” Aren’t those the types of people “Diversity Coalition” should be targeting? If the audience asks for it enough, the media outlets are sure to bow to the will of its consumers at some point. If magazine readers and subscribers should only ask for better representation of minority groups on the covers and within the pages, the editors will realize how important it is to their public and therefore change, if even temporarily, to include a diverse range of skin colors. But change only happens with a driving force behind it; if Naomi, Iman, and Bethann don’t push hard enough on social media platforms, they will only reap what they sow.
-Katryn Flynn
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.
“The State of the News Media 2013 – Key Findings." Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. April 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Considering magazines as a traditional media source, it doesn’t surprise me that as an industry fashion magazines are slow to expose minority races. We have always seen a slow transition from traditionally conservative outlets to be able to integrate messages of equality and acceptance. What we refer to as “traditional media” is now, in our ever-advancing technological society, often seen as old or outdated. In contrast, our “new media” influenced by the Internet and namely social media is the place one often finds the most fresh, young ideas. Where traditional media may still lean toward what younger tech-savvy audiences see as outdated values, new media has the potential to influence change.
ReplyDeleteKim Anne reports that, “82 percent of mainstream magazine covers since September 2012 featured only white women, with each magazine featuring only one person of color during that time span.” “And it doesn’t stop at magazines. The New York Times recently reported that only 6 percent of models to walk the runway during Fashion Week in 2012 were black” (Anne). The social media conversation that has sparked concerning the underrepresentation, or in some cases complete lack of representation, has shown that this inequality in the fashion world has not gone unnoticed.
As discussed in a previous class, it is important to remember that magazines regard their audiences as consumers. As such, the success of a magazine depends on the ability to sell advertising, which in turn depends on the ability to sell the actual magazine as a product. If consumers demand equality from their product the magazine will likely take that into account as they depend on their consumers.
In response to a study showing that magazine advertising increased 6% in 2013 Mary G. Berner, President and CEO, MPA-The Association of Magazine Media says that, “these numbers prove, once again, that this business is about powerful, relevant and enduring brands. Despite erroneous, lemming-like coverage of declines, magazine media, has not, in fact, ever had an audience problem, and it is gratifying to see that advertisers are increasingly realizing that.” Steady audiences for magazines may not be the issue at hand when it comes to race in fashion, but the issue takes the form of the changing tastes of that audience.
Recently, so many in the fashion world have been taken with the fashion successes of rising star Lupita Nyong’o. This reflects the taste of an audience that doesn’t recognize a place for discrimination in the fashion world. But, if we take a look at this issue a little further, hasn’t discrimination always been at the center of fashion culture? This begs the question, who is really setting the standard? And I think it comes down to the aesthetic preferences of designers. The fashion world is so elite and upscale that they get to pass off discrimination as being exclusive in the way that only a very few are accepted into the glorified ranks.
This intrinsic element of the fashion world may not always have a place once audiences begin to articulate their preference for equality rather than exclusion. And the best way for this to happen is for audiences to take to social media.
Works Cited:
Anne, Kim “Women of color in fashion magazines Study shows a shocking lack of representation for women of color.” MSN. 10. Feb. 2014
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 10. Feb. 2014.
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ReplyDeleteUnderrepresentation is still major problem in society today. In all aspects of society from actors and actresses on the big screen to super models on the runway. Shows like “Friends” were criticized for only showing white people in their series, which took place in New York City, a very diverse and multicultural city. I had always been aware of inequality with film because it was something that is obvious and talked about a lot. This was not the case with the fashion. Truth is, I had never really thought about this being a major problem with fashion models.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of issues or problems related to supermodels and the fashion industry I think of an unrealistic portrayal of body image. In other words, look at any fashion magazine and the model looks like she borders on being too skinny, to the point that is unhealthy. I had never really thought about underrepresentation in the fashion world but now that I am aware of it, I am realizing now that it is a major problem. I feel that I did not pick up on this problem, as I would with underrepresentation in television or movies because of the un-relatable characteristics of supermodels. When watching a show like “Friends” I can relate to the characters and think about how my friends and I would fit in at the Central Perk Café. Then it becomes more obvious that the show is portraying potentially racial views, meaning they are not accurately portraying culture in NYC. When it comes to fashion I cannot relate to a beautiful, tall, flawless model that struts down runways all over the world. Fashion can sometimes feel like a foreign concept, one that isn’t questioned but simply just read and trusted. If I read a title (from a reputable source/ magazine) that says blue is the new black, I’m going to just trust it, not question it. Because of this, consumers not only don’t question what’s inside the magazine, we also don’t question the models on the cover. Well, it’s about time we do.
The lack of diversity on the runway not only is discriminating against any non-white model, but also is effecting it’s audience, or consumers. Women of color in fashion magazines study showed shocking statistics, only 6% of women on the runway are women of color. A statement released by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the MissRepresentation.org team explained the real effect of the statistic. “The limiting ideal of beauty perpetuated by the media not only exalts particular body types and age groups, but dictates which colors of skin are considered beautiful and which are not. This impacts all of us…” (Anne 1).
I was not aware that Vogue Italia had done a “Black Issue.” The thought of doing an issue, addressing the issue at hand was a good idea, in the sense that they were attempting to address the issue and not just look the other way. Although it was a good thought, I think they that this is the right way to go about the issue. Publishing one issue with all black designers, models, and editors gave off the impression of a “special edition” rather than integrating different races into the industry. Publishing one issue with all blacks most likely still made them feel like outsiders, which should not be the aim for finding equal representation. The best way to achieve equality is not to single out a race and shine the spotlight on them, but to integrate more models of color, to make them feel equivalent to the white models walking beside them. Naomi Campbell has already begun a campaign to work for equality. Personally, I feel that the best way to overcome the issue is via social media. According to a Pew Research survey, 30% of adults consume news through Facebook (Mitchell 1). This is a large number of adults and would be a great place to start a campaign. Not only would the campaign gain supporters, it would also inform many consumers about the issue itself.
Works Cited:
DeleteAnne, Kim “Women of color in fashion magazines Study shows a shocking lack of representation for women of color.” MSN. 10. Feb. 2014
Mitchell, Amy. "The Role of News on Facebook." Pew Research Center, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
I agree that African Americans have made great strides in creating a more equal world for themselves, but there is not even close to being complete equality within the mass media industry. When it comes to the fashion world, African Americans are strongly placed to the side and misrepresented not only on the runway, but also magazines, the press and mostly all forms of media. The Women of Color in Fashion Magazines article stated that there was a study recently conducted that proved that “82 percent of mainstream magazine covers since September 2012 featured only white women, with each magazine featuring only one person of color during that time” (Anne). Even though this study was performed about a year and a half ago, I agree with this statement completely. I am an avid fashion magazine reader, and now that I am researching race equality within fashion more deeply I found myself realizing that most magazines I read only have white women on the cover. The only fashion magazines that steadily feature African American women on their covers are magazines that are targeted toward African American women like Essence, and Today’s Black Women magazine. Kim Anne also states in her article, “The New York Times recently reported that only 6 percent of models during 2012 Fashion Week were black” (Anne). The media portrays models as women who encompass absolute beauty, and who are the press and media to say what race encompasses that beauty? Some of the most famous names in the modeling industry like Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks are of African American ethnicity. These are the people that should be working towards racial equality in the fashion world because they can get the message across so easily with social media. Many look up to them as role models and therefore look towards them for something to believe in. Less than a week ago the Huffington Post featured an article called Tyra Banks Praises Sports Illustrated For Putting A Black Woman On The Cover. Within this article it is stated that Tyra Banks in 1997 and Beyonce Knowles in 2007 are the only two African American women to ever grace the cover of Sports Illustrated (Wilson). Last Monday night Tyra was granted a Sports Illustrated award for third-best-all-time cover, and after receiving that award she made an acceptance speech and than later on went onto twitter and thanked sports illustrated for recognizing her not only as a black woman, but as a model. This is what I like about Tyra Banks, she is proud of who she is and how far she has come, and she tells her story to inspire others to rise above their race or anything that makes them different, because anything is possible.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think equality within the fashion world has a long way to go, I think the best way to promote this change and spread the word is through social media. Social media consumes our generation; most of us have several different accounts, and use them for hours on end everyday without even noticing. Every time we walk to class or ride the shuttle we usually sit on our phones and scroll through our social media feeds. The Pew Research Center affirmed in November 2013 that 52% of twitter users and 47% of Facebook users consume news from these social media sites. These sites are the fastest way to get information out, and these statistics prove that this is a successful way to reach the people.
Works Cited:
Wilson, Julee. "Tyra Banks Praises Sports Illustrated For Putting A Black Woman On The Cover." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Anne, Kim. "Study Shows a Shocking Lack of Representation for Women of Color." Women of Color in Fashion Magazine 16 Aug. 2013: n. pag. Web.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
This blog was extremely interesting. People today tend to believe that racial inequality no longer exists, but clearly, it does; and especially in the fashion industry. Naomi Campbell clearly states in some of her interviews (provided by George in his blog) that designers, stylist, casting directors, etc. will often "hide behind the aesthetic" and use it as an excuse to hire solely Caucasian models. For someone who is not entirely up to speed with the fashion industry, I found it appalling that there is less diversity among hired model's today than there was twenty years ago, as stated by Naomi Campbell in an interview. An article written by Jason Campbell in The Business of Fashion, discusses "Vogueista Black" which is "a separate part of their website that features content on black fashion figureheads. Separate from their regular homepage, the site actively segregates white industry members from their black peers" (Fracasse 2014). I believe that this separate webpage for colored models is definitely a racial statement, and should not be practiced by any company - it is a clear indication of inequality, especially within the fashion industry. As for the magazine covers and runway shows, however, I don't think there is any excuse as to why there are not more women of color represented in the fashion industry - America has come a long way from the previously intense forms of racial discrimination, and I don't see why there should be any reintroduction of it. As stated in the MPA: The Association of Magazine Media press release, “Magazine media deliver powerful relationships that influence, inspire and endure” (MPA 2013). Therefore, the statement is made clear as to why it is unacceptable to not place colored girls on the covers of magazines as magazines today are still a prominent player as a means of reaching the public.
ReplyDeleteAnd although I do agree, especially after reading George's blog, that there is definitely a lack of women of color on the runway for many top designers, it occurred to me that I had just watched a number of colored women walk the runway during the 2013 Victorias Secret fashion show. These models of color included Jasmine Tookes, Lais Ribeiro, Maria Borges, Malaika Firth, Cindy Bruna and Joan Smalls - and these are not all of them. Victoria's Secret does a phenomenal job, I think, of diversifying their models and incorporating different races and ethnicities, and is an incredibly successful company and brand. Why does Victoria's Secret seem to seamlessly balance diversity among the models while other brands and designers fail to? Perhaps some of the other designers should take some pointers from Victoria's Secret.
On the contrary, however, the MSN "Women of Color in Fashion Magazines" article by Kim Anne states, "The study discovered that 82 percent of mainstream magazine covers since September 2012 featured only white women, with each magazine featuring only one person of color during that time span" (Anne 2013). However, what the study and the article both don't take into account are any biracial statistics; perhaps a number of the females on the magazines are biracial. Additionally, there are a number of models, actually most, who are from different countries. These models identify with different ethnicities, nationalities, etc. therefore, I do believe that the fashion industry is diversified in ways other than skin color, which I believe is just as important.
Anne, K. (2013, Aug 16). Women of color in fashion magazines. Retrieved from MSN.com.
MPA: The Association of Magazine Media (2013 Dec 30). 2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms.
The topic of racism with regards to media, some might say, has gone on for far too long, with little resolve. One side of this argument about representation of blacks in media, focuses on numbers: if the population of a particular race in the United States is significantly less, a simple mathematical calculation can provide percentages and ratios that will explain why there aren’t as many blacks as there are whites in media. The other side of the argument could purport that due to the fact that over-time, the media’s preferred portrayal of beauty is the light skin and silky, straight hair, no black person stands a chance. Whichever side one chooses to follow is irrelevant; the fact from the study, which showed how mainstream magazines target women remains that there are less black people seen in magazines or in the fashion industry. (Anne)
ReplyDeleteYou asked a question about what needs to be done to ensure that there is more black representation in the fashion industry and on the runway. And the simple answer is shown in the YouTube video, where models like Naomi Campbell and Iman express outrage regarding the lack of representation of blacks in these industries. History has shown with a lot of issues pertaining to discrimination, diversity and inclusion that all it takes is for people to become aware of the issue, and for more people to speak up about it. According to the research done by the Pew Research Center, “YouTube has the next greatest reach, in terms of general usage, at 51% of U.S. adults.” (Mitchell, Page) Even though YouTube might not compare to Facebook in terms of where people get their news, according to the article, it helps to know that social media in general, is fast becoming a way that people access their news, and this can be used as a tool to put more information out there, about what various designers are doing and to hold them accountable.
-Weruche George (Part one)
Jennifer Newsom talks about how “ the limiting ideal of beauty perpetuated by the media not only exalts particular body types and age groups, but dictates which colors of skin are considered beautiful and which are not. This impacts how all of us, including girls and boys, value ourselves and others…” (Anne) It is unfortunate that even Iman and Naomi, who speak about a lack of representation, have conformed to representing themselves differently from who they really are. Maybe like Newsom pointed out, the pressure from the media has caused them to tone their skins lighter, and to use hair extensions in order to be accepted, and considered beautiful enough. As a woman of color myself, it fascinates me when I see a black woman who becomes a media sensation, begin to change her skin color. Overtime, she conforms to society’s delusion of beauty and represents herself differently by toning her skin lighter. Does the media in turn feed off of this portrayal by black women themselves? If we (black women) have made it into the spotlight and have finally been given a platform to speak, yet choose to conform to societal expectations, and choose to look like white women, in order to blend in and feel accepted; do we deserve to be chosen on the covers of magazines and on the runway, if we are not proud of who we are, regardless of what society thinks? Speaking as a “woman of color”, the issues run deep and cannot be analyzed in isolation.
ReplyDeleteIn my media studies class (MSS 231) last week, we talked about how Disney’s portrayal of characters has socialized us, where young girls think that to be beautiful, they had to be of a certain size or look. This portrayal was born from the writer or creator’s personal experience and belief system, which overtime informs what people see as reality. By the same token, designers, editors and directors alike have an image of what true beauty is and we see this representation on the covers of their magazines and on the runway. The only solution in my opinion is to redefine the standards of beauty
-Weruche George (part two)
Anne, Kim. "Women of Color in Magazines." MSN.com. 16 Aug. 2013. 11 Feb. 2014. Web.
Amy Mitchell, Dana Page “Twitter News Consumers Young, Mobile, and Educated” Pew Research Center. 11. Feb. 2014
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ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don’t know too much of the fashion industry but as an African American male it saddens me that there is racial inequality still in the fashion world ala 2014. As much progress and change that has encompassed this world over decades, it’s still shocking to see and hear that minorities are still being put down and shoved out by society. For me I guess I never knew how much of a huge discrepancy there is between minority models and white models because growing up I’ve been surrounded by magazines such as JET, Ebony, Essence, Latina and even ALMA among others. Plus it’s funny to admit this, but in a house full of females, I did happen to watch “America’s Next Top Model” when I was younger watching Tyra Banks running the show and young potential minority models trying to reach their ultimate dream.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess being immersed in that atmosphere, I must’ve assumed that racial inequality wasn’t too bad in the fashion world, little did I know reading article after article about how unequal the fashion industry really is, it really left a huge knot in my stomach. According to The Women of Color in Fashion Magazine it states that there was a study conducted that showed out of all the mainstream magazine covers only “82 percent of mainstream covers since September 2012 featured only white women, with each magazine featuring only one person of color during that time span” (Anne). For a pretty diverse world how does only one person of color get represented on a cover? It is not just about African Americans being underrepresented, why aren’t Hispanic models being represented? Or the billion other Asian and Indian people in the world that aren’t being shown on covers or runway shows. It’s not like there is some rare selection to choose from is there?
In an article written by Hannah Pool from The Guardian “Fashion probably is a bit racist” she quotes Carole White, Premier’s Model Management founder saying “It’s a lot harder to start a black girl than a white girl, for a number of reasons,” says Carole White, Premier’s founder. “There’s not so much work for them, and sometimes photographers and makeup artist are scared. They don’t know how to light or make them up properly so it takes a lot longer… it’s a slower process.” (Pool) Since fashion has been around for decades how can you not accommodate minority models by now? Fashion is innovative, creative, and trendy among other things, so shouldn’t have photographers and makeup artists found new techniques to portray all their models in an appealing way by now?
Fashion can be found everywhere. You can see it in the media, and cities; it shapes the perception of women and men everywhere; how they should look, what they should wear, and what is attractive. Fashion should serve to represent all people. I’m just finding out now that fashion’s diversity problem isn’t some big secret. So how do we combat this issue? Minorities need to become more proactive in starting their own businesses to promote their culture and fashion companies need to take the time out of their schedule to advertise these ladies properly so statistics like “6% of women on the runway are women of color” aren’t being reported by The New York Times for the future (Anne). Also another way to promote change and spread the word is through social media and speak out against the industry like ex-model Bethann Hardison and model Jourdan Dunn. The Pew Research Center reported in November 2013 that 52% of Twitter users and 47% of Facebook users consume news from these social media sites so what better way to reach an audience that is always attached to the internet.
Anne, Kim. "Women of Color in Magazines." MSN.com. 16 Aug. 2013. 11 Feb. 2014. Web.
Pool, Hannah. "'Fashion Probably Is a Bit Racist'" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web
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ReplyDeleteI found this post to be particularly interesting because this is something that I’ve been following since the start of the Diversity Coalition. And actually, since freshmen year I’ve been looking at representation of people of color in the media and how it affects others and the industries.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought about when George discussed Vogue Italia’s “Vogueista Black” was the comparison to things like Huffington Post’s lifestyle sections. I should start off by saying that I do believe that they had all the right intentions, but they could have gone about including articles highlighting industry elites of color in a different way. Comparatively, Huffington Post has its own sections for Black, Latino, and LGBT Voices. And while it is its own little hub, these articles can also be found on the home page and other sections, not just segregated in a corner of the website. It’s because this is such a hot button topic that this has caused such a stir. As a young African-American male of color, I would love to see them continue this initiative because this type of positive representation is phenomenal, just in a more inclusive manner.
According to an article by MSN.com, from September 2012 to August of 2013 each mainstream magazine featured only one person of color on the cover. This accounts for about 82 percent of all magazine covers featuring white women only (Anne). The article goes on to say, “Mainstream men’s magazines that often feature women on the cover were even less diverse, with barely any women of color at all. Maxim, for example, featured no black models at all during the timespan of the study” (Anne). As stated by The Association of Magazine Media, “Magazine media deliver powerful relationships that influence, inspire and endure.” The idea of men’s magazines is that they portray what men idealize as beautiful, attractive and sexy. So when you have no women of color on a men’s magazine cover, you “influence” and “inspire” men to think that women of color are not beautiful or sexy.
As for George’s question of, “Should there be more social and news media coalitions like Haridson’s [sic] in order to attract more attention to the cause” I would have to say yes, because it has already had a direct impact. In 2012 only 6% of the models at Fashion Week were black (Anne). George noted that six of Calvin Klein’s models on the runway this Fashion Week were models of color, which is an improvement from have no models of color in the past.
I believe that the social media aspect of the Diversity Coalition played a huge part of this small success. I call it a “small success” because I do believe more could be done. With about 30% of Facebook users getting their news from the social media site, I think it’s important that they launched a huge social media campaign calling out designers on their lack of diversity (Pew). Among magazine readers, 56% follow the magazine on Twitter and 51% retweet articles from magazine sites (The Association of Magazine Media). So when you have articles publicly addressing these issues, you’re not only reaching out to the designers and magazine editors, you are reaching out to their readers, buyers, and their followers and this is how changes in the industry are made.
Anne, Kim. "Women of Color in Magazines." MSN.com. 16 Aug. 2013. 11 Feb. 2014. Web.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
"2013 Is Pivotal Year for Magazine Media: Advertising Up 6% Across Platforms." MPA: The Association of Magazine Media. 30 Dec. 2013. Web.