FIERCE MAGAZINE COVERS: EBONY’S SEPTEMBER ISSUE HONORING BLACK MODELS

August 24, 2015 by iamsummerterry

Ebony magazine is taking a stance on the misuse or lack thereof of African American models on the runways.

Read more after the jump…

Next month Ebony magazine honors the many beautiful shades of Black models on the September cover. It’s no surprise that designers are plighting Black models at booking for runways shows. But when I read the numbers I was appalled! In the magazines’ feature article, Race & The Runway, I was shocked to find out that out of 9,538 model booking for approximately 375 Fall 2015 Fashion Shows to cover New York, London, Milan, and Paris less than 8% percent of the models booked were African American. It’s one thing to hear about how hard it is for Black models to get work but when you see the numbers it’s put in a clearer perspective.

Trailblazers such as Naomi Campbell, Iman, and BethAnn Hardison have called out fashion designers for not hiring Black models and now Ebony magazine is calling more attention to the issue with their beautiful and nothing less than fabulous cover. The cover features the top 10 Black models of our generation, Chantelle Winnie, Milan Dixon, Fatima Siad, Marquita Pring, Diandra Forrest, and Samantha Archibald, slaying some of falls boldest trends. The different shades of black skin represented by each model are breathtaking.

“Gail O’Neill reflects on how big business has affected Black models, “When I started in 1985, the industry was far more integrated. I feel sorry for the Black girls working today. So many times there is just one brown face, maybe two, in the couture shows…I can’t even count how many brown girls I would see every time the collections came around.”

I can’t wait to go by my local drugstore or newsstand to pick up my copy of Ebony’s September 2015 honoring Black Models!

xoxo – Summer Terry