The Dark Side of Modeling
The Dark Side of Modeling
With its estimated annual revenue of $1.5 billion in the US and the global fashion industry valued at over $2.5 trillion, the industry offers significant financial potential.
Race: Cultural Appropriation-
Appropriation of a culture that was exterminated and stolen in order to make money? And does not benefit that community? No tribe sees a cent of that revenue
How much control do models have over the clothes they wear? If you’ve ever watch America’s Next Top Model, you might see that refusing to wear something (or go nude) can be a deal-breaker. Girls were scored badly, or even left the series by choosing to say no. I’d bet it’s somewhat similar in a real fashion show situation, though I couldn’t find very many specifics. I did find some advice to models though:
The author frames saying ‘no’ in a positive way, and it is absolutely great to stick up for your morals and ethics! But remember the power dynamic we talked about previously. Also the lack of pay, and stability in a modeling career. Probably big, established names can afford to push back, but models trying to break into the industry or establish a portfolio are at a big disadvantage if they aren’t all yesses. And one no might mean being blackballed from that designer, show, or the entire industry depending on the circumstances.
Urban Outfitters who released a Navajo-inspired collection which included unfortunate items like "Navajo Hipster Panties,” "Peace Treaty Feather Necklace," "Staring at Stars Skull Native Headdress T-shirt," and a “Navajo Print Fabric Wrapped Flask." The latter item seemed particularly cruel given that Native American youth have the highest rates of alcohol use disorders of any racial group in the country.
The Navajo Nation fought Urban Outfitters in 2016 after the fashion brand used the tribe’s name for a clothing collection. The tribe owned near one hundred trademarks to protect their cultural heritage, and they ended up making an agreement with the clothing line to make authentic Navajo clothing together. Urban Outfitters did not just violate the tribe’s trademarks in this case, they also violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it illegal to sell art or crafts while fraudulently claiming they were made by Native Americans.
Marc Jacobs caused anger when his Spring 2017 runway show featured dreadlock extensions on a cast of mainly white models including Karlie Kloss, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Irina Shayk, Adriana Lima, and Taylor Hill. Jacobs initially responded by claiming that he doesn’t see color or race but later apologized for being insensitive.
Valentino met with accusations of cultural appropriation and ignorance for the house’s Spring 2016 Wild Africa collection. The clothing itself — which featured tribal motifs, detailed knitting, embroidery, safari prints, feathers and more textures — was deemed very beautiful by most reviews while criticism focused on the casting and the cornrows. Particularly when it came to models wearing cornrows in their hair and the lack of black representation in the show itself (eight out of the show’s 87 looks were walked by black models). Fewer than 10 black models walked the runway and everyone wore cornrow buns! If designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli weren't aware of the political connotations of the hairstyle before, they definitely are now.
In 2010, Victoria’s Secret included a section that they named Wild Things. Models, including Emanuela De Paulo, wore animal-print lingerie, surrounded by men in printed sarongs and wrap skirts. Models were painted with black patterns to resemble the body art of indigenous people.
Apparently, VS learned little from its previous shows that were criticized for cultural appropriation. The 2014 show featured a segment called Exotic Traveler. Models were dressed in feather wings, brightly coloured bustiers with prints emulating tribal designs, and leopard-print shoes.
Riccardo Tisci’s obsession with Latin archetypes reached peak appropriation with his Chola Victorian AW 2015 that was called out for combing out fake baby hairs on a runway cast that was made up of around 80% white models.
Diet Prada, the fashion industry watchdog, was among the first to slam the brand of using “white models in cornrow wigs,” uploading photos from the show. Diet Prada noted that the fashion house had previously faced criticism “from netizens who noticed they hadn’t featured a black model since 1994.”
Kylie Jenner is just one of the many famous women who have worn cornrows this year amidst online criticism of black cultural appropriation. The trend inspired actress and smart person Amandla Stenberg to post a video about the history of black hair, cornrows and why it's problematic when white women adopt black culture to gain attention and be "edgy." She says: “Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it originated, but is deemed as high-fashioned cool or funny when the privileged take it for themselves.” Stenberg posted the video 11 months ago on Tumblr, but it really gained traction online in April as many media outlets spun it as an attack from Stenberg on Jenner directly. (It's not.)
Ralph Lauren released a holiday ad campaign which mimicked traditional Native American portraits from between 1790-1920 when men and women were clad in more traditional Western wear.
What made this particularly problematic was that the sartorial shift for indigenous people wasn't a choice; rather, it came as part of a forced assimilation practice where frontier ways were thrust upon them. But whereas the gold badges worn by Jews during the Holocaust was as a means of identifying enemies of the state, frontier Americans hoped to make indigenous populations disappear through their clothing.
According to The Guardian, the Mixe community in Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca released a statement that read: “Isabel Marant is committing a plagiarism because the Etoile spring/summer 2015 collection contains the graphical elements specific to the Tlahuitoltepec blouse, a design which has transcended borders, and is not a novel creation as is affirmed by the designer.”
Traditionally in Sikhism, a turban is worn by both men and women as a symbol of piety, honor and spirituality. Gucci was heavily criticized after the luxury fashion house sent white models down the runway wearing traditional Sikh turbans for its Autumn/Winter 2018 show.
In 2016, Victoria’s Secret used traditional Chinese-inspired prints in a collection called Road Ahead. VS was called out for modifying traditional garments into skimpy lingerie looks and not using models of Chinese descent. Perhaps the most controversial of all was a full feather dragon that wrapped around the waist and back of model Elsa Hosk.
Victoria’s Secret, seemingly failing to learn from their many prior shows, the Nomadic Adventures in 2017 show featured looks inspired by tribal and Native American dress.
DSquared2 presented a fall collection that ignited widespread outrage online. Entitled "DSquaw" — a derogatory term for a North American Indian woman or wife — the clothing incorporated indigenous shapes and materials in a superficial, stereotypical way. The brand described the collection as "an ode to America’s native tribes meets the noble spirit of Old Europe," but no Native Canadian or American artists were consulted. It appears as if no publicists were consulted, either.
Five days after No Doubt scrubbed the “Looking Hot” video from YouTube, Victoria's Secret was completely tone-deaf again. During that 2012 show, there was a section where each model represented a month of the year, dressed to represent a holiday or event in that month. Karlie Kloss strutted down the catwalk in leopard-print lingerie and a floor-length war bonnet to represent Thanksgiving/November. The headdress, specifically amongst the plains people, were only worn by male chiefs, and only on special ceremonial occasions where bouts of honor and instances of compassion were to be recognized. Wearing a headdress for “Thanksgiving” in a fashion show glamourizes the horrific genocide indigenous people experienced at the hands of European settlers and American colonists.
Not surprisingly, Victoria's Secret offered up a similarly ineffective apology. Kloss later issued a public apology for her involvement and the look was cut from the TV airing.
"We are sorry that the Native American headdress replica used in our recent fashion show has upset individuals," a statement from Victoria's Secret read. "We sincerely apologize, as we absolutely had no intention to offend anyone. Out of respect, we will not be including the outfit in any broadcast, marketing materials nor in any other way."
[so we’re sorry you’re mad.]
Model Kloss tweeted her own apology:
"I am deeply sorry if what I wore during the VS Show offended anyone. I support VS's decision to remove the outfit from the broadcast."
In a world where people get chastised for invalid authenticity- where every stitch, sole and eyelet is examined for legitimacy- people have chosen to let this falsehood slide because Native American voices supposedly don't carry enough significance.
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