CARYN FRANKLIN COMMENT
Corporation bosses have created their own rigid view of beauty and femininity – and that is very thin, very young caucasian women
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| Interview: Naomi Campbell on Channel 4 News |
It is 26 years since Naomi Campbell became the first black model on the cover of Vogue magazine.
But all these years down the line, I totally agree with her comments that the fashion industry now seems to be a more racist place than when she started out.
Why? Well, in my three decades working in this industry I have become all too well aware that the people at the top – the CEOs of the big corporations – are white middle-aged men who have convinced themselves that white women do not respond to black women as role models.
And so they have created their own rigid aspiration of beauty and femininity – and that is very thin, very young caucasian women.
In fashion editorial they are often hyper sexualised. There is an inherent arrogance and racism within this thinking but that is never examined.
So this prescriptive “idea” just goes unchallenged – it’s “The Look” and the whole fashion world absorbs it.
It has become so established that people are scared of challenging it, of doing something different.
That’s because they are scared they will lose money if they do.
But the truth is their market, their consumers are much more diverse and they want to see themselves, their lives and their self-esteem reflected.
I co-founded All Walks Beyond The Catwalk, which celebrates and promotes physical diversity – be it race, size, age or disability.
We challenge institutionalised views about what “The Look” is and show that promoting lots of different looks is so much more effective.
Fashion shows – especially those of emerging designers – are quite often sponsored by beauty companies who want to see European products showcased on European hair and skin.
That way they can get a “look book” of images for their products much more cheaply than by paying for a big studio shoot.
So they will subtly dictate the terms... and designers have told me they felt their sponsor had inferred the type of models they did – and did not – want.
But enlightened designers can see the benefits of using a diverse range of models.
Young creatives need to be taught very early on to consider the importance and last year All Walks Beyond The Catwalk worked with 34 universities to help them incorporate diversity in their teaching.
We did it in a voluntary capacity because, like Naomi, we want to see change.
Some retailers have taken this on board, too. I’ve just worked with Debenhams creating a “look book” with them. Instead of the usual two models we had seven, covering disability, age, size and racial diversity.
But the success of these efforts depends on the general public responding positively. M&S are addressing this in their campaigns, too, but they have been receiving criticism as well as encouragement.
Campaign: Naomi CampbellSo consumers have to get involved. They have to show their appreciation when they see diversity and give positive feedback to the magazine or retailer – it’s easy to post on websites and say what they think, then they can buy the products because this is a market where money rules.The proof of the pudding is what sells a product and that is what every corporate thinks about, the percentage rise in their quarterly returns.They aren’t equipped to care about the psychological impact and the feel-good value that women are experiencing.I applaud the work Naomi and the Diversity Coalition are doing and think it’s very useful they have compiled a list of fashion professionals who have not used non-white models.You do need to have facts and figures that people can agree with, or refute.If a designer is named then perhaps they should discuss it with their casting agents and agree to a change in policy. The problem is, this issue is never vocalised.After we worked with the designer William Tempest he cast a show at London Fashion Week with 50% black models and he said that it was because we had talked about the importance of diversity to him.If young designers or even established designers are not having these conversations because their entire management system is caucasian, then it is never going to move on.This is why we are working with creatives at the very start of their careers and talking to them in clear business terms about the importance and benefits of diversity.Women have more power than they think and could make it clear that if they are subjected to increasingly sexualised images of young girls just to sell handbags or a stream of underweight teenagers modelling clothes or a lack of diversity, then they simply won’t engage with that brand.We want brands to reflect who we are, our lives, our body shapes, our age – and our skin tone.
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