Social Bookmark 2: Representative Beauty?

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/29/ethnic-models-still-mostly-excluded-on-fashion-s-runways.html?gt1=43002

This is an article I came across while reading msn.com today. The article discusses how most models on runways are Caucasian, and how minorities seem to not be able to break through. The article even said that in Asia designers, selling items in Asian countries, would prefer to use Caucasians than Asians. I find this odd considering that I would think they'd like to play to their audience. For example, I would be more willing to buy a certain item of clothing if I thought it would look good on me. Yet how would Asians, with dark eyes, dark hair and a different complexion know whether or not the same clothing looks as good on them as it does on the blonde haired blue eyed girl in the picture?

The article points out that part of the problem is that "although Americans spend 326 billion a year on clothes and shoes...only $27 billion of those dollars come from black customers." So, in this case anyway, the designers are pandering to their white customers. I would wonder, though, if more minorities are used would more minorities buy from designers?

I also found this paragraph interesting:

Edwing D’Angelo is a young black/Latino designer who recently presented his exuberant women’s and men’s collections at the Waldorf-Astoria in a show that featured a striking array of Asian, Hispanic, black, and white models. He says ethnic models face the same obstacles as minority designers, especially when it comes to being featured in print: “They suffer from the looking-alike syndrome,” he says, referring to designers and fashion publications. “They’ll say, ‘We already have that look’ ... as if you can only have one ethnic model—never mind the presence of a hundred blondes.”

I notice, with chagrin, that he specifically mentions blonde. I always disliked, growing up, how blondes were always supposedly the pretty ones. They were the princesses, the heroines, and, yes, the models. I have very dark brown hair and I think more brunettes would be nice as well! In addition, people come in different sizes, yet models are usually very tall and very thin. That is no more representative than having all blonde Caucasian models.

The article did note that there is more diversity now than there was even a few years ago. It's odd how multiculturalism effects everything and how prevalent using one stereotypical model -the tall, slender, blonde, blue eyed model- is supposedly representative of the ideal beauty. I know this model doesn't represent me!