During the talk, Russell admitted that she was only successful because she was a “pretty white woman,” who has “won a genetic lottery” and has been the beneficiary of a “legacy.” This genetic lottery consists of her tall, slender, and fair skinned physique while she has been “cashing out” on the belief that a “beautiful” woman is someone who is white and feminine. She continues to emphasize how, although there are famous models of color, less than four percent of the models hired in 2007 for New York Fashion Week were non-white. Towards the end of the talk, Russell honestly proclaimed that “…saying you want to be a model is like saying want to win the PowerBall when you grow up. Success is completely out of your control.” And, after a few closing remarks, Russell ended her thought-provoking lecture.
After listening to this talk, I simply sat in silence and thought about Russell’s words. Image is powerful. Image is superficial. I am one of the biggest beneficiaries of this gender and racial package. Finally! Someone had pointed out this huge elephant towering over the fashion world. The truth of that matter is that as much as I love the culture of fashion. I also get annoyed at our reactions to what is created by this world. It’s easy to critique or rave a designer’s clothes but for some reason we fall silent when it come the construction of the models show off these works. But, fashion is not only clothes. It is the designers, make up artists, photographers, and countless others who influence the direction of this culture. And when it comes to the issues Russell has intelligently highlighted in her talk, I am none too pleased with the path the fashion world consistently seems to choose.
In the fashion world as a whole, you can find a myriad of faces and shapes. But, at the top, the models begin to follow an extremely exclusive mold. Designers are allowed to say things such as “darker skin models are not my aesthetic” without any significant backlash or put on a show without any non-white models without question. Yet, on the other hand, many magazines have placed models in blackface in order to create satisfy a certain “vision.” Recently, Numero Magazine is under fire for placing a sixteen year old, white model in multiple layers of bronzer in an editorial piece titled “African Queen.” So, how is that only a small percentage of models during fashion week are of color because they aren’t a part of a designers’ visions yet when a darker skinned model is needed to complete a “look,” underworked black models are rarely shown?
In my opinion, the fashion world is carelessly buying into the aforementioned “legacy” without a drop of self-criticism. So, with this post, I challenge each person who influences the fashion realm, especially those with the most power and prestige, to honestly question what they consider beautiful and why. It is it because society has implicitly told you that this is beautiful but not that? Or, maybe because you subconsciously knew that your show had a greater chance of being seen as a success if you included a certain look of model? These questions might seem harsh or not politically correct. But, these are the questions that fashion figures need to ask themselves if the fashion world is ever going to break the detrimental silence surrounding this issue of image.
And, to those magazines that have placed a model in blackface to create a certain “look,” skin color is not an accessory. Specifically, Numero Magazine, my skin color is not an accessory. You cannot paint, shade, or blend in color on a model’s fair tone and to fulfill a “vision,” especially if you truly wish to pay tribute to an African woman. Also, a woman is not considered African just because her skin is darker. An “African Queen” is a woman of culture, not color. Therefore, there are thousands of African models that could fulfill your “vision” without an offensive mix of bronzer and sparkle.
Overall, the fashion world has some serious work to do if it is going to change the path that it is currently on concerning these aspects. But, if this issue becomes more relevant, fashion image will become more beautiful for all of us because it will include all of us.
Link to TEDx talk: