Racism in Fashion: A deliberate lack of representation [Part 1]

Several years ago I ran a “Beauty, Fashion, and Style” segment for the girls in my dormitory. Although it was a lot of fun, and the girls seemed to like it—people kept stealing the images I posted— it was a challenge to find images of ethnically diverse models. It would frustrate me because I would go out of my way to find sources that I knew carried diversity. For instance, my residential library would throw out magazines after so many weeks so I would come by and pick up copies of Vibe, Bride, or magazines I might not normally read just to find some variety.

It’s a disgrace that in this day and age men and women of color still don’t have a significant presence in mainstream fashion, be it on the runway or in print ads. Now, that’s not to say that minorities aren’t prevalent in the fashion background. They just don’t get the exposure that white’s get and all too often it seems that the one’s who care the most about diversity are the one’s who are overlooked—not the one’s who aren’t.

Back in September 2007 issue, Ebony magazine dedicated its issue to Blacks in the fashion industry. I was pleasantly surprised to find there were so many influential Blacks style gurus in the business. Had I been missing something all along or was it simply because a minority-focused magazine like Ebony had the desire to give these men and women exposure that I discovered these people even existed? I am sure it’s the latter. I’d love to see more of this kind of exposure from other ethnic minority groups.

But of course, it’s just not outsiders like me who notice the lack of representation. Minorities within the industry are not immune to it either. When interviewed by Kenyan journalists, supermodel Naomi Campbell stated, “Black models are being sidelined by major modeling agencies…” While this statement raises the question if the modeling agencies are more at fault, or rather the clients who only want certain “types,” the fact of the matter is there is discrimination without a doubt.

As a member of an under-represented ethnic group, I certainly want to see more ethnic diversity in fashion, not just of my race, but of other groups as well. It’s not enough to throw in one or two ethnic minorities just because it’s the polite thing to do, but as much as clothing reflects culture, people should do the same.