I feel like addressing a semi-lighter subject. Actually, it isn't a fluff subject.
My favorite supermodel, Naomi Campbell, is out in the press again. But this time, it's not about her throwing things. Well, it is about her lashing out, with great reason, about the racism in the fashion industry. Specifically, she points out the unwillingness of (the big) fashion houses to engage non-white models, mostly African-descendant models.
She and a couple of other well-known models of color like Iman and Alek Wek complain about the already well-known history of fashion magazines, such as Vogue, who continually ignore Black beauty. I think this is a big story, and it is happening during a big week, (it is Fashion Week in New York) and I have not seen a mention of any of this on Vogue's website (surprise, surprise). In all fairness, I have to point out that Cosmopolitan magazine does feature the singer, Rihanna, on its cover this month. However, this one concession does not forgive them (or any other fashion magazine) for past and future slights to non-white models. Cosmo has been accused of refusing to put Black models on their cover, because "they don't sell as many magazines".
Naomi has decided to take an even more activist role in reversing this discriminatory fashion trend (please forgive the play on words) by launching her own modeling agency. It will take on, I'm assuming, all models of color and not just African models, even though it will be in Kenya. She also has announced that certain design houses can forget her patronage in the future. The only thing I wish she'd done was to name those exact designers to help the rest of us who'd like to support the cause.
In the blogosphere, most commenters want to focus on her troubled past, rather than on the problem at hand. For those who don't have their heads up their butts, I hope they can see this for what it is, a clear example of (organized) bias against women of color. I mean, you would have to be blind to not see the white-washing of fashion.
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