British Vogue is a Bright Shade of White

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Alexandra
Vogue, fashion magazines, black models, fashion photography, chinese models

A recent selection of British Vogue covers: not much racial diversity at all.

One of the many things I miss about living in London (the things I miss are very much outnumbered by the things I DON’T miss, but nevertheless, I miss a lot of things) is feeling like I live in a multicultural city. I don’t feel that Vancouver is very multicultural (and I don’t even live in Vancouver, where I live, it is almost all white people.) Vancouver certainly has a mix of cultures, but that mix is not very diverse. London is a huge melting pot of cultures and races, and that is one of the reasons it is such a fantastic city. So I was very, very surprised to hear Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, say that ‘I don’t think that fashion is institutionally racist in the slightest.” (Daily Mail)

I have to disagree! All of the fashion business publications talk constantly about new markets in places like China and India, yet the recent catwalk shows were the whitest since 2008. And the fact that black people make up such a small number of players in the fashion industry also raises questions about practices within the fashion world. Shulman goes on to mention people like stylist Edward Enninful, make-up artist Pat McGrath and models Jourdan Dunn, but come on! They are just a handful of people within this vast industry.

Vogue, fashion magazines, black models, fashion photography, chinese models, edward enninful, pat mcgrath

Stylist Edward Enninful (left) and mkeup artist Pat McGrath.


She explains that “In a society where the mass of the consumers are white and where, on the whole, mainstream ideas sell, it’s unlikely there will be a huge rise in the number of leading black models.” Last time I checked, there was a lot of fashion business to be done in non-white countries… And is she suggesting that white = mainstream?

I am not saying that British Vogue is to blame for the industry’s “racism”, although the magazines, along with the major brands, need to set the trends, and are capable of making changes. But for Shulman to say that the industry isn’t racist at all is extremely ignorant, particularly since London is such a melting pot of cultures and races, which British Vogue fails to accurately represent. Plus, her magazine can’t even tell the difference between the Chinese supermodels, they once identified model Liu Wen as Du Juan. That’s like mistaking Naomi Campbell for Jourdan Dunn. Well, they are both Chinese, right? Embarrassing.

Vogue, fashion magazines, black models, fashion photography, chinese models, edward enninful, pat mcgrath, liu wen, du juan

Models Liu Wen (left, in Bottega Veneta) and Du Juan (left, in United Bamboo). What's the difference? They are both Chinese...

I’ve never really rated Alexandra Shulman or British Vogue, I am not really a fan of any of the Vogues, aside from Italian and Japanese. But I always considered her to be fairly intelligent and a good editor, until now. Not only is she a hypocrite, but it appears Alexandra Shulman needs to rethink the situation on diversity in the industry. Especially since she is based in a city in which black people make up over 10% of the overall population.

Catwalk images from Style.com. Pat McGrath image source, and Edward Enninful image source.

 

 

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  • Paige Dufresne

    This is a very interesting article, and speaks to a number of fashion publications not solely British Vogue. In fact the majority of covers, for example, of American Vogue in the last six months have been of white women, though they did have more colour than their British counterpart. Now I know this article is about more than just the covers, but the covers were what fascinated me. It seems that they do not match oftentimes with the diversity between the pages. Teen Vogue (and many other magazines geared towards a teen and tween demographic) feature a lot of diversity between the pages, but they too had predominantly white covers the last 6 months. I wonder, especially in America, if this is a comment on more than just the fashion industry but the entertainment and media industries combined, as the covers have been inundated by celebrities for quite a long time. It seemed as though up-and-coming white women could be worthy of a cover, but the majority of other cultures represented featured on the front page had to be very established performers. I had never really noticed until now, but it’s an interesting observation. 

  • jocelyn

    do you ever read threadbared?  i love them!  http://iheartthreadbared.wordpress.com/
    this post reminded me of them.  :)

  • Anonymous

    Yes, a very interesting observation Paige. Although I guess it is better that the teen magazines have more diversity, hopefully that will mean that as those teens grow up, the adult magazines can then feature more diversity. The teens can be groomed to accept the diversity as normal.

  • Lanvy

    It really comes down to sales….sales of of advertisement since no publications make their money on subscriptions.   Would michael kors or de Beers pay half a million dollars to place a page ad to an audience that generally prefers Apple Bottom or Baby Phat?  Doubt it.   Can LV continue to sell to the minority communities dispite the fact that their ads cover mostly white folks?  Absolutely.     A recent NPR interview with the head of ESSENCE provides a deeper perspective about why mainstream magazines CANNOT penetrate the black communities: VOICE.   Essence continue to grow because it provides a voice that can communicate between the thin pages of a black model on the cover.

    Asians seem to love the fact that they now can buy what white folks can.  Being around and working with a lot of very rich asian factory owners, it’s humorous to hear them talk about their perspectives on asian models who grace the runways and major publications.  In general, “common” Asians DO NOT find these models attractive (‘they are odd looking with slivers for eyes and mean faces”).   

    For the Vogue family to start adding minorities to their cover wont necessary help their business.  Until the world match their purchasing habits with their desired political correctness, there is no good business reason for VOGUE to change their color pallette. 

  • Eve

    Besides the unfair stereotype you make about African Americans and their choice of brands, you also have another problem with your argument; the difference between Vogue and Essence is the latter has always been a magazine for African Americans and was a reaction to the exclusive nature of mainstream magazines in the United States that has continuously ignored a population that has been in the states prior to its existence as a recognized nation. On the other hand, Vogue has always stated its a fashion magazine for ALL women so therefore, at least  for American Vogue, they have no choice, but to be more inclusive of who they feature and include in their magazines, but since they are not, Vogue is basically full of shit and I can only assume since they have been pulling this crap since its existed, and wealth is no longer among white people,  are also massively racist. 

    And in terms of the NPR piece, mainstream magazines can change this “lack of voice” or inability to “penetrate black communities” or any minority community for that matter by ADDING PEOPLE OF COLOR TO THEIR STAFF (and having one doesn’t count). It’s really not that difficult. I don’t really agree with your argument on sales and business either because the amount of influence a cover with a white celebrity or any celebrity  or model actually wanting to make that person purchase an item is ridiculously slim.  Also, as I’m sure know, Vogue has millions of subscribers; do you really think the majority of them are one race and can afford to purchase anything in their magazine? Not at all.Lastly, I feel as if though many within the magazine industry are always concerned about coming off as a “black or minority magazine” when all people are saying is why are you based in a ridiculously multi-cultured city such as london or new york and everyone in your  magazine is one race?!!! I don’t think people are asking for every cover to have a minority on it and get rid of all the white people (I don’t think you are saying that either);  I just wish they would be more inclusive and stop doing the whole token thing because its disturbingly obvious, pathetic, and ignorant. 

  • Eve

    Although I don’t like the fact that he identifies as “color-blind” and there are various other odd statements in this interview, at least someone in the industry got one thing right when it comes to this topic: “When you do a fashion show it’s very important and it’s a responsibility to represent a multicultural cast.” – Tom Ford 
    Article: http://www.timeout.com.hk/feature-stories/features/43563/tom-ford.html

  • Anonymous

    Both of you have made some really interesting points. I agree that Asians have taken to white models, but I think Eve’s point about magazines needing to add people of colour to their staff is a no brainer. Vogue is meant to be a magazine for American women, and that should include non-white ones. But let’s face it, Vogue isn’t going start hiring non-whites. In fact, getting a job there and at most high fashion mags is not only about being white, it is also about being from an old money family, being a socialite, and having the right connections. Plus you need to be able to churn out lame content. Reason #34 I don’t buy American Vogue.