Who do we see most commonly on the front pages of the magazines or walking across the catwalk? A white woman. Straight hair and fair skin are much more preferred in models than our darker skin and thicker hair textures. And yes, I am very aware that there are very successful black models on the magazines and on the biggest fashion runways, but we are not guaranteed to see any women that look like us unless it’s Ebony or Essence magazine, or an event tailored for us.
The model space was clearly not made for us in the beginning, and that still shows today. This space has had a habit a clear pattern of styling models in a way that ‘borrows’ our cultural characteristics (like our hairstyles and clothing choices) or in a way that insults our people (we’re all looking at you, Gucci…), and then calling it by a different name and nonetheless categorizing it as ‘fashion’. Oh, but when black women were doing it first it was ‘ghetto’ and ‘distasteful’.
However, there is something about when a black woman is being presented properly as an art form, it is a beautiful sight to see – especially from the perspective of a fellow black woman. Even from a young girl’s viewpoint, seeing a model whose brown skin, curly hair, and “negro features” are exhibited as every bit of gorgeous is inspiring. Exposure of black models makes it possible to believe that we, too, can unapologetically flaunt the beautiful, unique characteristics that we have been taught to be ashamed of for centuries.
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