Fashion Is Racist: Insider Lifts Lid on ‘Ethnic Exclusion’
| AR Articles on Britain |
|---|
| Whites as Kulaks (Jan. 2002) |
| Report from Britain (Sep. 2001) |
| Oldham Erupts (Jul. 2001) |
| No Representation (May 2001) |
| The Racial Transformation of Britain (Aug. 2000) |
| Black Crime in Britain (Apr. 1996) |
| Search AmRen.com for Britain |
| More news stories on Britain |
Speaking as London Fashion Week drew to a close, Carole White, co-founder of Premier Model Management, which supplies models to top fashion brands, admitted that finding work for black clients was significantly harder than for the white models, because both magazines and fashion designers were reluctant to employ them.
“Sadly we are in the business where you stock your shelves with what sells,” she said.
“According to the magazines, black models don’t sell,” White continued. “People don’t tend to talk about it, but black models have to be so beautiful and perfect because we can’t have a lot of diversity with black models; it’s harder work for the agency because there’s not so much on offer. White models can have more diversity.”
Ms White pointed the finger at those organising model castings, adding: “We have had casting briefs which say ‘no ethnics’. But we are better in London than Paris and Milan; there if you offer a black girl they will drop the book like it’s hot; it’s such hard work for the bookers.”
Her comments will reopen one of the most sensitive debates within the fashion industry, where the presence of racism has been a cause of fierce resentment in the past. After a brief golden age in the Eighties and Nineties, Ms White’s analysis suggests that fashion show designers and the industry media have regressed to an earlier, more blinkered approach. Naomi Campbell has been particularly critical of the trend, at one point threatening to set up a model agency for black women.
While the director of the Storm agency, Simon Chambers, recently denied the number of high-profile ethnic minority models was diminishing, he said the move towards racial diversity “is not happening quite as fast as predicted”.
Ms White said the lack of ethnical-minority models was partly due to a lack of courage in catwalk shows on the part of designers: “In the Eighties and Nineties, you had whole shows with black girls. Now each agency will have one, maybe four; the designers are not as brave.”
Images from London Fashion Week, which ended yesterday, feature few black and ethnic-minority models. On the web pages of the fashion site style.com, three shows chosen at random featured black models in eight out of 136 photographs taken during the week. The March issue of Vogue—with more than 400 pages of editorial and advertising—has 14 shots with black or Asian women—two of them featuring Naomi Campbell.
This month’s 362-page Marie Claire has eight photographs featuring black women and four examples are in the current 312-page Glamour magazine.
The use of black models in catwalk shows and magazines tends to be limited to a handful of “big names”. They include Campbell, the Ethiopian Liya Kebede and Alek Wek, who is Sudanese.
Ms Campbell, a former Premier model, said yesterday: “There is a lack of women of colour within the fashion industry which needs to be addressed. It is important for the agents, managers, advertisers and designers who are promoting change to speak out. We are not here to complain, we need to find a solution.”
Ms Campbell highlighted the work of her manager, Bethann Hardison, who recently led a series of discussions in New York on the lack of diversity in fashion. Responding to the latest evidence of racism in the industry, Ms Hardison said: “The problem for me is that, in the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a good representation of black people on the catwalks and in the magazines. It’s not like black models never had a sense of participation. Once you have climbed to the top of the mountain and crossed the river it is disappointing to have fallen all the way back down again.”
Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who helped write a series of documentaries three years ago on the changing faces of beauty, said it was a misconception that black models were less versatile. He said: “The idea that black models can only be put in exotica or urban clothing is 15 to 20 years out of date. But if you look at four of the world’s most famous black models—Campbell, Tyra Banks, Wek and Noemie Lenoir—they come from four countries, their looks are all different and they are all physically dissimilar. There’s more diversity in those four than there are in all the models of Britain, Italy and Scandinavia put together.”
Janelle Oswald, a reporter at The Voice, aimed at the UK Afro-Caribbean community, was equally scathing. “Black people and models are very diverse,” she said. “Within the black community, we have a motto that says ‘out of many we are one’. I just came from London Fashion Week and I saw the Jamaican supermodel Nell Robinson—who has graced numerous magazine covers, done work for Victoria’s Secret and the Gavin Douglas show today. How much diversity do you want?”
Nick Knight, a photographer who is known for his shoots featuring unconventional models, said the lack of black girls in British fashion was “a pitiful reflection on the industry. But it’s not just fashion, I work in film and advertising and it’s the same level of racism. And I do think that if we don’t use a model because of her skin colour then it is racism.”
Mr Knight confirmed he had heard of editors not using black models on their covers because they believed they did not meet readers’ expectations.
Ms White said her agency did make an effort to seek out more diverse modelling talent: “We actively scout for black models. We do find Indian and Pakistani models harder to recruit because often their parents don’t like them entering the business.”
(Posted on February 22, 2008)
Comments
Tell Jannelle Oswald that that is the motto of the USA E Pluribus Unim , out of many we are one and it was chosen exclusively by white males. Using the motto as a blacks only slogan may be plagurism in the UK.
How long will it take for blacks and other non-whites to accept that most whites and especially most white women do not want to look like the women of other races ? Even very liberal Jewish and Christian white skinned women do not want to look like blacks, except for a few and those who are secretly of mixed race already.
Posted by Oldman at 5:22 PM on February 22
Stand in front of any check out line at any super-market. You will notice that 99% of the cover girls, on the women’s magazines, are WHITE.
Most prostitutes are white. Most “playboy” type pictures are white. Most porno is white and you will notice this WORLD-WIDE.
You will also notice, (these being women’s magazines), they are all about your looks, your hair, your breasts, your legs, your tan line……yet, we are to appreciate women for their minds and not their bodies? You don’t see articles about MENSA now do you?
Posted by LOGIC at 5:41 PM on February 22
If we concede that race is a factor in the fashion industry, I wonder if conduct is also an additional factor agencies consider when engaging runway talent.
The fashion business, while externally glamorous to outsiders, is a tough, unforgiving industry. For that reason, the calendar of positive virtues for living successfully in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, motivation, initiative, maturity, as well as the two defining virtues of modern Occidental civilisation (what’s left of it), punctuality an coping with boredom (according to Dinesh D’Souza), may be an aspect which «minority models» do not tend to possess to the same degree as their Euro - Caucasian counterparts.
Being on time for «a shoot» following the directions of the cameraman or photographer, the virtues of patience, may be beyond the capabilities of «non - traditional» models. No matter how beautiful they may be.
The reference to Ms. Campbell is interesting. One wonders if one of the reasons why other black models have not «made it» in «the industry» may be that Ms. Campbell’s personal and at times public behavior over the course of her modelling «career» may have negatively influenced the fashion and modelling houses of Europe and America - and now, Asia.
Over the years, Ms. Campbell has «made a name» for herself by assaulting her personal assistant (she threw a cellular telephone at her), attacking, and, apparently, biting and scratching people with whom she had «differences,» as well as her relationship, if it ever really did exist, with Mike Tyson.
First impressions, rightly or wrongly, are best. And, perhaps, Ms. Campbell has some responsibility to assume for te generally negative assumptions about «minority models» at the present time.
Finally, what is Ms. Campbell doing on the runway at her age, anyway? She was 22 in 1990; she must be 39 or 40 today.
Posted by at 6:17 PM on February 22
I’m a short, chubby Lithuanian middle-aged woman. I want to see models who look like Hazel from the TV show of the same name.
Where’s my diversity, huh? I been dissed. And I am not happy.
Posted by at 6:42 PM on February 22
Although young White females and their bizarre and troubling affection for Black thugs males may challanege this assertion, I still do believe that all the brainwashing on earth generally cannot change exactly whom we find physically attractive or not. It is no secret that virtually world-wide, White women have basically set the standard for beauty for aeons. The multicultists can pretend all they like that this is “discriminatory” or what have you…I don’t see it changing. Look at the way the media in the west fawns over the relatively rare “Beyonce’s” or “Halle Barry’s” “Tyra Banks” or notably attractive, famous “women of color” (who are often mixed race anyway)like them. You can basically count these women in number on one hand, while famous caucasian beauties are innumerable - almost a dime-a-dozen by comparison!
Posted by HH at 6:51 PM on February 22
How do you legislate taste, or what others find attractive? What few of them want to face, is that most high end fashion designers still have predominately white buyers. Naturally, they are probably more interested in seeing the clothes on other white models. Would black women want to buy a hairstyling magazine aimed at black women, if most of the women inside were Asian and White? Probably not.
Posted by at 7:23 PM on February 22
“According to the magazines, black models don’t sell,” White continued. “People don’t tend to talk about it, but black models have to be so beautiful and perfect because we can’t have a lot of diversity with black models; it’s harder work for the agency because there’s not so much on offer. White models can have more diversity.”
Two points. The first I’ve written about before.
It was shown long ago that magazines with white models on the cover sold more issues than those with non-white models. It’s a fact that every fashion magazine publisher knows to be true. When they put non-white models on their covers, newsstand numbers go down. When given a choice, the buying public is drawn to white models.
The second point I wanted to discuss is the issue of diversity among whites.
Diversity is a hallmark of whiteness and may be one of the reasons ‘white’ is difficult from some to define. The range of white skin color is from milky white to pink to olive. Hair color runs the range from blond to black and everything in between; even red. Look at the diversity of whites in regards to eye color.
There is little is far less diversity among blacks and non-whites. How many natural blond or redhead Asians or African can you name? How common are blue eyes among Asians and Africans?
Diversity is a hallmark among whites. It’s a far more rich and varied genetic heritage that other races. We should be considered worthy of world heritage status and protected at all cost.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 7:34 PM on February 22
but black models have to be so beautiful and perfect
Haven’t models always been held to high standards? Seems to me they are expected to have flawless skin, high cheekbones, wide set eyes, and good features. Not to mention being expected to not carry an ounce of fat on their frames. Honestly, I haven’t seen any examples of Black models being way more beautiful than White models. Is Alec Wek the epitome of perfection? I just don’t see it. And Naomi has been modeling for close to 20 years now, and yet she is still complaining about not getting enough work, when most of her former peers in the business have married, had children, or moved on to other careers. In other words, retired.
Posted by at 8:08 PM on February 22
With the visual images and reports provided by Katrina/Zimbabwe/Middle East, is it any wonder that no executive in their right mind would want to be associated with nonwhites?
Consumers, whether consciously or not, are turned off by images of nonwhites - and they are voting with their wallets.
Posted by at 9:51 PM on February 22
PC cannot accept the fact that people regard White women as beautiful. Most don’t see this verity when looking at Black women. It’s that simple.
Forcing people to say “Black is beautiful” is Procrustean, to say the least. Whites dominate in aesthetic tastes, my fellow beautiful White brothers and sisters!
Posted by White is Beautiful Robert at 9:56 PM on February 22
Even blacks don’t want to look like blacks. They hold lighter skinned blacks in higher esteem than they do dark skinned blacks.
If you see a black magazine on the rack, it will likely have a light skinned black woman on the cover rather than dark.
The fashion and publishing industries are very tough and very competitive. Dark skinned blacks do not sell - magazines or products.
There is only so much charity these companies can afford. They dabbled in the 1980s, and now the economic realities have caught up.
With the coming economic downturn, maybe even some of the Fortune 500 will be forced to stop with all the political correctness in their TV advertising. One can only hope.
Posted by at 10:00 PM on February 22
Its called the free market. Companies pay money for marketing campaigns that will increase sales and revenue. I wouldn’t buy something that was marketed as something for blacks. Companies know what sells and what doesn’t.
Posted by at 10:14 PM on February 22
Naomi Campbell is “threatening” to set up a black modeling agency?? Do it. Please. How can that be percieved as a threat, and to whom? I don’t get it.
Let ‘em model. But like I’ve said before on Amren, if a line of clothing or accessories is geared towards or very popular among the sistas, I just won’t buy it. For some reason, it loses appeal for me.
Posted by kitty at 10:21 PM on February 22
The fashion industry is about beauty, and blacks are for the most part unattractive. What more can be said?
Who wants to look like a black women? That sounds like a title to a Johnny Rebel song.
Posted by Flamethrower at 11:12 PM on February 22
Blacks are 2% of the British populationl, therefore they should constitute 2% of models - IF that’s what black males want. Intersesting though, isn’t it, that the wingers in the article aren’t complaining about black males chasing after white women. Also, when are blacks going to start complaining about black over-representation in music, athletics and the entertainment industry in general? It’s also strange that blacks don’t complain about the lack of blacks in quantum mechanics. Here in the UK we have a programme call Countdown, a daytime quiz for people good at anagrams and arithmetic; in 25 years I haven’t seen a black face on this programme and I can’t understand why people aren’t complaining about the show’s blatant racism.
Posted by at 11:41 PM on February 22
“admitted that finding work for black clients was significantly harder than for the white models, because both magazines and fashion designers were reluctant to employ them”
No one ever stopped the US from trying to force all ethnicities to live together. It is equally conceivable the same cast of clowns will try to make equally crazy attempts to defy human nature: making the predeliction for white women a hate crime.
Posted by at 12:03 AM on February 23
Who cares? I hate supermodels in general! Who wants some superskinny woman to sleep with, when I can have a woman, who’s smart, doesn’t chain smoke, or party all night long? I want a woman who has realistic, has strong legs, and isn’t taller than me. Yuck!
Posted by LightningStriking at 2:29 AM on February 23
Still doesn’t seem to prevent the media from parading black women constantly as sex symbols as far as I can tell. This is certainly even worse in europe. It is rare to see any ad without some minority in it even in all white areas of europe.
Posted by at 5:41 AM on February 23
“Sadly we are in the business where you stock your shelves with what sells,” she said.
That’s what makes a business successful - meeting customer demand. It’s strange that the co-founder of a modeling agency, or any business, wouldn’t understand that. Or perhaps PC trumps business sense for Ms. White.
Posted by Jane T. at 8:15 AM on February 23
Actually, this is very interesting from a psychological point of view.
Many Whites will tell you till they are blue in the face taht they are ‘not racist’, but on the other hand publishers of the glossy fashion magazines know that whenever they feature a black woman on the cover their sales dive - and being good capitalists they avoid this profit destroying behavior.
Thus there is a wide gulf between what people say and what they really think.
Posted by Kenelm Digby at 8:37 AM on February 23
Yet another instance of rabble-rousing and playing the race card.
“Sadly we are in the business where you stock your shelves with what sells,” she said.
This is the fashion industry’s crime? For not showing black models because they don’t sell? What a terrible shame.
If showing black skin made big money, it would have been done by now by *some* enterprising fashion maven. God knows they’ve done everything else under the sun - up to and including selling erotic clothing for preteens. One can only conclude that black is NOT beautiful when the rubber meets the road.
Now we can only hope that the disaster of affirmative action isn’t foisted on the fashion industry as well! Something tells me it just might be…
Posted by Dark-Star at 9:29 AM on February 23
sbuffalonative, above;
I remember when the spotted owl “crisis” was going on about 20 years ago in California concerning the “old growth” forests being cut down. A scientist mentioned that spotted owls had no problems breeding with a different strain and thus living well in new-growth forests. You should have heard the screams from the eviro-terrorists. They were so against the spotted owl not retaining their pureness.
You can bet everything you have these same eco-freaks could not give a damn about white purity or keeping the white race safe in their own communities, but they sure got all bent out of shape with the purity of a stupid little bird that doesn’t even know it is alive.
People often ask me what spotted owl tastes like. Well, alot like Bald Eagle. (That is a joke, folks, maybe not a good one, but a joke…)
Have you all not noticed the lack of environmental activism lately in California? The land of the tree hugger? I think it has alot to do with the out migration of whites and the influx of millions of thrid world peasants who don’t have the genetic temperment for such ideals and actions. It is very noticable that third world nations are more environmentally destroyed than any of the white nations.
Behaviour is Genetic, just as much as skin color.
Even China has no prediliction to protecting the environment. But then, what do you expect from an ant population.
Posted by LOGIC at 9:55 AM on February 23
To LOGIC: “Most prostitutes are white.” I beg to differ. Unless you meant high-class call girls.
Posted by alex at 11:40 AM on February 23
Even China has no predilection to protecting the environment
Yes and no. The Chinese art certainly shows an appreciation of nature beauty. But the situation in the contemporary China is very similar to the industrialization epoch of Europe in the 19th century. There was not much feeling for nature (and people) as well…
Posted by EW at 2:19 PM on February 23
Here we have the inevitable friction between a business that tries to promote racial integration in the face of the contrary taste of its patrons.
Fashion being one of the most personal businesses there is, and given the public’s day-to-day experience with average black behavior, whites don’t want to be identified in any way with blacks.
Even the few ‘Perfect’ black models mentioned represent only what the market, on behalf of token diversity, will charitably allow.
…Just more evidence for the establishment diversity-goose steppers to ignore or deny.
Posted by Gary at 2:19 PM on February 23
I can’t place the fashion industry very high in the grand scheme of things. In fact, I’d put the value of the entire fashion industry a step or two below NASCAR, but that’s just me. Nonetheless I googled Alec Wek to see what she looks like, and get some idea of what the fuss is about. Well, you couldn’t pay me to date a woman who looks like her. There are lots of average, ordinary white women who would never have a chance in the modeling industry who are a lot easier on the eyes than Alec Wek. So I am unsurprised that the people who make money showing off their clothes on pretty women aren’t eager to hire a lot more black women.
Naomi Campbell has been particularly critical of the trend, at one point threatening to set up a model agency for black women.
Go ahead, Naomi. Make our day.
Posted by WR the elder at 4:00 PM on February 23
Black females are simply not attractive. No one wants to see black females as sex objects because they are not. That’s why black males lust after white women so much; they don’t want to have sex with blacks because of their ugliness but must often do so because they can’t get their hands on white girls. Even black female celebrities look VERY white. They’re the only ones considered beautiful by anyone.
George Manuelian
San Jose, CA
Posted by george Manuelian at 5:08 PM on February 23
Naomi Campbell is “threatening” to set up a black modeling agency?? Do it. Please. How can that be percieved as a threat, and to whom? I don’t get it.
Absolutely! She can designer her errr high end fashions for FUBU
Posted by at 5:38 PM on February 23
“Nonetheless I googled Alec Wek to see what she looks like, and get some idea of what the fuss is about.”
Okay. I googled Alec Wek. I can’t see what her face looks like.
Posted by at 11:20 PM on February 23
“Naomi Campbell is “threatening” to set up a black modeling agency?? Do it. Please. How can that be percieved as a threat, and to whom? I don’t get it.
Absolutely! She can designer her errr high end fashions for FUBU”
This reminds me the 1960s black boycotts. They at first boycotted segregated places of business, which was entirley their right to do. But when the businesses didn’t yield they passed laws to force what people didn’t want to do. It’s like saying “we’ll show you!” then when your fair tactics prove not to work bringing in the men with the guns.
I was reading about Muslim history. Even in the early days of Islam blond cocubines fetched the highest price. The most common hair coloring for died hair is blond and does anybody ever get black or brown contacts? The white race is so far ahead of everybody else in not only cultural achievement but beauty and the liberal hatred of “whiteness” can probably be best be explained by Nietzsche’s idea of slave morality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_morality
Posted by Richard at 12:22 AM on February 24
Naomi Canmpbell DOES have a child- with Formula One Renault racing team boss, the septugenarian Italian, Flavio Briatore.
To LOGIC:
Most prostitutes are black, especially in the big cities. Try to get a Caucasian hooker in Baltimore, or Detroit.
Posted by Soprano Fan at 11:26 AM on February 24
I felt compelled to Google Alek Wek and well, was shocked that this woman could endeavor to achieve supermodel status. I am left to infer that she is the beneficiary the fashion industry’s version of affirmative action as she is singularly one of the most unattractive women that I have ever seen. It is agreed that black women in general are at the bottom of the food chain but surely there exist better examples of black beauties than Alek Wek.
Posted by Earl K. at 2:34 PM on February 24
I was reading about Muslim history. Even in the early days of Islam blond cocubines fetched the highest price. The most common hair coloring for died hair is blond and does anybody ever get black or brown contacts?
*And in India light skin has been prized for centuries, just as it has in most Asian countries. Which is why they can’t say that it is media brainwashing. Although, they often try and blame colonialism. But how would that explain why dark skinned children as young as 2 or 3, almost always choose a white doll over a black, or brown one? Which only goes to show it is an instinctive thing, and they can’t reverse brainwash into finding a nubian skinned African every bit as beautiful as a White woman. Still, they do try. They try and insist that tanning is all about a hidden yearning to be Black. They also try and convince us that traits that are almost exclusive to the White race, like blond hair, and blue eyes are bad. Using terms like dumb blonde, or blue eyed devil. These subversive tricks will never be effective.*
Posted by at 4:24 PM on February 24
“I want to see models who look like Hazel”
Shirley Boothe is one of the very few actresses who have won the “Triple Crown” of drama. An Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony. I think Barbara Streisand may be another…
Posted by Tim Mc Hugh at 4:31 PM on February 24
Who cares? I hate supermodels in general! Who wants some superskinny woman to sleep with, when I can have a woman, who’s smart, doesn’t chain smoke, or party all night long? I want a woman who has realistic, has strong legs, and isn’t taller than me. Yuck!
Even for men who prefer curvier women. Whites and Blacks usually have a very different idea of what qualifies as curvy. For Whites, a classic curvy body would be someone like Marilyn Monroe, with her hourglass shape, complete with tiny waist, and shapely legs. While Blacks would call someone like Mo’nique or Queen Latifa curvy. Being big with a large backside, is considered highly desirable, even if a waistline is lacking. What many of us would call overweight, or even downright fat and out of shape, they call thick, and consider quite sexy. Big Black women is exactly what they want to see replace slender White women.
Posted by at 4:49 PM on February 24
Even black female celebrities look VERY white. They’re the only ones considered beautiful by anyone.
Tyra Banks, Beyonce, Halle Berry, Rihanna, and Vanessa Williams.
Only a handful of them really, though their names are always brought up when Blacks want to remind White people that Black can be beautiful as well. Now granted they are attractive, but mostly because of their light skin and highly mixed looks, which have been tweaked through plastic surgery. And of course, half of them do not even display their natural hair, and instead opt for wearing long straight caucasian type hair upon their heads, while the rest of them relax it. Now if we wanted to comprise a list of all the famous White women who have been known for their beauty, I doubt there would even be enough bandwidth.
Posted by at 5:25 PM on February 24
“Sadly we are in the business where you stock your shelves with what sells,” she said.
Sadly? Which planet did this intellectual giant come from? It is know as the “free market”, capitalism, or free-market capitalism. I suppose that we should change our economic system in order to allow a central government to force producers to make more fashions and jobs for black models. What absolute rubbish!
This reminds me of another anti-white racist program that I heard on NPR not too long ago. It was about white mothers shopping with their young daughters and selecting dolls. When they were told that there were no more white dolls, the mothers were taken aback and this reaction was, according to NPR, a clear indication of the mean, racist outlook of the mothers. They attempted to badger the mothers and daughters into buying black dolls by making caustic remarks, but it didn’t work. Oh, the moral superiority of National Peoples Radio!
Posted by at 5:49 PM on February 24
I just ” celebrated African fashions ” by getting a bone pierced through my nose, total body tatoo and gold neck rings to push my shoulders downward to give me an elongated giraffe neck appearance; boy , am I styling or what ? I hope to make the cover of a lot of African fashion magazine issues; what are my chances ?
Posted by Michigan patriot at 6:20 PM on February 24
It’s business and about what sells.The ideal standard for beauty is that of white beauty.The fashion industry only reflects this.Why should they select black models if they aren’t going to be able to sell their products?
Posted by Joy at 8:18 PM on February 24
That idiot Trevor Phillip fails to realise is that the four black models he said are more diverse than all European ones put together,are actually mixed race,apart from one.
Posted by Joy at 8:26 PM on February 24
I know someone who is a newspaper carrier. This person delivers to newspaper boxes in front of stores, and reports that if there are lots of black faces on the headline, the papers don’t sell as well. A signifigant drop in sales is noticed.
Posted by The Quadfather at 9:31 PM on February 24
How will a consumer be aware that these models have horribly disfiguring diseases and other blemishes on skin if all you can see is black? I like White models because at least there is a chance they might be a Conservative, plus White women are WAY prettier.
Posted by Lars at 10:18 PM on February 24
Campbell could start her own modeling agency for Black women, but this still would not keep blacks from complaining the modeling and fashion industry is racist, or stop them from demanding more black representation. They have black beauty pageants, black music award shows, and numerous other black-only venues, But this still does not stop them from complaining they are discriminated against in pageants and the like.
Posted by at 3:36 AM on February 25
Beauty IS in the eyes of the beholder…I’ve YET to see ANY black model who is PERFECT!…those models “of color” have WHITE in them with WHITE FEATURES!…WHITE is BEAUTIFUL…PERIOD!!!
Posted by Suzan Donoghue at 10:29 AM on February 25
Thank you to the poster who provided the link to Alek Wek. I had seen pictures of her in the past, but didn’t know her name. She has a nice figure, but I’m sorry, my husband just doesn’t find her attractive. He says it’s not skin color so much, but features (wide nose, huge lips, fuzzy hair). I actually feel for black women regarding hair, it must be dreadful to deal with.
Looking forward to seeing the models Naomi Campbell picks for her agency……….
Posted by Terese at 2:45 PM on February 25
LOGIC:
Most prostitutes are White.
And we as White’s should be proud of this?
Posted by Thomas at 9:00 PM on February 25
Generally, when we talk about the fashion industry we are talking about the western fashion industry, and since most people in the West are white, why shouldn’t it be dominated by white models?
Furthermore, relative to their overall numbers in western countries, black models are pretty well-represented in the fashion industry, as they are in other high profile fields like television and popular music.
If fact, I would say that blacks in television and film are probably over-represented relative to their numbers, that’s certainly the case in Britain anyway.
I don’t know if there are any numbers on this, but from my observations I’d say Blacks actors play about 8 percent of the roles on uk tv shows, whilst only making up about 3 percent of the overall population.
Posted by mike at 3:52 AM on February 26
To Tim McHugh:
Helen Hayes won an Oscar for Best Actress, an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, an Emmy, a Grammy and many Tony awards.
Posted by Soprano Fan at 10:51 AM on February 26
The old adage, “birds of a feather flock together” seems to hold true everywhere, INCLUDING the fashion industry. Like several posters pointed out: Why would a White woman care to be perceived as dressing like “Black females?” Conversely, would a White woman want to select her clothing from a fashion catalog put out by a store catering mainlhy to Blacks? (Answer “YES” and you’ve got to be dreaming.)
The poster pointing out that that “Whiteness” sells is right. So those supermarket offerings feature WHITE people on the covers. Ergo, how many Whites buy the Black oriented magazines and periodicals to read? I never in my life would have bought a copy of EBONY or those other offerings. BECAUSE I ONLY CHOOSE TO ASSOCIATE WITH MY OWN KIND! I stopped supporting the Hollwoody Propaganda Film industry decades ago… Because the ridiculous sight of every White person (or family) with the obligatory Black best friends is simply too out-of-touch with reality for me to swallow! Something a hell of a lot more White Americans would agree to privately, than admit publicly!
Posted by Fed Up at 1:21 PM on February 26
“Sadly we are in the business where you stock your shelves with what sells,” she said.
—-
And businesses that don’t stock their shelves with what sells quickly go out of business.
—-
“According to the magazines, black models don’t sell,” White continued. “People don’t tend to talk about it, but black models have to be so beautiful and perfect because we can’t have a lot of diversity with black models; it’s harder work for the agency because there’s not so much on offer. White models can have more diversity.”
—-
Send your black models to Target. Target will pick any ghetto looking black off the street and put him/her on an a 8x10 foot in-store poster.
I, too, Googled Alec Wek. She looks like something that should be in a university anthropology display. I hope those fawning over her get psychiatric treatment for there delusions.
Posted by Civilized Neighbor at 2:32 PM on February 26
Tyra Banks is only about 32. But she has the common sense to know that modeling is for the 15 to 30 year old age group. So she set up her top model TV show and is dabbling in other things, such as clothing etc. Smart lady.
Kate Moss is about 35. She is still a top model but has set up a very popular clothing line that is doing very well.
Naomi needs to realize that at 40, her days as a model are over. She could very well set up a modeling career as so many of them do.
Posted by at 10:55 PM on February 26
“Sadly we are in the business where you stock your shelves with what sells”,,,,,
HUH?!? So I am a storeowner and I should stock my shelves with what DOESN’T sell. I’ll go broke but feel good about myself because of my liberalism. These people are truly deluded.
Posted by at 10:57 AM on February 27
That Alec Wek is not the least bit attractive. If I were a woman I would certainly NOT want to look like her. And I certainly wouldn’t buy products or magazines that she was promoting for the same reason (would you buy a muscle magazine that had a fat guy on the cover)? If I look at magazines and they have some black guy on the cover, usually some idiot-rapper, I immediately dismiss it. Like most consumers I vote with my wallet.
Posted by at 3:57 PM on February 27
Generally, when we talk about the fashion industry we are talking about the western fashion industry, and since most people in the West are white, why shouldn’t it be dominated by white models? — Posted by mike
To explain (but not to apologize for them), let me point out that the notion prevails in the West — and particularly among those who control the clothing/fashion industry — that Western countries should be multicultural, and not white. At least that’s the goal they’re striving for, even if not yet realized. Therefore, that’s why it isn’t allowed to be “dominated by white models” … even though logic would tell you that it should be.
In fact, I would say that blacks in television and film are probably over-represented .
And so would I. Way over-represented already.
Posted by browser at 9:37 PM on March 4