I was cruising on hot French blog Paris Most Wanted when I stumbled upon this video called, “The Color of Beauty.”
It follows the struggle of black model Renée Thompson as she tries–and fails– to get cast at fashion week. She encounters the typical struggles: designers not wanting to cast models of color and casting agents saying black models won’t sell products. The video also delves into the history of women of color in fashion and even references Vogue Italia’s celebrated Black Issue. The conclusion? One photographer summed it up nicely saying, “Fashion has been stuck in 1955, and I don’t know what it’s going to take to move forward.” Take a look:
I admire Renee’s drive, and am a total subscriber to the belief, “If you can envision it, you can do it.” I hope to be seeing more of her.
What do you think?
Spotted @ Paris Most Wanted
May 11, 2010 4:08 pm
OK, I’ll say it: If she doesn’t fit the criteria, she doesn’t fit the criteria. Not every tall, skinny girl should be a model…would Chanel Iman and Sessilee Lopez have the same story?
May 11, 2010 4:12 pm
This was excellent, even if I couldn’t read all the french. It’s a sad thing that black models have to still go through this treatment. Beauty shouldn’t be only one color. Is not a rainbow beautiful? Anyway it will take time to change this view and hopefully I live to see it.
May 11, 2010 4:16 pm
Dead at the agent saying she’s lucky to have white girl features! Wow, oh the industry!! Feels like fighting a machine
May 11, 2010 4:24 pm
As soon as they pulled out the measuring tape, it’s like damn. That’s nothing you can work towards, you either have it or you don’t
May 11, 2010 4:40 pm
@ Famine: Exactly what is the “criteria”? Tall, skinny and white…
May 11, 2010 4:49 pm
No, if a casting agent or designer wants someone who looks like Chanel Iman or Sessilee Lopez, then they can go for it. This documentary wouldn’t work following one of those ladies because they’re actually getting work. The whole premise of this video would fail because following Chanel Iman shows that black models do get work. What matters is your ‘it’ factor, not your skin color.
May 11, 2010 4:51 pm
Famine, actually Chanel Iman has made some of the same references to the lack of diversity, it’s blatantly obvious. But at the same time, I don’t look to the fashion world to be a framework on diversity, I don’t. In the end you do want what you want, but the criteria is racist. I also agree with her abt the Vogue Black Issue, I loved it and picked it up. But it also felt like something to quiet the discontent, rather than to fully open up dialogue and bring about change. I kind of feel the same way about these magazines that use plus-sized models, there’s no inclusion, it’s almost all or nothing. And as an aside, most of the time they’re naked, rather than clothed.
Instead of having an all-black issue, the ideal thing would be to have a more level playing field and to have true integration in the fashion industry. I’m not just talking about black people, I’m talking about Asians, and Lations (whether they be of African descent, Native Indian, or whatever). Unfortunately, it seems like it’s asking too much, and while I can just choose not to be a consumer of certain mags that don’t fit the bill, or not support certain designers, people are out there trying to make a living as models. This is their livelihood, and obviously someone sees something in them or they wouldn’t be signed to an agency. And they DO fit most of the criteria, they just happen to be of color. It’s just that “no” sometime stings more if you know it’s on the heels of discrimination.
May 11, 2010 5:55 pm
the problem is racial. it is the same 5 black girls getting all the work. and they are nearly “perfect”, which is no doubt what a model should be. but when you can give white girls passes to have an extra few inches on the hips, or a couple less inches in height, or a not so perfect face that they fix in photoshop, it starts to seem a little unfair. it is not the white models fault whatsoever. but it is hard enough feeling less than in everyday life… but then to feel less than in an indstry you are a part of as well! its too much.
May 11, 2010 7:10 pm
Ok-I’m just going to say it: Famine, you are crazy. Clearly. There is no way that you can be living on earth and not understand that there is a clear racial bias in the fashion industry that bends toward tall, European looking, uber-thin, pre pubescent women. Period. Hands down, end of discussion. Just because there is one or two Black models, doesn’t mean the industry is diverse.
May 11, 2010 8:36 pm
The black community should get their demographics shown on the runway because we do buy these designer clothes. I feel that we as black americans should boycott the stores that are in our country that put countless ads in our magazines and do not display our ethnicity.
If as a designer can claim to be international then they must display international models. For all those who say it is sad for Renee if it was you who were being rejected because of your color you would have an issue as well.Many models do get rejected but if 87% of the ones picked look the same then what does that say.Most Designers want to live in an exclusive world they will catch on when black people stop buying their merchandise.I say if they don’t want to include blacks why buy their merchandise that would give our black designers a chance to grow and create a Fashion week in every corner of the earth because we do have style and have had it before them.
May 11, 2010 8:58 pm
Minorities in general need to be better represented. It’s difficult for women of color in every facet of entertainment. There are still several fashion houses that do not feature black, brown or yellow models in their shows. It’s a difficult fight because the casting agents and designers do have the right to choose who wears their products.
Good luck to her and others.
May 11, 2010 10:21 pm
Great video Clair, and thanks for posting it.
I lived in NY when I was younger (don’t want to date myself so I won’t give year), but I too wanted to be a model. I had the same problem of this young lady, very thin, in fact i ate air and chased it down with water most of the time, but they still wanted me to lose the hips, and I was already rail thin. I didn’t have a big butt then, nor do I have one now, but I guess they wanted someone that was straight as a board. I didn’t give it much effort after hearing that I needed to lose weight, and I had the disadvantage of not being tall enough, so I never pursued it any further. But by the time I was in college, Shari Harper Belafonte was already making a name for herself at 5’3 as a petite model. I think I was a year or two shy of the whole petite and plus size thing.
But as far as the whole race thing goes, I think the fashion industry is the only industry left that through creative license is allowed to be openly racist. Racism is still alive and well in other industries too, we just don’t see it quite as clearly due to the glass ceiling that we keep thinking we’re gonna one day pass through. For most African Americans employment is just another word for indentured servitude. And if you take it a step further to get a college education, then you’re they’ve got you for life as you try to climb the slippery corporate ladder to pay off your student loans.
As far as Renee goes, I think she’s got the determination (and white features) to make it, and I’ll be looking out for more from her. I think she should probably switch gears and look more towards acting. I liked her little impromptu skit!!!
May 12, 2010 12:00 am
Absolutely shocked at the comments about her features in the vid, as well as those that described her as being too hippy! What hips?! Insane!
May 12, 2010 12:11 am
I actually know Renee and have seen her walk in several shows here in Toronto fashion week. I was always baffled by her beauty but even more baffled by the fact that she wasn’t on billboards everywhere Naomi Campbell style.
Nonetheless, as you can see from the video, she has a great personality and energy and I think that this video, may just be another extra push that she needs to make it. But therein lies the million dollar question. Renee will be fine, but what about the thousands of other african american models that are fighting for the limited spots…
Shannae xo
May 12, 2010 1:44 am
Why should anyone strive for less than perfection?
We all know that to be black we have to be better than the rest, which means everything must be tight and 100%. Other races can get away with being imperfect, but that’s in the world, not just in modeling. I think that you simply do your very best possible and that’s it. The thing I don’t get is, say you want to be a scientist. You can learn to be an excellent scientist with hard work, study, and drive. If you want to be a model, short of drastic plastic surgery or anorexia, you can’t really improve. If you don’t fit the type, you don’t fit the type. Chanel Iman might complain about no diversity, but she walks in everything and is in every Vogue. She’s doing ok. It’s probably because she’s closer to the ‘perfect’ model figure than Renee. I’m not saying Renee isn’t cute, but if she doesn’t have it, then she just doesn’t and there’s no amount of drive that can change that. Her other option is to go to another market that would appreciate her and stop banging down the doors of New York agencies that aren’t interested in her. There are other countries, other markets, she needs to explore other options. If not she’s setting herself up for failure.
May 12, 2010 1:54 am
PS I wasn’t ever saying the industry is diverse because it’s not. I was just reacting to the video and in particular to Renee.
May 12, 2010 8:19 am
I love this piece and the video. It’s really sad that the industry is so racist. I often hear people who are in the fashion industry talk about being different, innovative…but it should extend to more than just the latest trend in colors, or fabrics. It only really takes one to rock the boat a little in order to change the status quo. They didn’t fool me with that Italian Vogue issue; it was great but unless something like that is done on a continual basis it doesn’t really change the way the industry works.
May 12, 2010 11:15 am
I saw a video on nytimes.com where Chanel was mainly talking about not being able to score a campaign. THAT’S where models make the real money, not the catwalks. You think going to casting calls in bad, try getting a campaign.
Also,
May 12, 2010 11:17 am
I think the bigger problem here is the lack of African American designers showing at fashion week and being successful as a whole. Models of Color wouldn’t find it quite so hard if there were more African American owned modeling Angencies and Designers to use them.
May 12, 2010 2:50 pm
@Famine: I disagree. If this docu followed C.I. it would show that she books most of the available high-paying campaigns available for ONE black face. That was mentioned in the video. There is ONE and she is used over and over again. C’est vrai!
May 12, 2010 3:15 pm
This was an awesome read and video! I knew the fashion industry was racist but watching it and hearing what they had to say, really hurt my feelings. I wish Renee much success… But if its like that for the models, I can’t help but wonder how it would be for Black Designers?! That concerns me because I am a freelance designer with hopes of making it mainstream.
May 12, 2010 5:27 pm
famine- look we’ll know this society is not racist when a black person can be as medicore as many white people and still get as far as they do. why should we HAVE to be absolutely exceptional every second of the day. will there ever be a black kate moss, who’s a few inches shorter then the norm for a model? there is nothing wrong with this girl. she looks great to me. the industry is racist and it needs to change. when people of color comprise most of the people in this WORLD, but like 90% of the top models are white it’s a f**king problem. get your head out of the sand and stop making excuses for blatant racism and discrimination.
May 12, 2010 9:58 pm
[...] 13 May I was viewing one of my favorite fashion blogs called The Fashion Bomb and seen a very interesting video they posted. The video is an interview about a black model named Renee Thompson and her drive to become a top model and land a job during New York Fashion Week. The camera follows her through casting calls as she shows that she has the will power for what it takes. But with the top fashion mags catering to a white market, its difficult for a ethnic model to shine. The industry is definitely afraid of taking a chance to branch out their demographic since they feel blacks can’t sell the product and won’t buy the product. To me that is BS. We also love high fashion as well and do purchase the products. Check it out in motion HERE [...]
May 12, 2010 11:13 pm
bottom line is blacks are not the demographic and designers need to sell to who has the money that is french british, russian and american high brow they dont want t see no negros holding a LV bag in a magazine. and frankly blacks that can afford it will still buy the bag anyway ever if the ad showed a KKK female holding it unfortunatly. And Europeans french mainly are still very very racist. the industry will have a influx of black models come through as it always has but it will not likely be a major change. the almighty dollar reigns black lifestyle is not the lifestyle major designers are trying to attract. sadly i work in this industry and theses things make me embarrased some times.
May 13, 2010 1:33 am
Great post!
May 13, 2010 10:21 am
Loved that vid! :)
May 13, 2010 6:20 pm
The say black doesn’t sell so that is why blk girls don’t get booked, but the issue of vogue ran out rather quickly. I think it was because it was an anomoly to have a mag cover to cover with blk girls and they never knew when they would see it again. But I also think it was because it was exceptional work, great models, great photogs, and yet-still great fashion, even when all blk girls were wearing the clothes. Another question, how many new faces were in that black vogue? How many models were unfamiliar- zero. I knew each one front to back. This mag didn’t open a door for any other black models.
And just a stat: 80% of fashion jobs go to white women
(This includes men and women models)…
May 14, 2010 11:07 pm
Hey guys! Just an update… I ran into Renee tonight at an event! She said she’s been getting all kinds of offers from all over the place. I really hope that she ends up being the face of a huge fashion house because she deserves it! She has such a great energy and I’m sure that she’ll use the buzz from this documentary as an outlet to speak against the discrimination that the Fashion Industry is riddled with…
I took a twitpic of us!
http://tweetphoto.com/22446874
Shannae xoxoxo
May 16, 2010 9:46 am
@Famine: I totally disagree
@Dione @anonymous @Taylor @dgp @Aser @Emse : I totally agree
Thanks to Elizabeth St Philips, Renee Thompson, NBF and everybody trying to fight against discrimination and for diversity!
Peace
May 17, 2010 3:47 pm
To Famine and your last comment: Point taken but this black woman is part of that 6% and the documentary is about black models in the fashion industry. Most of the time, they’re turned down because they’re black. It’s a FACT!!!!!
I think it’s about high time that the world, especially in the fashion environment, open their eyes and see that ‘skinny’ is sick. The ‘real’ world is of all sorts of shapes. Anorexia is NOT cool. As women, we need to embrace who we are. If you’re a size 8,10 or 12, it’s ok!!!! You’re real women!!! Not the emaciated models they have running on the catcalk.
To the black models out there: Keep pushing. Keep working hard. Don’t let the world tell you otherwise. Be persistent and keep your heads up high.
“The squeakiest wheels get the oil”
July 28, 2010 2:49 pm
[...] de las cuestiones de la diversidad en la moda, felicidades a Zoe por ganarse ese contrato grande, además de los Big Bucks que se va a ganar y [...]
August 10, 2010 3:01 am
[...] As Renée Thompson demonstrated in the short documentary, The Color of Beauty (which we wrote about here), it’s unquestionably more difficult for models of color to find jobs in the industry. The [...]
June 14, 2011 7:38 am
[...] There are far too many people in fashion who either make excuses for institutional racism (models of color don’t have the ‘look’ or black models tend to have a ‘fit problem’) or completely ignore it. Institutional racism is a harsh reality in fashion for many models of color. Don’t we remember the Color of Beauty? [...]