[fiercely]

Has anyone seen the Italian All Black Issue of Vogue out? I found an interesting link. The models are absolutely stunning. There are models such as Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Lily Taylor and more. I thought this was interesting, check it out:

Italian Vogue 's "All Black" Issue: A Guided Tour

What do you think of this concept of creating one entire issue of black models? I feel like models of all ethnicities should be represented equally all the time. There is so much controversy over whether or not certain ethnicities of people "sell" magazines. I think that's ridiculous. But I was very pleased with seeing such a beautiful diversity of black models who are promoting beauty and glamor.

[Ashley]

I think that's great, but I do wish all regular issues can be diverse, and of models of different races, not just one or two.

[Aprill]

1. Considering that fact that black models get little to no coverage in magazines, I think one issue a year (probably for the decade) is fair. We have never been represented in the same volume as any other race. And let me add, its not just blacks, it asians and indians and spanish decents as well, and we wont get started on bi racial people.

2. Since when did "blacks" represent poverty? All races do a fair and equal job of that.

[fiercely]

I should be more careful how I type things, but I never meant to say black represented poverty, I meant they are REPRESENTED in that manner.. the few seldom times you see them, they are illustrated in a negative light. But anyways, I took that part out to not cause any confusion.

[Darla_G]

It is just a very sad commentary that they would have to do an issue specifically focused on one race.

[fiercely]

I agree Darla_G, it is sad that they resort to segregational-type of magazine issues. Why can't we all be a happy family in one magazine?

[Adrienne]

I actually don't see such a big deal about it but it would be nice to see more diversity in all magazines in general showing more than just one race. Its like they decided and they know it, "hey, we don't have enough african americans in our magazine, lets dedicate one for them" I say its just another ploy of vogue's for "controversy."

[pinksugar]

well, I think that if, as Aprill says, they have been under represented in the past... (in oz, it's not really an issue so I am really naive about this situation in the US) then why shouldn't they have their own issue? It will be interesting to see what the sales are like - more than usual because people are interested and there's a bit of a debate about it? or less than usual as people either boycott it or aren't interested? I personally think they'll outsell their usual numbers

Basically though, I agree with Darla. It makes me sad that they should have been so under represented in the first place that they 'need' their own issue. In a way this is reverse racism, isn't it? I wish it could be that all races were respected enough that it wasn't even a consideration - a model should be chosen based on her look or attitude suiting the campaign chosen, nothing more.

Any pictures from the issue?

[laurafaye]

From left, Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, and Naomi Campbell

[StereoXGirl]

What about members of other races that have been excluded? Will they be getting their own issues as well?

I guess it's a good start, but I think it would be better if they just included women of all races regularly in each Issue...

[Darla_G]

Originally Posted by StereoXGirl

What about members of other races that have been excluded? Will they be getting their own issues as well?

I guess it's a good start, but I think it would be better if they just included women of all races regularly in each Issue...

i think that was the point i was trying to make as well

[fiercely]

Yeah, there are pictures. There are some pictures in the link I provided. I asked my boyfriend who is in Italy now, to purchase me an issue because he's coming to visit me in a few days... I'm really interested in it. I plan on doing a paper on this, since I've been doing a bit of my own research on this issue (no pun intended).

[brewgrl]

I never thought of it as a segregation as much as a celebration!
There has been a huge decline of black women in the fashion world, on all levels.
I embrace it, as an Asian girl who does nothing but look at catalogs all day at work, I notice and count the number of minorities photgraphed throughout the pages. I actually said something to one of my vendors that of the 100+ pages in their catalog, their were only 2 Asian, 5 black, and no Latino models!
he corrected me by finding 1 latino looking boy, but only because he looked tanner than the others.
It's not about segregation, its about awareness. Many people never notice when an ad campaign, or an entire magazine is all-Caucasian, and many times, that's the case.

[Aprill]

Originally Posted by brewgrl

I never thought of it as a segregation as much as a celebration!
There has been a huge decline of black women in the fashion world, on all levels.
I embrace it, as an Asian girl who does nothing but look at catalogs all day at work, I notice and count the number of minorities photgraphed throughout the pages. I actually said something to one of my vendors that of the 100+ pages in their catalog, their were only 2 Asian, 5 black, and no Latino models!
he corrected me by finding 1 latino looking boy, but only because he looked tanner than the others.
It's not about segregation, its about awareness. Many people never notice when an ad campaign, or an entire magazine is all-Caucasian, and many times, that's the case.

thank you thank you thank you fab answer!!!

[magneticheart]

I actually think it's great that a race is being celebrated like this! However I just wish that every issue of every magazine would represent the variety of looks.
Things like eye colour, hair colour, size and shape should be represented as well as ethnicity. I've lost count of the times I've opened a magazine to see a 'perfect' blonde haired, blue eyed, tanned skinned, thin girl staring back at me and yet I never seem to see other variations of beauty. Shouldn't all magazines have models from every background, ethnicity and of every shape and size in them to send out the message that beauty isn't about looking the way it's deemed attractive people should look but it's about the way women actually are in the 'real' world?