Jezebel
January is traditionally the month in which the fashion magazines are slimmer than usual. Not the models — the actual publications. In the post-holiday issues, advertising pages are down, and compared to December, it's a slow month in terms of projects, news and celebrities. So often, January is the month you'll find a person of color on the cover! And lo and behold, Rihanna is on Allure, looking gorgeous. (Christina Aguilera is on Marie Claire.) Our own Maria-Mercedes Lara did a tireless search through the January issues of W, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Marie Claire, Allure, Glamour, Lucky, Elle and Cosmopolitan, looking for women of color (she uses "ambiguous race" to describe models clearly not meant to be seen as "white.") Her tallies, after the jump.
Women Of Color In The January Fashion Magazines:
W :Even though January is a slow month, there are many zeroes in the tally above. Non-white models exist! You just won't see them in today's mainstream fashion magazines — despite the fact that black models worked constantly the '80s and '90s. Advertisers know who's out there spending cash, so they attempt to show diversity in their images. But the editors still seem to think that being non-white is "unfashionable." (But guess what? Black men are totally cool and cover-appropriate!) How long are we going to look for black, Latina and Asian models? As long as the billion dollar fashion industry continues to be so blatantly color-blind.
Total number of ads: 30
Total number of black women: 2 (1 celebrity; 1 young girl for Marc Jacobs)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1Total number of fashion spreads: 2
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0InStyle:
Total number of ads: 61
Total number of black women: 4 (no celebs)
Total number of Asian women: 1
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Total number of fashion spreads: 0 (not counting Katie Holmes)
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Allure:
Total number of ads: 50
Total number of black women: 5 (3 celebrities)
Total number of Asian women: 1 (a "real woman" for Proactiv)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 2 (1 celebrity)Total number of fashion spreads: 1
Total number of black women: 0 (but Rihanna is on the cover!)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Vogue:
Total number of ads: 54
Total number of black women: 8 (3 celebrities)
Total number of Asian women: 1 (1 celebrity)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 1 (Chanel Iman, in the accessories spread)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Harper's Bazaar:
Total number of ads: 29
Total number of black women: 1 (1 celebrity)
Total number of Asian women: 1 (1 celebrity)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 2Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 1 (Liya Kebede, in an actual fashion spread!)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Elle:
Total number of ads: 49
Total number of black women: 2
Total number of Asian women: 1
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 1 (Miss Universe, Riyo Mori)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Lucky:
Total number of ads: 43
Total number of black women: 5 (1 celebrity, 1 "real woman")
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Total number of fashion spreads: 1
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Cosmopolitan:
Total number of ads: 59
Total number of black women: 5 (1 "real woman")
Total number of Asian women: 2 (1 "real woman")
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Total number of fashion spreads: 1
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Marie Claire:
Total number of ads: 31
Total number of black women: 5 (1 "real woman")
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 2 (1 "real woman")Total number of fashion spreads: 2
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0Glamour:
Total number of ads: 46
Total number of black women: 6 (2 celebrities)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1 (Jessica Alba?)Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0
Earlier: Merry Christmas, Black Models, Wherever You Are
Where Are All The Black Models? Let's Start By Asking Anna Wintour
Is Prada To Blame For the Lack Of Black Models?
We're Still Looking For Black Models
Men's Vogue: Not Afraid Of Black People
What's The Message Behind A Black Man In Heels On The Cover Of Vogue?
Related: Black Men Add Color (Green) to the Holidays for Major Men's Magazines [AdAge]
Comments
ATTENTION fashion industry: Non-white people buy clothes, jewelry, and accessories too, assholes.
@TruculentandUnreliable: yeah! you fucking dykes.
@nyobserver: This is going to be up there with "totes" and "peen" and "country justice," isn't it?
@TruculentandUnreliable: Not to say that it didn't make me laugh.
Are we counting Xtina as Latina?
@TruculentandUnreliable: Such as.
Somewhat off topic, but Allure has reached it's apex as far as cover model airbrushing goes. Fergie was last month's cover girl, and her face was flawless beyond flawless, which is...unusual for a recovering meth addict, no?
@ArmCandy: Forgot that one!
@TruculentandUnreliable: abso-fucking dyke-lutely. just trying to make use of it while it still means something. being a fucking dyke and all, you know.
So where did you put Aguilera?
@hortense: Woman! Get out of my head! I bought that issue yesterday and sat on my bed looking at the cover and thinking "Weeell, if The Joker with a weave can be on Allure, I can, too. I should send them a picture."
@ArmCandy: for the children.
my favorite.
@JessicaLovejoy: For real. They do less airbrushing at the personalized t-shirt stand at the mall.
Allure is shameless with its airbrushing! They'll frequently feature cover models in their mid-30s and above, but make them look like college coeds. See: Zeta-Jones, Catherine; Pfeiffer, Michelle; and Ryan, Meg.
Here are a few suggestions for the magazines: Salma Hayek, Salma Hayek, Salma Hayek. Intelligence, power, and beauty.
@J.D.Regent: visually wise? hell no.
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1 (Jessica Alba?)
it's good that we're calling "hispanic" "ambiguous race" now (and yeah, christina aguilera: also hispanic).
whatever.
@AndalucĂa: Salma's mother is on the current cover of Hola, and let's just say it's genetic.
@TruculentandUnreliable: Don't forget Lesbian Feminazi Bonerkillers.
like, seriously, is there any particular reason that this column basically pretends hispanic women don't exist? i've kind of wondered about that for a while now and i guess seeing a hispanic celebrity called "ambiguous" just pissed me off.
@bowlingfordollars: Dammit! Can't believe I forgot that one.
Fucking WHATever. Such bullshit.
@the schef: Jessica Alba has said in interviews something to the effect that she doesn't want to be pigeon-holed as a hispanic woman.
Also, what about Middle Eastern women? Or are they also in the "ambiguous race" category?
@bessmarvingirldetective: No, she counts visually. Latin America is home to many blond-haired, blue-eyed Latinas. It's about culture, not skin color.* See: Cristina Saralegui, the Latin "Oprah" [www.cristinaonline.com]
*This is why some Latinos (from Latin America) don't consider American "Latinos" true. Salma Hayek called out J. Lo b/c she was American in culture. Others believe those who fail to speak Spanish or Portuguese also don't count.
@fulanita: I know. Gorgeous and amazing women. You can tell Valentina is in good hands.
@AndalucĂa:
Yes! I just saw "Frida" last weekend. So, so wonderful.
Wait. Isn't Chanel Iman part black and part Asian. Looks like our intern slipped up a bit there. It should read
Vogue:
Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 1/2 (Chanel Iman, in the accessories spread)
Total number of Asian women: 1/2 (Chanel Iman, in the accessories spread)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0
@the schef: It's my understanding that Hispanic/Latino people can be black or white or brown or a mixture of the above. Being Hispanic doesn't necessarily mean non-white, and I don't know how you would identify someone as Hispanic based on phenotype. That said, the expression "ambiguous race" is a weird expression to use. Why not "total number of other non-white women"?
Honestly, why can't the # of women used for magazine covers/fashion spreads be entirely based on census figures? Blacks and Hispanics make up roughly around 30% of the population, so why don't the magazines reflect that? I'd say that's a fair way to ensure that everbody is represented.
Asian sisters, I haven't forgotten about you. Y'all will get your 6% representation too.
@titilayo: Amen. It's an ethnicity, not a race. Christina Aguilera and Zoe Saldana were both in magazines this month. One is white, one is black, both are Hispanic.
First of all, Jessica Alba is mixed multiple ways (including black, though it goes down smoother to say latina, huh) so ambiguous is a fitting way not to pigeon-hole, I think.
No one is forgetting Latinas (or other ethnic/racial groups)- but to speak of women of color that is largely about skin tone and a willingness to embrace it (even if you could pass as something else). If you want to "pass" as white then so be it. Culture is not the issue here. Who knows this first judgement could be inaccurately including blacks as whites too and coming up wiith 0s. (People thought Jennifer Beale from Flashdance/L Word was white for the longest.)
But if someone wants to do the tally again.. I bet you still wouldn't see a whole lot of any other than White- even against all latina, middle eastern, asian, black and other non-white appearance.
how can an industry so creatively and artistically cool be SOOOOOOOO actually evil?
Hispanics are black, Hispanics are white .... blablabla. I've noticed some Hispanic people that are really and truly forgotten, and these are the ones that look like indigenous people.
@emartinez.romero: True dat. They are totally unrepresented in the media.
@TruculentandUnreliable: I'm totes gonna go country justice on your peen, you fucking dyke.
@AndalucĂa: But Salma was all kinds of fat and with-child this year. It's only fashionable to be pregnant if you're skinny with a baby basketball bump (Nicole Richie, X-tina).
"ambiguous race" kind of makes me nervous, not on jezebel, but in magazines. My brother is a prime example of someone who could be seen as "ambiguous race" because he's darker than Christina Aguilera and probably Jessica Alba (at least in the summer) but is as European-American as his white-ass older sister. I understand it's a useful place to classify non-white-looking women, but I could see magazines choosing darkish European women to try to ethnicize their magazine without actually bringing in any kind of diversity. Just, y'know, throwing that out there.
@jenndavo: Such as.
@notbetty: Yes, this woman is also a talented director! What more could you ask for?
@polypam: Clearly, this woman had no decency. It's like she was eating healthy or something. Uncalled for, really.
Color/race/ethnicity don't even bug me anymore. I want variation in body type, dammit. They're all tall with flat stomachs, flawless skin and long legs, except when they're adorably petite with flat stomachs, flawless skin and long legs.
America Ferrara: a step in the right direction.
It's kind of tough to win here - if you put an African-American woman on the cover, she becomes "the token non-white cover model of January"; The fact that some of those models might be Hispanic or Latina doesn't count if they look white; and "ambiguous race" just seems insulting...
@MissedTheExit: Not the way they had her on the cover of Glamour, she wasn't...not airbrushed, my ass - it looked like she had unbendable elbows.
@AndalucĂa:
on the calling out thing, I hate when people do that, seriously how is that supposed to help? at all? Shouldn't they be building bridges and encouraging people to explore their culture and get in touch with their roots instead of being vain culture snobs and alienating an entire generation?
@HoneyLush: of course that would be better, but we are talking about human beings, and those kind of people indulge in feeling superior sometimes. I may be wrong, but I thought Salma called out JLo b/c her Spanish isn't that great, but Salma's English is good. If so, she was feeling a little superior.
@jenndavo: For the children. Such as.
(I did freak out a little when you wrote "your peen." Nooooo do not want peen!)
@TruculentandUnreliable: In that case, I amend the previous statement to: "I will totes go country justice on any peen that threatens you, you fucking dyke, for the children.
Side note: A Jezebel newbie is getting pretty riled up over the dyke talk about three posts up. It's teh funnay.
@jenndavo: Thanks! I mean, I like some peens, just, you know, don't want one on myself.
Gonna check that out. Hilarious!