A brief Canadian documentary, by Elizabeth St. Philip, is the latest video to remind North Americans of the bias, ignorance, and prejudice that stymies the careers and progress of brown, black, and beige models in the U.S. fashion and advertizing industries. This is a part of the National Film Board of Canada’s series for “Work for All,” which are “against racism in the workplace.” “Colour” shows the latest act in the story of a 24-year-old Black model, Renee Thompson, who’s a 10-year veteran. The bottom-line question: “what isn’t beauty in the United States?”
Veteran Black, but not yet "top" model Renee Thompson
This 17-minute documentary produced by, Elizabeth St. Philip, and released by the National Film Board of Canada, tells the story of a 24-year-old model, Renee Thompson, who’s a 10-year veteran, globetrotting professional. This as she strives to “make it” before “aging out,” she has moved to New York City.
But, as the title declares, hers isn’t a frolicking story of the “glamour” of a professional pretty body and face. Instead, it’s a candid and somewhat in-depth examination of what the United States’ majority sees as the opposite of our standard of beauty – The money-losers of the glamour and beauty industry. Generally, those who have typically African, or obviously “other,” features.
They want “white girls dipped in chocolate. They really look like white girls who’re painted black; that’s beauty – to the industry.” said Justin Peery, Ms. Thompson’s New York agent.
“Colour” stands out for its candor, for including sources of many different shades, and for its high technical quality. Ms. Thompson is a compelling character with a compelling story. Of course, if your worldview or comfort level with this topic is superficial or timid, you won’t stay “tuned.”
The duration of 17-minutes is awkward. It won’t be marketed or promoted in a conventional way. That may just be Ms. St. Philip’s intention. Because she could have filled out a full 30-minutes by either including another brown or black model, even a man, to juxtapose two different careers, attitudes, and results, or by including more indelible and evocative details on Ms. Thompsons’ career, or why she’s only now doing the last sprint toward “top” status.
“The Colour of Beauty” (link, couldn’t figure out the Embed)
After having reported stories on these chronic and persistent cultural questions, one knows that it’s complex and contradictory in some ways. And some peoples’ points of view or rationales often just be out-right confusing. But then the nuances and subtleties of the big questions in adult life are rarely resolved as Hollywood, and we, want them to be.
For models with archetypical African features…
Well, it’s not bad news. It’s old. It’s not new. As with many Anglo (white) cultural institutions, it’s two-faced; representatives insist that more black, brown, and beige models need to be booked and bandied, but we still see the same – or seem to. Clearly, incremental change seems to feel slow as dial-up web surfing.
Given the meager progress or improvement, powerful people see more to gain from maintaining the status quo then from rocking the boat, their careers, and incomes and being blunt and vocal about this entrenched and generational crisis. it’s more nuanced and confusing than that, but it’s hard to reconcile some individual’s zeal to improve and upset the profession and the mainstream media messages with what seems to be that same industry’s stubborn stagnancy on the topic.
Just click below at how “The New York Times,” reported on the situation in 2009. It’s called “Fashion: Of Color | Diversity Beyond the Runway.”
“Runway is fun, but campaigns is what pays your bills!,” Chanel Iman said in this video.
As the narrator says, “There’s limited room at the top of runway fashion;” so, there’s even less room for brown, black, or beige models. And the air in the realm of ad campaigns is even more rare. (It’s morose how rare it is for even a few people to talk about the discomfort so many of them have with archetypically “black,” or “ethnic” features.)
Or click at how “The Wall Street Journal” reported on the situation in 2008. It’s called “Showcasing Diversity on the Runway.”
The communities of color face a dilemma: does any one of them either keep relying on the scraps of acknowledgement from the mainstream and majority media, and latch on to some bit of satisfaction, or do they strive to shun those ever present, broadcast and broadband messages in favor of struggling on the media landscape’s margins? Neither is an easy or simple choice.
Parents and friend usually remind us to look within when you want to remember how great or beautiful you are. Must I invoke Stuart Smalley’s elementary credo – with an earnest face? “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, doggone it, people like me.”
Seriously.
But the ethnically ambiguous models, the “exotics,” or more palatable choices, probably do get more work.
Model Chanel Iman
But the ethnically ambiguous models, the “exotics,” or more palatable choices, probably do get more work.
For multiethnic models of color…
Maybe it’s continued “good” news. While the “good” may be debatable, at least ethnically vague or ambiguous looks are booked. Those models who couldn’t be placed or “understood” in the conventional or typical ways have been a great novelty before; many people figured that that might translate into more opportunities for models with broad noses, lips, and butts.
Even though that’s a meager opening into the business.
The bottom-line: most people ask “what is beauty?” But the operative question, the one where the answer will give your something, what is Not beauty, in the majority’s eyes..? That’s the point of this Canadian documentary.
This is old news, but it reminds people of color to rely on themselves and their communities to support and affirm what they already know is beautiful.
