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Apr 10SHADES OF GRAY
It is impossible to peruse magazines and not run across something that immediately strikes you as problematic, unless mentally you’ve checked out. When doing my internet sweep of what’s new this month I came across this editorial in the April Paris Vogue, shot by Terry Richardson and featuring one of my favorite models, Eniko Mihalik. I’ve yet to see the black model’s name mentioned. They’re supposed to be modeling watches.
So what’s the problem? Oh, besides the black model having to fulfill the racist stereotype of the “black buck?” We get to see Eniko’s eyes, we get to see she’s in control. What we get to see of her male companion is his hyper-sexualized body accompanied by his desire to ravage her - all for the sake of watches. All shot by a photographer (Terry Richardson) who is known to rarely take photos of black models. Even further is the color of his skin juxtaposed against Eniko’s acting as a prop to show exactly how white she really is.
I’m the first person to get in line for an interracial love fest, in fact, I’m the person holding the flag in the love parade. Asael, my boyfriend of 6 years, is Black and I’m Latina and I cannot deny the fact that when we see images like this we cringe because it isn’t the kind of representation we’re looking for. Both of us are equipped with the academic terminology to explain why this editorial is problematic, but more importantly we’ve both experienced why it is troublesome that these racial stereotypes are perpetuated. If your first response is to claim an oversensitivity to what is merely “fashion” then we need to step aside and have a whole other conversation.
Might I also suggest you check out Threadbared’s “Background Color” “Redux I” & “II“
