The Obamas and the Fashion Industry: the Real Racism
So now the fashion world is abuzz looking for little black girl models. Malia and Sasha Obama have turned the fashion world upside down, making sites like J. Crew crash just by the simple act of wearing their clothes to the Inauguration. Saks and pretty much every other company is scrambling for Malia and Sasha impersonators. In this economy, I’m happy for anyone who can find positive and legal work but let’s be clear: the fashion industry is not all of a sudden embracing blackness and diversity. It’s embracing profits.
The video below is an excerpt from a CNN segment on how Malia & Sasha lookalikes are now getting work and in high demand. One man interviewed says that the fashion industry is now starting to realize that “black is beautiful.” Let us not allow our fascination with the Obamas to cloud our vision of racism in America. The Obamas are marketable and the fashion industry is all about marketing. I remember hearing a black woman in fashion once say that the fashion world is the only industry where you can be blatantly racist and say things like: “We’re not doing black or Asian this year. That’s not in.” That’s all it is folks. This is business.
Let’s look at a little history. Remember the model Iman from Somalia? Part of her rise to prominence was this story that she was plucked from the jungles of Africa and so many of us bought that story. Turned out she’s the daughter of a former Ambassador and speaks 5 languages. Who knew? The fashion industry knew. It’s all about marketing and what’s hot at the moment. Fast forwarding to 2009, how many more African supermodels have there been? Did Iman show that black is beautiful back then? Somehow I don’t think so.
If the fashion world is all of a sudden embracing diversity, I wonder if little Latinas, black boys, Native Americans who aren’t in traditional, and Arabs will start appearing in more advertisements. If so, I will have to write a retraction. As I said, I’m just a student of history and I know trends when I see them. For the fashion world, the Obamas are simply the flavor of the month or maybe the flavor of the next four or eight years. I would love to be wrong on this. Maybe the dialogues on race that President Obama’s ascension is forcing much of America and the globe to have will indeed prove me wrong.
The video below is an excerpt from a CNN segment on how Malia & Sasha lookalikes are now getting work and in high demand. One man interviewed says that the fashion industry is now starting to realize that “black is beautiful.” Let us not allow our fascination with the Obamas to cloud our vision of racism in America. The Obamas are marketable and the fashion industry is all about marketing. I remember hearing a black woman in fashion once say that the fashion world is the only industry where you can be blatantly racist and say things like: “We’re not doing black or Asian this year. That’s not in.” That’s all it is folks. This is business.
Let’s look at a little history. Remember the model Iman from Somalia? Part of her rise to prominence was this story that she was plucked from the jungles of Africa and so many of us bought that story. Turned out she’s the daughter of a former Ambassador and speaks 5 languages. Who knew? The fashion industry knew. It’s all about marketing and what’s hot at the moment. Fast forwarding to 2009, how many more African supermodels have there been? Did Iman show that black is beautiful back then? Somehow I don’t think so.
If the fashion world is all of a sudden embracing diversity, I wonder if little Latinas, black boys, Native Americans who aren’t in traditional, and Arabs will start appearing in more advertisements. If so, I will have to write a retraction. As I said, I’m just a student of history and I know trends when I see them. For the fashion world, the Obamas are simply the flavor of the month or maybe the flavor of the next four or eight years. I would love to be wrong on this. Maybe the dialogues on race that President Obama’s ascension is forcing much of America and the globe to have will indeed prove me wrong.
posted by Omekongo @ 2:53 PM
3 Comments:
At 9:50 AM,
Anonymous said…
Alek Wol is one supermodel of color; the great fabulous Beverly Johnson is another (Naomi Campbell yet one more)--but I take your point.
The fashion industry doesn't really care about white women either--they care about women who spend money, and that's why the fixation on youthfulness, slimness and paleness--that's what maximizes profits. In some ways, fashion consumerism runs on the insecurities of women--how much make-up can be sold to a woman who looks in the mirror and says, "Hey, I look alright like this."?
In the post-Obama world it is naive to think that there will never be another overtly hateful act against one of us because of how we look, act, feel or believe.
Similarly, the feminist movement hasn't ended the playing of the gender card; neither has the establishment of Muslims of integrity and conscience in prominent positions in the US ended the way they get trumped by some--won't there always be people who see our race, gender, beliefs and more as weakness?
We are charged with responding with strength and supporting our brothers and sisters who do the same, and uplifting those less strong.
At 11:41 AM,
Samantha Williams said…
Hi O--
I definitely feel you in exhorting people to understand that racism has not died out because of the love of the Obamas. I do want to say, however, that I can't tell you how happy it makes me that parents of all races can now take cues on what they want for their children from two African-American girls. For so long, all we've had to look at as pretty, stylish, fashionable--and in a way good, acceptable, and BEAUTIFUL--were images of white people. And this is especially true when it comes to children. Black girls have just never been ENOUGH. So even though the revolution is coming through a medium as shallow and callous as fashion, I never thought that my (future) daughters would be able to look at little girls who look like them and realize that they set the standard. I didn't have that growing up.
At 4:33 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hey Omekongo--it's been a while since we connected, but I always enjoy checking your blog.
I take your point of being wary, but looking at J Crew's website, I didn't see the evidence of your argument. Most of the little girls' clothing is displayed laid out on a table--no models. (Maybe they're just short on cash so no chance to exploit anybody...? Guess that would just be another proof of your argument about the bottom line!)
Anyway, as you know I am an older white guy and grew up part of my youth on the other side of the segregated South--and always hated that. I think we had an interesting talk about that as we both discovered post-apartheid South Africa.
But most of my own lived experience as a kid was as an American of Irish Catholic background in the mostly protestant and white part of the midwest. Almost nobody was anything but white so you needed something else to hate!
My parents who lived in southern Indiana as newlyweds went to another county to go to church. Otherwise the Klan might find out they were Catholic an put you know what on their front lawn. Even with nothing more, that would have pretty much been death to my dad's job.
Things changed when Kennedy was elected--an Irish Catholic of immigrant background (his dad was rich but no one really talked about that part). Half the country hated the idea of a Catholic being president--the Pope was going to take over. I remember that some people were even ugly enough to wear black armbands to school the day after he was elected.
I'm glad we're past all that now.
I hope everyone can give this new chapter in our country's saga some time. I have relatives who voted for Obama with enthusiasm that I would never have dreamed would see him as anything but someone alien. We are now in a real period of teachable moments--let's use them!
And I have no doubt the Obamas are going to look out for their daughters' best interest.
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