![]() ![]() If you have been following fashion, then you will know it’s an endless wheel of trend cycles that includes the on and off representation of Black women. My mind trailed back to a scene in Jordan Peel‘s Get Out, where the unsuspecting Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya) is being vetted by the non-Black wealthy auctioneers, with one commenting that “Black…is in Fashion.” If you have any idea on how that movie reveals how far non-Black people in power will go to acquire the beauty of Blackness, then you can understand my sudden distaste for this beautiful image that also represents so much that is wrong in the fashion industry. This is the most euro-centric representation of Black women in high-end fashion that I have ever seen in recent memory. The nine models gracing the cover are representative of an ongoing seismic shift that became more pronounced on the SS22 runways awash with dark-skinned models whose African heritage stretched from Senegal to Rwanda to South Sudan to Nigeria to Ethiopia.” Vogue concluded the statement by saying, “For an industry long criticised for its lack of diversity, as well as for perpetuating beauty standards seen through a eurocentric lens, this change is momentous.” I laughed out loud at the last point this was not the revolutionary cover that Vogue thought it was. In Vogue’s statement about the cover, they said, “With a new generation of models in the spotlight, fashion is, at last, embracing what it is to be truly global. ![]() ![]() Did they forget to pay the light bill?” Referencing the dark lighting and extreme editing of the image to make the models appear much darker than they are in real life. Another added, “It’s great that they got dark-skinned models, but why not show their beauty. “All those amazing models represented (finally) and yet, no one wearing natural hair, really?”. I had to ask why? Why now? And Why in this way? The comment section began to ask the same questions, and it seemed that many had already drawn up their conclusions. After the initial excitement of seeing the cover, possible cynicism or underlying colourist trauma that remains true of any black girl who’s ever been on social media came to the surface. A cover in a publication like Vogue Magazine is a direct public service announcement to the fashion industry and the rest of us that fall into its system that whatever and whoever is on that cover is what is HOT right now. Though we have moved to the digital world, the premise remains the same. It has been over 100 years since that magazine covers have been communicating to society the pinnacle of beauty at that moment. Seeing the representation that my childhood self yearned for as I walked past the magazine aisle and only saw fair, skinny, euro-centric cis women looking back at me.īritish Vogue, February 2022, Fashion Now Issue. It is a beautiful moment to witness as a black woman in the industry. The image of exclusively dark-skinned women, adorned in luxury items, staring deeply into the camera, captured by the impeccable Pavarotti is no question a spectacular image. Stunning. That was my first thought as I double-clicked the cover reveal on Vogue’s Instagram. The cover starred models Adut Akech, Amar Akway, Majesty Amare, Akon Changkou, Maty Fall, Janet Jumbo, Abény Nhial, Nyagua Ruea and Anok Yai. The cover made history by being one of the first Vogue covers to feature nine black models, titled Fashion Now. The issue celebrates the rise of African models in high-end fashion, styled by Vogue’s first Black Editor-In-Chief, Edward Enniful and Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti. doi:10.3389/ Vogue’s February 2022 issue succeeded in representation but is representation always good when it exotifies and potentially dehumanises the community that it’s trying to “uplift”?īritish Vogue revealed their cover for their February 2022 issue, and it was met with celebration and criticism worldwide. Skin Color, Cultural Capital, and Beauty Products: An Investigation of the Use of Skin Fairness Products in Mumbai, India. The effects of skin tone on race-related amygdala activity: an fMRI investigation. Ronquillo J, Denson TF, Lickel B, Lu ZL, Nandy A, Maddox KB. New Evidence of Skin Color Bias and Health Outcomes Using Sibling Difference Models: A Research Note. ![]() Laidley T, Domingue B, Sinsub P, Harris KM, Conley D. Race and Skin Color in Latino Health: An Analytic Review. The Significance of Skin Color in Asian and Asian-American Communities: Initial Reflections. A comparison of skin tone discrimination among African American men: 19. Colorism and Skin Tone Stratification: Slavery, Freedom, and Mulatto-Black Occupational Inequality in the Late 19th Century. ![]()
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