A few days ago New York Magazine gracefully linked to The Fashion Bomb’s story on Vogue’s Third Consecutive Issue Featuring Women of Color:
Vogue diversifying their covers was great news to me, especially since I attended all of Bethann Hardison’s Town Hall Meetings agitating for a more inclusive, diverse fashion industry. I’m elated of the changes taking place as I’ve documented them from the beginning!
What I thought was a celebratory observation was suddenly construed as ‘racist’ by NY Mag commenters, who felt that mentioning race was silly and perpetuated hate.
A few comments:
“How fantastic, such a beautiful cover with diverse interesting faces. So please lets not make this about the colour of their skin! How about just appreciating it for what it is? A multi freaking model cover from US Vogue!!”—Fahra
“Fahra’s right. I hope there won’t be any skin tone issue about this cover. Just welcome the comeback of models on the cover.“–Frigidbardot
“I’m more happy that models are on the cover and not a celeb! I’m also actually annoyed that fashion blogs/site feel the need to point out the fact that someone black is on the cover. It’s on the tone of ” I’m not racist I have black friends” ANNOYING! Seriously as a black women it’s annoying this should be something that becomes quietly apart of our culture that women of all colors are placed on magazines.”-–bastylefilegirl
“Uh … Hasn’t Liya Kebede been on the cover of American Vogue twice before? Why are people making it a big deal? Liya has been in the business forever & has graced the cover of pretty much every major magazine … Stop trying to turn it into a color debate as usual!”-–laz1
I look at the Fashion Bomb the same way you could look at Essence or Latina Magazine. Anyone and everyone is welcome, but there is a multicultural focus. What’s the big deal? I also think that for a long time, so called ‘mainstream’ publications unapologetically lacked color and eschewed diversity. But instead of that being called racist, it’s called normal.
Are ethnic blogs and publications racist? Or are we simply catering to a vibrant yet underserved demographic?
Check the Fashion Bomb original post here.
absolutely not, shake it off….
Speaking as a white reader of your blog, I have to say that I don’t find Fashion Bomb racist whatsoever! I hate that most fashion blogs have such a narrowly focused idea of what “fashion” and beauty are, and I love this site for the fact that you show other body types and a different take on what is considered fashionable. I am so tired of seeing the same people with the same body type wearing the same things over and over and over again! I also think that you do a great job of picking items that are original yet affordable. One suggestion- I would love if you had a section showing street fashion of people w/ unique takes on styling? Something like the Sartorialist but with more edge! Ok, don’t know how this got so long, but just wanted to say I love your site! :)
Ok before I start: Great suggestion by Kikllis
Claire, they are a hot mess. No. The Fashion Bomb is not racist.
Upward and onward….
:-)
I love this site tooooooo!
I think your blog is fantastic and not at all racist. I think race is still an umcomfortable topic for many people so when it is acknowleged or discussed some people squirm or become defensive.
You keep doing what you are doing Claire. Black is beautiful and there’s nothing wrong with saying that.
Don’t sweat it at all. As you’ve said you are serving an underserved, minoritized demographic. Period. And for those people who have a problem “If it don’t apply let it fly.” You must be racist hence you getting upset.
I hardly ever see models that aren’t white on other “mainstream” fashion sites that I visit, so what’s wrong with you celebrating this models. I understand that some of these models are veterans, but they are still not as visible as some people would like to think they are. I love this site because it not only gives an urban spin on fashion, but it also shows ethnic models and styles that are often ignored.
KiKillis hit the nail right on the head. The truth is that some people will never understand that as a woman of color I rarely see someone who looks like me. Yes some of the women who commented to the article have a point that we should be glad that all colors are represented but the reality is that most of the time when you see a cover of a magazine with a number of women on it you usually see ONE minority (asian, hispanic or AA) as if they just threw old girl in there to fill there “racial quota”.Its sad but undeniably true this is why race should be tackled in all aspects of this country
I think that what these comments show is that people really don’t know the meaning of racism, because if they did they would be hesitant to so easily throw it around. Plus, these people probably are not even regular readers of the Fashion Bomb so they don’t have a context to even say that the site is racist- they visited it b/c New York Magazine told them to. So sad, but there will always be haters- such is life!
Next they’ll be saying Black History Month is racist.
If we don’t promote, write or bring attention to our accomplishments as a race who else will?
Really who else?
Why do ppl think we are post-racial/post-racism??? Obama being president didn’t set us all free it just gave us another height to aspire to.
Isn’t the purpose of a blog to write about whatever is important to YOU!?! how dare they try to “censor you” and bring negative attention to such a wonderful positive achievement.
Claire, please don’t let this get to you. You’ve been doing a phenomenal job with celebrating us minorities for a while. People ASSUME because our president is black and a few models land on the traditional fashion covers, we should be pacified. Well contrary to what they think, we’re not. As someone who is in the industry, I too get tired of feeling like I’m always fighting to shed light on other minorities who are doing great things in fashion. It baffles me that in most magazine stores, you can count on one hand how many minorities are on the covers. It’s unacceptable especially when it’s been proven how much buying power us Black women actually have.
Anyway, forget them, they’re discussing your site, so that means you’re doing something right!
Yeah Claire, f those haters.
teehee.
T
I love this site! Visit it daily! If so-called style mags showed more people of color we wouldn’t even to discuss this issue. Please continue what you are doing! I say…Thanks NY Mag for giving this lovely blog more press!
These comments come from naive people who believe that race and fashion is no longer an issue, they believe these things have already been accomplished and now everythings all good and equal…NOT! Fashion is constantly becoming more diverse but unfortunately there is still racial bias. It is not wrong for blogs, magazines, etc. to get excited and be proud when they see a colorful and diverse group of models on the cover.
I don’t believe The Fashion Bomb is at all racist. Like other posters before me have said, these seem to be the comments of people who believe that race no longer exists. If we don’t showcase our beauty and talents, we can’t demand that anyone else will or should. The truth is, there are not that many black faces (that the mainstream can see at least) in our media. There aren’t any real sizes or shapes for that matter. We’re proud of the strides that models of different backgrounds, races, colors, ethnicities have made.
I’m just so over NY MAG readers. The FACT is that women of color are seldom on mainstream covers. When they are, many bloggers of color make note. I suppose that their “color blindness” when it comes to this may be because women who look like them aren’t regularly excluded. If this were Men’s Vogue, I wouldn’t even bat a lash but it isn’t. Men’s Vogue had more people of color on the cover than Vogue had probably for it’s first 50 years.
“Are ethnic blogs and publications racist?”
Hell no. Those commenters are confused, sad and ultimately misguided.
“Or are we simply catering to a vibrant yet underserved demographic?”
Hell yes. Keep workin’ it.
these just sound like some white idiots who are uncomfortable honestly discussing their white privilege in that they constantly have white imagery affirming their identity and standard of beauty and some idiotic people of color sipping that false “america’s not a racist country” kool aid without checking their facts. i’m sure of any these people bothered to check statistics they’d see white models are on the majority of vogue covers and that anytime a woman of color is on a vogue cover, it’s so fucking rare it’s an event. just because some white girl is uncomfortable discussing race doesn’t mean it’s going to stop me from being real and describing my life in society that barely acknowledges my existence. it shouldn’t stop you either claire. they need to read something on white privilege before they fix their fingers to type that bullshit.
NY mag readers are stupid. Anytime people of color celebrate a victory that has been previously closed to us, it’s all of a sudden reverse racist. Before Jennifer Hudson appeared on the cover, Vogue had 4 black women making the since 1892. So apparently everything was all about race at Vogue. The world isn’t all white women.
Personally, I NEED to see women of color as the MAIN focus of what i read and enjoy at least part of the time. Too often, women of color are ignored, and it is discouraging. We have very few outlets in comparison to many mainstream blogs and magazines, so i enjoy myself when i can read about people of color and their ideas and see them doing their thing in a positive light. Outlets like this are a necessity