Pulitzer prize winning African-American fashion journalist Robin Givhan of the Washington Post offered her thoughts on Essence Magazine’s Ellianna Placas scandal today:
In her article, she gives kudos to Essence for being inclusive, saying that black women’s style and flair is something that is universally admired and respected. She writes, “Models such as Liya Kebede and Queen Latifah have won lucrative cosmetics contracts from Estée Lauder and Cover Girl, making black beauty more mass market than ever. Black models have starred as Victoria’s Secret angels — the contemporary version of a popular pin-up. Fashion designers vie to dress stars such as Beyoncé, Paula Patton and Viola Davis with the same ferocity as white ones. Black actresses regularly entrust their public image to white stylists. And designers of every race and ethnicity salivate at the prospect of dressing the first lady and a rainbow coalition of them have helped her look her best.”
She continues, “…if the mainstream glossies keep to their mostly homogenous ways, so be it. That’s another battle. Essence shouldn’t aspire to be just like all the other magazines. It should aim to be better.”
She’s basically of the camp that says that Essence should be celebrated (not criticized), as it’s paving the way for inclusion and diversity.
What do you think?
Read the rest here.
August 20, 2010 1:11 pm
No I disagree because we as black women are not completely represented in White glossies. I read Glamour and its my favorite magazine actually but some makeup tips and hair styles dont reflect me. I get what she is saying really but at the same time how many magazines do black women have that reflects them completely because honestly I think Essence have fell off. The only magazine that I really connected to was Honey and it just dropped of the face of the earth. There is nothing wrong with diversity and trying to include everyone else, its just that the magazine is already owned by a white company and its quality has gone down, that’s why everyone is not please.
August 20, 2010 1:12 pm
One more thing. Why cant we have something for just us that reflects our beauty our culture? smh
August 20, 2010 1:41 pm
Though this is true, I still say we need a magazine for us by us. @ ahsatar, honey still exists online @ honeymag.com I think.
August 20, 2010 2:28 pm
Let’s be realistic, Essence isn’t paving the way for anything. There is absolutely nothing monumental about this move. Essence was created due to the lack of opportunities for blacks in fashion. It is not Essence’s job to be diverse. Essence’s job is to be a voice for women of color. That is the bottom line of this issue. Essence is NOT just a fashion magazine. It’s supposed to be a lifestlye magazine for women of color, to appoint a white woman in any major position goes against the very reason the magazine was created. I don’t understand why people don’t realize this? Why doesn’t Burt-Murray realize this.
Essence is going to “expand” it self right out of readership b/c if they continue to “diversify” the magazine becomes pointless.
August 20, 2010 2:38 pm
seriously, Robin givhan knows she hasn’t picked up an Essence in years.
August 20, 2010 2:49 pm
I’m all for diversity, but why do we need to change when predominately white magazines havent? White magazines don’t tend to us. Whether it’s hair, makeup, or clothes they tend to leave us out. They don’t use our models and hardly use our writers. So why do we have to diversify?
August 20, 2010 3:03 pm
Someone really ought to give Ms. Givhan a copy of Essence…like asap. She clearly has NO idea what she is talking about. The reason that the hire of the white fashion director is such a scandal is because Essence promotes itself as a magazine for black women. Even in Angel Burt-Murray’s statement, she reiterated that Essence is still a magazine for black women. Having said that, hiring a white fashion director goes directly against that.
I am upset about the hire because I grew up reading Essence and wanting to write for them, but, now not only would I have to compete against other talented black women, I’d also have to compete with other races for the job. And it’s supposedly for black women. I mean, who can speak to black women better than other black women? If your magazine is for a certain group, then hire people who come from that group. If Essence was targeted to a multicultural audience, this wouldn’t be an issue.
Basically, it’s like the issue from last year with no minorities on the cover of Vanity Fair’s young Hollywood issue. You can’t say that you are a multicultural magazine and not feature different cultures. Essence is no different, if you have whites and other non-blacks working for you, you’re not all about black women, period. Your staff must reflect your audience (all of it). You wouldn’t hire sports writers for Vogue so why hire whites for Essence?
Sorry for my long comment, I am done now.
August 20, 2010 3:21 pm
I say if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it…..how many white women or hispanic women buy Essence??? Yeeeea! And how many women of color buy Elle??? Tons….some things need to just be left alone!!!
August 20, 2010 4:50 pm
Fail.
August 20, 2010 5:14 pm
I agree with Robin’s response . If anyone picked up the new issue of Essence they will see that there are photographs of their internal staff, and they have a mixture of people working there already so the backlash towards the hire of a white women when white, asian etc already work there is really pointless.
August 21, 2010 2:31 am
When mainstream media refuses to hire blacks for any significant role in fashion, Essence can not afford inclusion and diversity.
August 21, 2010 2:40 am
What is this…the year of the sell-out???
August 21, 2010 9:54 am
The only magazine for black women is becoming diverse. I am not trying to sound ignorant or racist, but we barely have anything for us. Essence was a go to mag for blacks for fashion and beauty. I don’t care that the editor of fashion is white, because fashion is fashion, BUT I SURE HOPE when it comes to the beauty section, keep it how it is.
August 21, 2010 9:56 am
So Essence…Stay black!
August 21, 2010 11:40 am
Hmmm, I’m just going to see how it all plays out and then do my best, period.
On the other hand, to me, they need to hire a lot of NEW people, period. A younger generation, perhaps? I don’t see color here but a severe gap between old thinking and new insights, fresh stuff for everyone. I know lots of young, black girls that would respect an opportunity to bring something fresh to Essence *wink wink*.
August 21, 2010 6:01 pm
Personally, Essence has lost its focus. The magazine was founded to fill in the gap left by Cosmo (which is geared towards women between 18-34), but it’s primary audience is now professional black women in their late 30s to 60s. Another thing is that it cannot compete with Cosmo, Marie Claire, etc because they don’t get the advertising dollars or fashion and cosmetics those “white” magazines easily obtain–hence why fashion-forward and sophisticated mags geared towards twenty/thirty-something black women, like Suede and Honey, folded.
I can flip through the latest issue of Essence and the latest issue of Marie Claire and see a world of difference: not only fresher layouts and editorials, but a progressive and cosmopolitan outlook, as well as articles relevant to the life of someone in their mid-20s. And I bet that most of the black women who gnashed their teeth and ranted about Ellianna Placas’s new position at Essence don’t even subscribe to the magazine and probably only flip through it at the hair salon. This whole argument is a moot point when fashion-forward and sophisticated black women from 18-34 dash towards the new issue of Cosmo or Elle or Vogue, and only grab Essence out of “race loyalty” and not true interest.
August 21, 2010 10:03 pm
You know what irks me about this?
First of all, everyone here knows that Essence would drop an article about the lack of diversity in the fashion industry in about two seconds if they could. Does anyone know if they’ve even done an article about this? Or asked a model, designer how they feel about being a part of a minority in the fashion industry?
Robin, give it up. If Essence meant anything, this article wouldn’t be coming out right now. But I guess the news was slow, and you felt like you should whip something up really quick to put your name out there again. As the voice of and to black women in fashion. Please.
But while we’re at it, let’s get to the real problem. Iman is on two Essence covers. In the same year? The woman is beautiful but they couldn’t get anyone else.
August 22, 2010 7:31 pm
Well, people who are really into fashion don’t look to American mag’s at all.