An interesting article in the New York Times today details how and where model scouts search for the next hot runway talents in Brazil.
Though more than half of Brazil’s population is nonwhite, scouts looking to man the runways of international fashion weeks mainly search in three small southern states dominated by European ancestry. The article says, “more than half of Brazil’s models continue to be found…among the tiny farms of Rio Grande do Sul, a state that has only one-twentieth of the nation’s population and was colonized predominantly by Germans and Italians.” The scouts say they do this because they know what sells–top earning models Gisele Bundchen and Alessandra Ambrosio were found in this way.
But Gisele and Alessandra do not represent the more diverse beauty of Brazil. The article says, “On the pages of its magazines, Brazil’s beauty spectrum is clearer. Nonwhite women, including celebrities of varying body types, are interspersed with white models. But on the runways, the proving ground for models hoping to go abroad, the diversity drops off precipitously.”
If you ever think that diversity in fashion isn’t a persistent problem, this article certainly proves the opposite is true. The debate over inclusion in the industry isn’t over until numbers on the runway reflect the beauty of the world. We have such a long way to go, but I’m locked in! Are you?
Read more here.
June 8, 2010 4:15 pm
wow wat a shame when will people learn beauty comes in all colors and styles just not past size 12 lol jk jk ….no seriouslyy
June 8, 2010 5:08 pm
This isn’t really surprising.
June 8, 2010 5:11 pm
I have never fallen victim to that whole idea that blonde hair, light skin, and blue-eyes are more beautiful traits. To me beauty about proportion and this goes for babies, children, men, and women alike. I love beauty in every color, race, and gender.
June 8, 2010 6:26 pm
That’s a disgusting fact to hear. Out of all the beautiful, multiple ethnicity’s within that region, I find this extremely illogical for model scouts to even consider.
June 8, 2010 8:01 pm
WOW, I AM SUPRISED. DARK SKIN BRAZILIANS ARE SO MUCH MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN WHITE GIRLS. BRAZILIANS HAVE BEAUTIFUL FACES AND BODIES. I THINK THAT ITS JUST WHITE AMERICA INFLUENCING EVERYONE. WHITE AMERICA IS STILL VERY RACIST. RACISM DEFINATELY EXISTS STILL IN 2010!
June 9, 2010 6:03 am
my gripe with the fashion industry does NOT end at the issue of including different racial or ethnic representation, but the standard that tall + thin + pre-teen = beautiful (or model worthy). 9 times out of 10, i would not buy the clothes from their representation on a model, but definitely would by the time a celebrity – with a different, but equally perfect shape/figure and often older, ranging anywhere from queen latifah to salma hayek, zoe saldana to rihanna, charlize theron even oprah – has worn them, it’s like woow, so THAT’s what it’s supposed to look like! many times models just make clothes look bad, haha!
June 9, 2010 6:18 am
To be honest-I don’t have a problem with tall thin models-I think that they are boy thin and breasts/butts won’t distract people. I don’t think that it is the standard of beauty, I think that they are just a hanger rack that the clothes are displayed on. I do however have a problem with the lack of ethnic diversity. What the article should have said was that over 50% of the people in Brazil are of African descent. There are colorism issues in Brazil that make it anything BUT a racial utopia. Finding a thin, blonde haired blue eyed woman in Brazil is like finding a tall, fat red headed Asian woman in the United States. It can happen, but there are alot of other women who are just as beautiful. We should embrace all beautiful women. And there are undoubtedly beautiful women in all races, colors, and yes-sizes.
June 9, 2010 7:22 am
I think that there are lots of beautiful women in Brazil of all shades, period. The fashion industry is a business and Giselle and Alessandra do sell. Scouts also go to Africa to find the next Iman and they look for the next Tyra, Naomi, Chanel, etc because they also sell.
June 9, 2010 3:33 pm
it doesn’t really make sense to me – there are so many other places in the world to find tall thin blonde’s why seek that in Brazil?
June 9, 2010 5:01 pm
[...] Brazilian Model Scouts Prefer Blonds? [FashionbombDaily] [...]
June 9, 2010 6:04 pm
this isnt particularly shocking. colorism and racism are pervasive in brazil, most of the world, and particularly in the fashion industry. i think its sad to go to a country like brazil, that had one of the biggest slave populations in the americas, and try to pretend that there isn’t purposeful racism going on when model scouts only seek the descendents of whites to respresent models from the country. what is so wrong with brown skin?
October 3, 2010 8:17 pm
This isn’t racism, just preference and to the what some people prefer, maybe the scouts are looking for an international appeal mainly catered to work in the US,Europe or Australia which all European majority populations, any surprise that they may appeal more to this look, no.
Statistics show that most people marry to another person of the SAME RACE…. Coincidence…….it’s normal to be attracted to your own race but certainly not exclusive but the majority.
What about black model agencies in brazil that are looking for only black models.?….with a majority black society now surly this is going to happen or happening, but will this be mentioned? much like a black only tv channel… Noone says anything even with them being in a majority population.
February 27, 2011 12:56 pm
@malagueno- you are ignorant on every level humanly possible. many of the nations you named may have a white majority but they have DIVERSE populations that deserve to be represented. i don’t care who is attracted to who, there is no reason for the fashion industry to be so whitewashed.
and the imagery of fashion models isn’t just transported to western countries that a have a majority white population, since we are a global community, these images are transported all over the world and there are more non-whites in this world then white people. the diversity of the world needs to be reflected in the fashion industry because we all influence it. ever heard of the “tribal” trend? or hip hop fashion? that damn sure didn’t come from white people but they sure will appropriate elements of these styles to make it seem like they originated it on top of having white people model them.
and as for businesses and organizations that specifically target black people HOW DO YOU THINK THOSE CAME ABOUT? SYSTEMATIC RACISM AND UNDERREPRESENTATION OF BLACK PEOPLE. most media, like you inarticulately pointed out, is made BY AND FOR WHITE PEOPLE. so in the interim between current systematic racism and the day when these industries finally stop being biased against blacks and acknowledge our existence with adequate and nondiscriminatory representation, do you think black people should just twiddle their thumbs and wait to see imagery of themselves? no, they are going to create their own media until the time that racism abates and mainstream media is more inclusive.
June 21, 2011 9:21 am
[...] is also the problem with the availability of black models. As evidenced by this New York Times article, Brazilian model scouts specifically search for the “right genetic cocktail of German and [...]