Change is in the air in political circles, but the Obama effect is yet to be felt in the fashion world, where beauty is often only skin deep and, according to some insiders, racism runs rampant.
It's an old story, one I first explored on Fashion Television 15 years ago. Despite iconic black models such as Iman and Naomi Campbell, most of the American magazine editors we spoke to at the time claimed that covers featuring black models simply did not sell as well.
That convention seems to have held firm. Last July's Vogue Italia boasted an "all black" issue, but many regarded the move as tokenism rather than a harbinger of things to come. While recent years have seen more ethnically diverse faces on the runway and in the spotlight - Tyra Banks, Liya Kebede, Alek Wek, Yasmin Warsame and, more recently Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn - they continue to be underrepresented in fashion magazines.
A sampling this week of 10 magazines by The Globe and Mail found three visible-minority models out of a total of 34.
And - full disclosure here - while FQ, the quarterly magazine of which I am editor-in-chief, has attempted over the years to celebrate diverse beauty (Somali-Canadian model Yasmin Warsame graces our current cover), I myself question whether we have done enough.
My impression at the recent fashion weeks in Montreal and Toronto was of more visible minorities on the runways than in past years. But the show that stood out was Greta Constantine, whose designers, Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, sent five black models onto the runway for their finale.
But behind the scenes, it has become a game of finger-pointing: Clients are accusing modelling agencies of not cultivating ethnically diverse talent, but Toronto's Elmer Olson, one of Canada's busiest and most respected agents, rejects that.
"There are some great black models around," he says. "But we won't take them on because there's not enough demand for them."The great Yves Saint Laurent first popularized black models three decades ago. "In the seventies, to have black models in Paris and Europe was sort of a message of having an open mind," YSL's current designer, Stefano Pilati, told The Washington Post last year. "It helped add exoticism to the collection, and to embrace the multicultural aspect of the work."
But when asked why there aren't more black models working today, Pilati had a disturbing response. "To me," he said, "it is a matter of proportions and the bodies I choose. ... You can't find [black models] that are beautiful and with the right proportions."
Visible-minority models with lighter skin often fare better. Norwayne Anderson of Toronto's Nam Models says 19-year-old Mississauga native Alyssah Ali, now represented internationally by powerhouse IMG, has a multi-ethnic look (she has Indian and Spanish roots). But, although lots of doors have been opening to her in Paris, and "every client has positive things to say about her," those lucrative cosmetics contracts are still elusive. "Lancôme said they really loved her, but thought her skin was too dark," he says.
Celia Johnson is a black Toronto model who has been working hard to build a career over the past few years. Still, despite having a good portfolio to show to casting directors, she feels the deck is stacked against her.
"If I and three of my friends - all great black models - go to a casting call, we know that only one of us might get the opportunity to do the show - and even for that we have to be really lucky. There just isn't enough work for us."
Lisa Tant, editor-in-chief of Flare, Canada's largest-circulation fashion mag, says editors are becoming more pro-active. "Especially in the past year, Flare has made a concerted effort to feature minority models," she says. "We feel it's our responsibility to include them. They're part of the global population and should be treated as such. In our December issue, we're featuring two Toronto-based Asian models."
