I KNOW THIS IS UNHEARD OF but the Fashion Industry is Super Racist

By Umber Ghauri

Still processing the commentary I’ve been reading online about the October 2009 Vogue Paris photoshoot of Lara Stone. In case you didn’t know she was made to appear black. Was it racist? OH YES and here’s why:

Why not use a black model?

Many comments focus on the idea that these images are a positive and beautiful representation of blackness. If so why was it necessary to use a white model? I feel Vogue’s choice of Lara Stone was implying that a black model wouldn’t have produced photographs as good as the white model. THAT’S RACIST GUYS. Also let’s consider the fact that only white models were used in that issue, and many other issues of Vogue. This means white models are getting paid to be black and black models are getting squat for being black.

It’s racist to paint white people black.

It just is. Many commentators wrote that this is a double standard. I think its pretty damn racist to make black models appear white too. So, no, its not. Also EDUCATE YOURSELF on the history of blackface.

This photoshoot doesn’t exist in a vacuum

The mainstream fashion industry, especially Vogue, does racist things all the bloody time. There was the lovely photoshoot with Anja Rubik in Vogue Italia 2009 where the token black woman was her maid. There’s that fact that Prada didn’t use a single black runway model between 1997 and 2008. There’s Manolo Blahnik refusing to have Vibe photograph his shoes until black supermodel Iman called him personally. Less than 1% of Vogue covers have featured a non-white person. In 1999 top executives from Elle model management were filmed saying Africa would be a better place if it was full of white people and that a black or ‘Oriental’ model would never work on a Milan runway. They represented Naomi Campbell at the time. Karl Lagerfeld photographed Claudia Schiffer in blackface AND yellowface in 2010.  Jean-Paul Guerlain said in 2010 that he worked ‘harder than a n****r’ to make his perfumes. Victoria’s secret recently launched a lingerie line called ‘Go East’ featuring white models in eroticised ‘ethnic’ costume. Even when sexualizing exoticness, black and minority ethnic women aren’t palatable enough so they dress up white models to look a bit like them. Victoria’s Secret messed up in 2010 too when they did a ‘Wild’ segment in which they put all 8 of their non-white models (out of 34 models) in ‘tribal’-looking body paint surrounded by black men painted in a similar manner. The same show’s country barn segment featured one non white model. They also stuck a Native American headdress on Karlie Kloss, offending tons of Native Americans who consider the headdress to be a symbol of honour and spirituality, not titillation. A third of Native American women are raped in their lifetime. 85% of those women are raped by a non-native. We can thank Victoria’s Secret for adding to a culture which objectifies and eroticises those women. BUT I DIGRESS.

I really could keep going for a long long time.

ARE WE CONVINCED ITS RACIST YET?

Sources:

 http://www.complex.com/style/2012/09/a-history-of-racism-in-fashion/

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/853334/thumbs/o-KARLIE-KLOSS-570.jpg?5

http://cdn.trendhunterstatic.com/thumbs/racist-editorials-vogue-italia-stereotypes-a-black-woman-as-a-maid.jpeg

http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/12/victoria_secrets_fashion_show_saves_all_the_dark_skinned_models_for_wild_things_segment.html

http://i.imgur.com/SUZqa.jpg

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/13/victoria-secret-apologizes-after-use-native-american-headdress-in-fashion-show/

http://www.racialicious.com/2012/09/06/victorias-secret-does-it-again-when-racism-meets-fashion/

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/racist-editorials-vogue-italia-stereotypes-a-black-woman-as-a-maid

http://stylefrizz.com/200909/lara-stones-black-vogue-paris-october-2009/