Colour is beautiful
Colour is beautiful. But, sadly, today I am not talking about colours as in red, yellow, green and blue. I am talking about racial and ethnic colours. Recently, there has been many controversy brewing about (or more about the lack there of) coloured models on the runway. Supermodel Naomi Campbell accused companies in August of this year for using the recession as an excuse to drop black models. Experts have shone light on many of the issues in the fashion racial debate including runway organisers deciding that having one coloured model per runway show is enough, the perception that a cover or an advertisement featuring a coloured model will not sell as well as one with a white model, designers not feeling conscious enough of the lack of diversity in their shows and those with the power to influence not pushing for more inclusion of coloured models.
In 22 fashion spreads in 9 magazines, only 1 featured a black woman
Surely, this cannot apply here as well, I thought. So, I went to find out and picked up this month’s Marie Claire issue with Ms Rachel McAdams on the front cover. Although it was good to see there was an editorial feature on racial prejudice (perhaps indicating Naomi’s concerns do go beyond the fashion industry), I was shocked and deeply saddened to see that only 7 of all the 330 pages in the entire magazine contained models from a non-western background and only 1 advertiser using a coloured model in their ad. And it seems that other magazines are no different. You only have to flick through the first couple of pages to see the effects. A fellow blogger Jezebel did an analysis of all major women’s magazines in December of 2007 and found that in 22 fashion spreads in 9 different magazines, only one featured a black woman (singer Beyonce Knowles – whom, in my opinion you can’t really count as a model, she’s a superstar! If you can get her, of course you’re going to put her in the magazine!).
Italian Vogue’s All Black Issue
However, it is not all lost. In July 2005, Vogue Italy launched an ‘All-Black’ issue to raise awareness of racial prejudice in the fashion industry featuring only black women throughout the entire issue. The issue was such a success that it was sold out within 72 hours in UK and the US and was rushed to reprint an excess of 60,000 copies. Just recently this year in July, the ‘All Black’ Italian Vogue returned but featuring the new all-black Barbie (not all-black models).
All Black model line ups
In fashion weeks world-wide, designers have also started featuring all-black or all-coloured model line ups including PPQ at London Fashion Week, Sophie Theallet at New York Fashion Week and Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris Fashion Week (although Gaultier did feature a couple of western young ladies).
Are we really ready to change?
A study done last year by professors at Villanova University and College of New Jersey found that although ads with thinner models made women feel more self-conscious, they feel better about the product being featured in the ad. Reporter Jack Neff from AdAge writes “Despite the negative effect on their body image, women preferred ads showing thin models and said they were more likely to buy products featured in those ads than in ones showing ‘regular-size models,’ said Jeremy Kees, a business professor at Villanova.” Why do we expect magazines to embrace women of all colours, shapes and sizes, when we, the women reading them, fail to do so?
How do you feel about this issue?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 3:39 PM and is filed under Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 21st, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Such an interesting concept. I think such an influential business such as the fashion industry needs to step it up a bit more and produce coverage of women from all backgrounds.
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Wow, that’s a passionate… long… post. I hear your concerns but also know that it can be hard to maintain perspective when an issue is close to our hearts. To be blunt, and you did reference it, it’s commercially-based. But it’s not that black is seen as inferior or less beautiful. On the contrary. But to be chosen for most fashion/beauty layouts, pictures need to tap into our aspiration – whether editorial or advertising, their aim is to sell. Sell us an idea. A possibility. That could be us. And what colour are most of ‘us’? We might appreciate the beauty of the black model but we won’t mistake her for ourselves, or imagine we could become her. So while I personally would love to see more non-Caucasians in fashion, there is a lot standing in the way. And it’s not racism. Much love x
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Completely true Becx – I personally don’t believe it is racism – it’s very easy to use the blame game as an excuse for a lot of things. The predominant western models reflect what we as consumers respond to best and as a marketer, our job is to pick what will receive the best outcomes. However, I do feel for the ethnic girls (or boys) who are trying to make it in the fashion industry and how hard it must be for them because of this.
October 25th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
If it’s market driven, you would expect to see a similar proportion of races in the spreads as there are in the market they’re targeting.
Maybe there is an opportunity to market magazines which are designed to appeal to specific races?
October 25th, 2009 at 2:39 PM
Hi Rob, Yes there is a rise in many publications, tv shows and radio slots that specifically target particular races. There are over 50 different newspapers circulating in Australia just in the Chinese language. And lets not forget online – there are plenty of people who access information from sites that are from their own home country or in their native tongue for something more familiar, because of the language barrier or simply to keep up to date with what is happening with their culture.
Although, Caucasian races are still the majority in many western countries, ethnic groups are largely on the rise – in Sydney, Australia for example, 40% of the population is considered to be from an ethnic community. And some companies are starting to realise the power and the combined buying power they hold like marketing agency Leba based in Victoria specialise in marketing to ethnic groups: http://www.leba.com.au