Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

Next In Fashion is a new fashion competition series that aired on Netflix in 2020, hosted by Queer Eye’s Tan France and fashion designer Alexa Chung. In the show, teams of designers in the fashion industry compete for $250,000 and the opportunity to debut a collection with Net-a-Porter. Each week has a different style that the designers must create looks for and one team is eliminated.

In the fourth episode, the theme was streetwear and they brought in Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder of the menswear label Pyer Moss, as a guest judge. The events and conversations of this particular episode shed light on the experiences of minority designers trying to make it in the fashion industry. One team, composed of two black female designers, Kiki and Farai, was put up for elimination in the bottom two after their design disappointed most of the judges. Farai defended their design and spoke about how difficult it is as a person of color to have her work recognized in the fashion industry, especially when her name is not well-known. “…The thing that I’ve noticed in the fashion industry, it’s mostly one voice that’s heard,” said Farai. “The high-end brands and designers are taking ideas from us every single day. And it only becomes cool when it’s high-end. For a lot of us, minorities, the underprivileged, we want you to see us but it’s so hard to be seen.”

In response, Jean-Raymond also shared, “I started this company because I couldn’t find a job in the industry. When I started making innovative designs and really started to find my voice, I started seeing my stuff show up. Louis Vuitton copies my shit. It’s just the way that the world is working for me right now.”

This conversation gives insight into the way that nonwhite designers are often overlooked in the fashion industry or not given the credit that they deserve. We see this in television all the time, in shows like Project Runway. In season 1 of the show, black female designer Kara Saun won four challenges but ultimately lost to Jay McCarroll, a white male designer who did not win any challenges. Additionally, in season 11, guest judge Rachel Roy fought for the value of designers of color to be recognized after the judges wanted black female designer Samantha Black to be eliminated instead of a white male designer who performed worse.

Through television series about fashion, we can see and be more aware of the racial tensions that still exist in the fashion world. Designers of color still struggle to be recognized and are often less favored in comparison to white designers, and it is important that we can hear these conversations on television to recognize the need for change.

One of the admirable aspects of the fashion industry is its ability to and redefine the stereotypes that are present in American society. Recently, the adaption of a variety of fashion shows have contributed to this content, centering their show’s focus on sexual orientation and gender biases. Shows like Project Runway, Next in Fashion, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and What Not to Wear all attempt to combat clothing stereotypes associated with gender, and inspire thier audiences to represent a more nonbinary community.

The first Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show was broadcasted in 2003, and had been brought back again with even more popularity. The show consists of five gay men who work to improve a straight man through his sense of style and/or his general appearance. The show does an excellent job in promoting authenticity and acceptance among the men on the show, and work toward promoting clothes of all styles, despite typical gender norms. What makes the show even more heartwarming is the fact that the boys have all struggled with gender bias and judgment in their own lives, which is a main drive for their longing to improve the lives of others and promote positive messages about self-acceptance and love. The show displays “a thoughtful examination of gender and how it impacts us as we move through the world” and “what it means to be masculine or feminine, male or female or neither.”

In an interview about gender, Jonathon Van Ness, one of the Queer Eye five, was praised for wearing a floral skirt during his tour around the U.S Capital. This was his response: “Growing up as a teenager in rural Illinois, I would have to wear what I wanted at dawn or in the dark of night — I would be terrified to go out and wear what I wanted to wear in the day. The older I get, the more I feel like I’m nonbinary or gender nonconforming; I’ve definitely never felt comfortable in traditional masculine clothes. The pressure of that really started to wear on me in my 20s, so I’ve really tried to get rid of the shame. For me, it’s really about celebrating clothes that make me feel good. I think I’m feminine. I’m masculine. I’m both.” It is inspiring to see how he represents himself as nonbinary, and tends to associate it with his clothing. What we wear shouldn’t be based on what gender we are, or how we will be perceived by society, but rather out of love and respect. He makes this known in the show.

In addition, shows like Next in Fashion and Project Runway similarly promote a diverse and nonbinary community. In the most recent season of Next in Fashion, a variety of different contestants of all genders were participating, all displaying unique forms of clothing that were no mere representation of a particular gender. All in all, fashion television is coming more and more aware of the longing to change gender stereotypes, to promote all types of clothing, regardless of gender or sexuality.

WornOnTV.net is a website that displays outfits that characters on television shows have worn. It also tells the viewer where to buy the item and how much it costs. ShopYourTV.com is another site that does the same thing. Actors on television shows and movies always look their best. Each character has their own style, and their outfits have to be very well put together for each scene. Some shows have been credited with making history with the iconic fashion choices the characters made. One such show is That 70’s Show. Many people turn to this show for their retro fashion inspiration. Another example is Gossip Girl. This show was full of incredible outfits worn by teens who were wealthy and living in New York City on the Upper East Side. The teens had unique styles that inspired many. These television outfit sites also exist on Instagram in the form of personal accounts created by fans.

Cosmopolitan wrote an article about the thirty most iconic and unforgettable character styles in television shows. The one that resonated with me the most was Jennifer Aniston’s style as Rachel Green on Friends. They also wrote an article about the forty most famous outfits from iconic movies. The one that I liked the most from this article was Constance Wu’s style as Rachel Chu on Crazy Rich Asians. This shows that fashion in television and movies can really make an impression on those who are fans and can have an impact on their sense of style or their fashion sense.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qgISxeLRzDp-_yXlpfa3Talp11OVPlQ4WDgFzmeEoiQ/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

Beyond the models and designers, there are many more jobs in the fashion industry that should be examined when thinking about racial inclusivity in fashion. While the numbers of nonwhite people in the fashion world still need to be improved, we are far from where we need to be in terms of the way they are treated and included.

In 2019, Naomi Campbell talked at a Wall Street Journal conference about the need for diversity behind the desk. Oftentimes, the reason why we still see racially insensitive garments and advertisements is due to the lack of racial diversity in the staff of many brands. However, even with some people of color behind the desks, racial tensions still exist.

People of color still feel like they need to fit a certain look in order to be accepted. The senior digital fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar, Chrissy Rutherford, says, “We work in a really superficial industry. Part of the reason why I had an easy time getting a job is because I’m tall and skinny. Maybe that helped ‘balance’ my being a black girl. It’s all about the optics.”

Senior publicist, Camille Easy, discusses the struggles of trying to have a voice, saying, “My biggest frustration is when I’m trying to advocate for someone black and push to work with them because I think it’s a good opportunity, but then there’s a ‘No’ without having a full discussion about why. The hardest part is just not being heard.”

Designer Aurora James says, “Fashion has a bad habit of making very surface-level changes. It’s not just about adding more black models. People don’t think about the factory workers who are, honestly, almost always people of color. How meaningful would it be to make something beautiful that is also empowering?” When shifting the focus on executive diversity, we often think that we are making a lot of progress when people of color are hired for top positions. But we must also not forget about the people of color who are exploited in low-level fashion jobs.

After many years of diving deep into the fashion industry, the same question still arises: Why is a predominantly female industry still run mostly by men? The industry itself has done an incredible job addressing issues of race and diversity in recent years, yet gender is something simply not talked about enough. The gender gap still prevalent between male and female workers is significant, and the industry must become aware of this dichotomy in the workforce.

In a recent report about jobs in fashion, “One hundred percent of the women interviewed in the report said there was an inequality problem in fashion; less than half the men did.” This problem is not only stemmed in America, but overseas as well. British companies revealed data claiming women to be paid less than men, and the French brand Dior designated its first female designer in only 2016. It is also claimed that, “while 71 percent of survey participants reported having a female supervisor before the vice president level (which is considered entry level to management), that number had shrunk to 52 percent by the next stage.” Reasonings for such a discrepancy are reasonable when one considers factors such as “family, sexism, lack of mentorship and confidence, less aggressive pursuit of promotion.”

However, the conclusion that seemed to outweigh the others was the consideration of underlying social issues, such as old-fashioned attitudes toward women in the fashion industry. It was reported that “one manager said he was less likely to give women critical feedback because he was worried they might ‘cry’”. The dean of fashion at Parsons, Burak Çakmak, says this ideology “reflects the way the business has been run for a long time,” and claims we are headed toward a “a more collective approach” due to an increase in globalization.

Although there are many successful female designers and workers in the fashion industry, there is still a lot of work to be done regarding the gender between men and women. Allocating more openings to this female industry is the goal for future success in this workforce.

LinkedIn is one of the larger job sites and has become very popular in the last few years. Many college students, including myself, have LinkedIn accounts. This is what we use to find jobs and internships, and fashion students can find jobs in the fashion industry through LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows filters. Students (and others looking for jobs) can filter their search and they can choose where they would like to work, how much they would like to get paid, the experience level of the job, the job type, and many other things that make the search much, much more convenient.

As we have mentioned in previous posts, social media is very important in the fashion industry. One of the ways to be a part of the fashion industry and get paid by fashion companies without getting a job is by having a lot of followers. Some fashion industries reach out to Instagram users who have a large following and send them products. Then these Instagram users are paid to post wearing or using the products and give credit to the companies that sent the products to them. This provides the company with publicity. It also provides the Instagram user with some quick cash. Other companies that are not in the fashion industry also do this with their products. Most often, this type of marketing is most effective when they are able to get a celebrity to endorse them and their product because celebrities have the most followers on Instagram, with Cristiano Ronaldo taking the top spot.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fashion industry, like many others, has taken a hit. As we are all quarantined at home, people are not shopping at stores, and haven’t been for a while. We also don’t know when we will be able to safely leave our homes, and even once that does happen, it would probably be best to avoid places with large amounts of people, like the mall. The economy as a whole is not doing well during this time, and this means that many people in all industries, not just the fashion industry, are losing their jobs.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w1i4Pb0KQ18foCuJUDvDRqqhqHBCUVfGGmhM5M-bKg8/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

Instagram has become a platform for people to have their voices heard and share their stories. Particularly for the fashion world, Instagram users have utilized the platform to speak out about racial diversity issues and celebrate people who are often not represented as much in mainstream media.

In 2018, Instagram users called out the fashion brand Revolve for their lack of diversity in the influencers they work with, the nominees for the 2017 Revolve Awards, and on their Instagram page with #RevolveSoWhite. Plus-size blogger Valerie Eguavoen came across images from a Revolve trip to Phuket, Thailand, which was part of the brand’s #RevolveAroundTheWorld. Angered by the lack of diversity, Eguavoen made a blog post about it, which was shared on Instagram by another user and gained a lot of support online. Two days later, Eguavoen started the Instagram page, @YouBelongNow, which is “…dedicated to highlighting influencers who are content creators, and who work hard to produce content, but are consistently overlooked because of the color of their skin, their religion, their gender.”

Another Instagram account, @MoreModelsofColor, gives models of color the recognition that the fashion industry fails to give. Their posts show the diversity of models that exist beyond what people see on the runways and advertisements. They said, “The idea that European features are the epitome of beauty needs to be abolished… All girls, regardless of their ethnic background, have the right to see themselves portrayed in the fashion industry.”

Through Instagram, people of color are able to confront the fashion industry and their beauty standards. People can comment on brands’ Instagrams and make posts speaking out against the racism or lack of inclusivity that they see in the fashion world. Additionally, Instagram can be a place to form communities that support and empower each other.

Instagram has transcended beyond its origins, and has now become a place of inclusivity and connectivity among its users. What started off at just an app to post single pictures, has turned into a broadcasting resource, where everyone can use it as a place to advocate opinions, political issues, fashion statements, and just a place to interact. Most importantly, it has been an amazing place for transgender/non-binary individuals to connect, and find others who share similar stories and experiences.

Each year on March 31st, the world celebrates Transgender Day of Visibility by spreading awareness about transgender people. With such unprecedented times on our hands, GLAAD and Instagram are collaborating to bring these communities together, and to remind everyone that no one is alone during the struggle to combat COVID-19. The main goal of the campaign is to harness the “power of creating online communities of support and emphasizing storytelling to drive interpersonal connection, virtual dialogue, and cultural change.” Through Instagram, they will utilize IGTV to show videos and pictures of transgender individuals and thier significant others to display diverse love stories.

The creator of the campaign, Alex Schmider, said: “Especially during this unprecedented time, we know that it’s critical for people to find support and connection through online communities and digital storytelling. Through #translovestories we want to show that trans people are capable and deserving of finding and sharing love — for ourselves and with others. It’s also an opportunity for the partners, friends, and family who love us to show that we are an important and valuable part of their lives. Because of the discrimination trans people face, not everyone can be visible today, but we believe campaigns like this are part of creating a world where every trans person can be accepted, loved, and celebrated for who they are.”

In addition, Instagram has also adapted more inclusive gender settings, so now users can choose between “female, male, and custom”. Following that, in response to Pride Month, Instagram established a rainbow hashtag for a number of trending pride related tags, such as  “#lgbt, #bornperfect, and #transequalitynow”. Overall, the app has encouraged more forms of LGTBQ acceptance and inclusivity, which has allowed many fashion designers to utilize their platforms to do the same.  Hopefully we will continue to see an increase in love and awareness for those of this community.

On another note, Instagram is also being used by users around the world much more this month and last month. Personally, I have seen many of my friends using social media to combat their boredom. During the quarantine days of COVID-19, people are turning to social media to give them ideas about how to spend their time. Challenges are running rampant through everyone’s feeds, and the latest challenge we’ve been seeing on everyone’s pages is the Pillow Challenge. This is a fashion challenge in which you must put a pillow on your front and hold it in place with a belt. After that, you may use other accessories to make your strapless dress as fashionable as possible. Many celebrities have done the challenge including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, and Trace Ellis Ross.

In today’s day and age, social media is what pushes everything forward, and fashion is no exception. Instagram is now where people get their fashion inspiration and discover new styles. Magazines were what people used to use, but those days are quickly moving away. People go on Instagram to view and like and post aesthetic photos, and aesthetic photos usually include the perfect outfit. Many, if not all, fashion companies, fashion bloggers, fashion photographers, fashion models, and other people in the fashion industry have Instagram accounts.

Having an Instagram account for a company is becoming almost as important as a website for a company. Instagram accounts are included on business cards and they are linked on websites. Social media is a huge part of marketing now for companies. This is where they advertise their newest products and place their celebrity endorsements. Every commercial and ad is posted on Instagram. Instagram reaches a much larger and diverse audience than even television, especially considering the lack of cable purchases nowadays with the rise in popularity of streaming services.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JMmcyFq8ODISXXVcVTPxSGvA5xOUiPPUWUEE4Mc8Xjw/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

While we are slowly seeing more models of color in advertisements, campaigns, and on the runways, numbers are not everything. Representation is extremely important, but there are still a lot of issues pertaining to how models of color are treated that are not seen by the public eye. These are some of the experiences that models of color have had behind the scenes of castings, photoshoots, and runways.

Caribbean model Shivani Persad constantly finds herself as the only nonwhite person on set or in a casting line. Photographers have told her that she is beautiful because she has dark skin and Caucasian features. She further says, “What is that supposed to mean? I’m only attractive because I have Eurocentric features? I’ve had people say to me: ‘You’re lucky because you kind of fit in between this white and black skin color.’ So for a hair campaign or something, for example, they’ll check their diversity quota by booking you. But they won’t have to deal with a black girl’s hair.”

Another persistent issue is the inadequate styling for models of color. Naomi Campbell, one of the six supermodels of her generation in the late 1980s and 1990s, spoke out about how many stylists did not have any experience working with black models. This is a result of not booking black models in the first place, where stylists have no practice when it comes to black models. As model and activist, Bethann Hardison explains, this means that black models could lose job opportunities solely because of the texture of their hair. Stylists who have less or no experience working with black models are less willing to work with them because it would be more “difficult.” In order to compensate for this and not lose opportunities, some black models would get straight hair extensions so they would have a hair texture that stylists could work with. Additionally, they would often have to bring their own styling kits with their hair and makeup products so that they could properly achieve the look they wanted.

However, this issue is not a thing of the past. Ashley Chew, model and activist who started the #BlackModelsMatter movement in 2014, still has experiences like this in 2019. Backstage at New York Fashion Week, Chew and all of the other models of color were waiting to get their hair and makeup done for the show. They watched as all of the white models got all of their hair and makeup nearly done. Some of the models of color tried to ask when it would be their turn, but were often brushed off. They later came to the realization that the stylists did not know how to work with their natural hair or dark skin, so they were pushing them off until the last minute. Chew recalls that 20 minutes before the show, a hairstylist came up to her and hesitantly tied her hair to form a puff, which was the hairstyle that Chew arrived in. Stories similar to this happen all the time.

It is important for models to speak out about the racism that still exists in the fashion industry, especially what the public cannot see. Although the amount of nonwhite representation is important, true inclusivity in the fashion world also involves the ways in which models of color are viewed and treated.

Despite the elegant performances and photographs displayed by fashion models, the experience behind the scenes is far beyond what it seems. The never ending cycle of misogyny and mistreatment among models continues to escalate, which yet again, contradicts a predominantly female industry. It is important for the public to understand how women are privately shamed, hurt, and abused behind the scenes of fashion shows, photoshoots, and social media to realize the importance of speaking out against men portraying toxic masculinity. Most reports of mistreatment and abuse seemed to be stemmed by authoritative male figures in the industry, which is no surprise considering the toxic cultural normalities of the fashion world. However, although this abuse is generated from a variety of different companies and fashion brands across the world, the company with much attention on the matter is Victoria’s Secret.

Inside the company for years, two powerful men “presided over an entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment,” those being Ed Razek and Leslie Wexner. Sources claimed that Ed Razek was notorious for having multiple complaints about inappropriate behavior and sexual abuse, and even “tried to kiss models, asked them to sit on his lap, and touched one’s crotch ahead of the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.” Women who reported the incidents to Leslie Wexner, the billionaire founder and chief executive of L Brands, simply brushed them off and retaliated against them by no longer hiring those who lashed out against Razek. The two men have essentially used their wealth and power to continuously mistreat and sexualize the women involved with the brand, which in itself is just morally wrong. They persisted with their authority, and even threatened women if they didn’t act according to their standards, stating that “their careers were in his hands.”

In addition, Victoria’s Secret photographer, Russell James, engaged in subtle provocation himself. After regular shoots with the women, James would ask if the girls wanted to be photographed nude for his books and portrait series. Which, keep in mind, any photos taken after the shoot were not under the Victoria’s Secret contract. Many agreed, because “he had a knack for making women feel comfortable.” Oftentimes, these photos were published in places without the woman’s consent, and was purely using these photos for his own personal net gain.

Overall, behind the scenes of fashion shoots and shows is a very uncomfortable and misogynistic place. Male figures in the industry feel they have complete control over women, and use their power to mistreat women and their bodies. Hopefully, as time progresses, people will continue to use their voice to lash out at those who are using their platform for immoral behaviors.

Though there are many things fashion executives like to keep behind closed doors, some companies make their behind the scenes public. For example, Aerie, a company we’ve addressed in a previous post, has a website dedicated to the behind the scenes of their photoshoots. This is part of their #AerieREAL Life page, which highlights role models, lists events, addresses their campaign, talks about their efforts to create a “better world”, and mentions the styles and trends that Aerie is predicting. Aerie has always been a brand that is about diversity and inclusivity, so it is fitting that they would be open about their behind the scenes. Of course, they are not required to disclose everything about their shoots, and neither is any other company, so it is possible that there are some wrongdoings that are occuring that aren’t made public. However, Aerie promotes many positive messages that combat sexism and racism, so this is much less likely.

Calvin Klein, another brand we have addressed, also puts some of their behind the scenes on the internet. They’ve chosen another route; instead of a website, they make short YouTube videos primarily focused on specific celebrities that they work with and do campaigns with. For example, they have done behind the scenes videos with Shawn Mendes, Kendall Jenner, Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, and many more. It is a bit curious that Calvin Klein doesn’t do these videos with regular models. They only publicize the shoots they do with the famous people they pay large amounts of money to.

Victoria’s Secret, one more brand that we have written about, does not post online about their own behind the scenes. As mentioned previously, Victoria’s Secret has been exposed for having problems with sexism and racism during their shoots. It’s clear that there is a pattern and a relationship between how much each company posts on the internet about their shoots and how hostile the environments at these shoots are.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VEj2LsU9yErCtpIye5_Ya-HLYlhasvpsMxQMtyGqgNo/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

The CFDA, otherwise known as the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is a group of hundreds of accomplished designers from around the country, including Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and many others. Their goal is to facilitate and cultivate the economic impact of American fashion across the globe. This nonprofit organization hosts the CFDA Fashion Awards every year. They have also established, hand in hand with Vogue, A Common Thread, which is a fashion fund that started as a result of the 9/11 tragedy that occurred almost 19 years ago. In 2020, this fund is raising money as well as awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On their website, the CFDA also has a section titled “Industry Insights”. It features a myriad of articles, interviews, webinars, and toolkits on many related subjects including Investment, Retail, Supply Chain, Sustainability, and Operations. This media library is meant to be helpful and encouraging to anybody who is even remotely interested in the fashion industry. An entrepreneur, a student, a business executive, or even an environmentalist working in the fashion industry can find something on this site to aid them in perfecting their craft.

Something I came across when researching the CFDA Fashion Awards that I found to be very interesting was that the Board of Directors’ tribute for the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards was to Barbie. Many times, we see Barbie painted in a negative light due to the unattainable beauty standards she possessed for so long. The CFDA, on the other hand, decided to applaud her for her accomplishments and the diversity and inclusion the brand has brought to the dolls in recent years. They do address Barbie as a female role model, but focus on her impressive career list. I found this choice to honor Barbie rather intriguing not only because Barbie is not a real person (though as mentioned on the website, her social reach is immense), but also because they didn’t focus on her clothes or her body. Instead, they made sure to cover all bases of her persona, and they really did a great job of validating their choice.

The CFDA has been more aware of their responsibility to be racially inclusive in their Fashion Awards. The world of fashion has become so diverse, and it is extremely important for people of different racial backgrounds to be included and recognized for their work.

In February of 2018, the CFDA president and chief executive officer, Steven Kolb, sent out an email to voters to remind them to consider the diversity in the fashion world as they make their decisions. Hopefully we can get to a point where people will not have to be reminded to be inclusive in their decisions, but it is refreshing to know that the CFDA is taking the initiative to promote inclusivity. In the email, Kolb wrote, “We truly want the event to celebrate the full creative spectrum and richness of American fashion. Just think of how much fashion is changing, and the diversity of our industry. Designers with broad cultural backgrounds and political ideas are expressing their experiences and beliefs in their collections. Their work deserves greater acknowledgment, acceptance and visibility.”

Kolb acknowledged that a lot of people say that the same people are getting the same awards every year, but he encourages the nominating guild “to really look at the full spectrum of talent and hopefully express themselves for a nomination that is inclusive and represents the fashion industry’s diversity. It was really to put the powers back to the people and to remind them that if they want to see new names they really have to think deep. But also now to really be thoughtful about inclusiveness and really look at the full spectrum of people working in our industry.”

The host of the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards was actress Issa Rae, making her the first person of color to serve as an M.C. and the first female M.C. since 2009. At the awards, Rae recognized the contributions of black designers and style influencers, while also bringing attention to the industry’s ignorance towards their contributions and cultural appropriation. The internet applauded her for starting important conversations about black designers and style influencers in the fashion industry.

For the fashion industry being so artistically diverse and individualistic, there’s still a long way to go in supporting a more politically and socially diverse system. During the time of the Women’s March in 2017, the CFDA proposed a study to examine gender inequality in the fashion industry. With such high critique over male dominance in a so called feminine industry, the CFDA chose to dive deeper into the controversies behind gender inequality to expose the underlying factors contributing to it.

One main issue that has been recorded of the CFDA Fashion Awards itself is the continuous distribution of awards among the same designers every year. Although awards are purely based on talent, many people seem to base their votes off the physical appearance of clothing, rather than looking deeper into the cultural or political aspect of a look, or the deeper underlying methods used to construct the look. Specifically, in regards to women in fashion, many female artists tend to go unnoticed simply due to a more well-known male artist overpowering the votes and considerations of people. In a study published in 2015 by Allison Stokes, a sociologist at the University of Waterloo, statistics state that “between 1981–2013, 98 men have received an award from the CFDA, compared to only 29 women, [and of] these 98 men, 51 have publicly identified as not heterosexual.” So, overall, more male designers are receiving appraisal for their work and, thus, more CFDA awards than women.

Women designers are often viewed in a secondary light in comparison to men, and it is visible not only in high end fashion awards such as this one, but in magazines, journals, and social media. When being written about their works, women appeal to consumers as “comfortable,” “grounded,” and to have “never grew up,” whereas male designers are described as “soul of the poet,” “the Flaubert of fashion,” and “the mad prince of British fashion.” It is quite disturbing to see such a dichotomy in male and female perspectives in fashion, which was a primary drive for the CFDA to pursue the Glass Runway study.

The faults behind such discrimination against women is conditioned through public misconceptions behind a look. The problem with any type of art is essentially “the lack of objective guidelines around why an object or collection might be considered “great.” Most opinions developed about a designer or particular look are stemmed through uncertainty, with lesser thought on “cultural relevance, historical reference, color treatment,” which overall, leads to gender bias. Hence, autonomy and authenticity comes into question with women in the fashion industry.

On a final note, the actions taken to perform this study were exactly what the industry needed to become aware of the gender inequality still present in the business. The CFDA now encourages all of its voters to carefully consider their votes from an unbiased standpoint, and to consider all designers’ cultural and political backgrounds when voting.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LY-gnvulKgfgVnyVBW3V_45bT5g2-UsIS1O8BxJ0FeM/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

Dictionary.com defines advertising as “the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc., especially by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc.” (Dictionary.com). This definition seems to be quite outdated, however, because it does not include advertising on social media or advertising on the internet. These forms of advertising have become immensely popular and widely used. The internet and digital media have almost overtaken print media, with many newspapers online and choosing to go paperless. Nonetheless, the basic message of this definition is correct; advertisements are meant to draw attention to a product or a service or a company.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the advertisement and its contents), an advertisement also conveys subliminal messages in countless ways. The images, the words, the people, the colors, the body language, the objects and props, the effects, the diction and millions of other little, subtle pieces of the advertisements spread messages to the viewers.

Advertising has had a long history of portraying people of color in stereotypical and offensive ways. While times have definitely changed, we still see problems with advertisements in fashion today, as some continue to depict people of color insensitively. We still see advertisements that exoticize people of color, portray them as “other,” or are reminiscent of old associations or stereotypes.

In January of 2018, the clothing retailer H&M faced a lot of criticism after people saw their website featuring a black model wearing a hoodie that read, “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.” Additionally, a white model wore a hoodie that said, “Official Survival Expert.” Many people criticized the company, pointing out that associating a black person with a monkey echoes the racist connotations that have long been used. After news of this controversy circulated, The Weeknd, a singer who had modelled for H&M campaigns and collaborated with them on pieces for his own brand, cut ties with them as a result.

One day later, rapper G-Eazy announced the cancellation of his H&M clothing line in an Instagram post, calling the photo “racially and culturally insensitive.” In his caption, he continued, “Whether an oblivious oversight or not, it’s truly sad and disturbing that in 2018, something so racially and culturally insensitive could pass by the eyes of so many (stylist, photographer, creative and marketing teams) and be deemed acceptable.” H&M later apologized for the photo, removing it from their website and pulling the shirt from their stores.

The Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana also received backlash for their three videos that they released on Weibo to promote their Shanghai runway show, “The Great Show.” One video in particular showed an Asian woman wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress attempting to eat Italian food with chopsticks. There was Chinese folk music playing in the background with a voiceover of a man instructing and mocking her. People on Weibo called the video racist, saying that it depicts Chinese people stereotypically and illustrates the woman as incompetent. She is meant to be laughed at and the advertisement suggests that she is unable to conform to Western culture. Some even wanted to boycott the brand, with #boycottdolce trending on Twitter. Hundreds of Chinese actors and models that were planning on walking the runway withdrew from the event. Dolce & Gabbana apologized and ultimately cancelled their show.

Racially insensitive fashion advertisements still have yet to be a thing of the past. Hopefully, we can continue to learn from these instances and continue to hold brands accountable for the way that they portray people of color.

As we all know, advertising is vital in the fashion world. Companies such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Calvin Klein are notorious for their spontaneous fashion advertisements, utilizing their platforms to incorporate a variety of different themes and settings to fully display their products. However, aside from publicizing products, what are these advertisements really promoting in regards to gender and sexuality?

For years, fashion advertisements have been portraying stereotypical pictures of women in response to the social and cultural perceptions reflected in society. In many images, women are seen as submissive, inferior, and vulnerable. The majority of the advertising campaigns promoted by high-end fashion brands contain female models closed off and heavily reliant on a male figure. Rather than showing dominance and authority in women, they are constantly being portrayed in a sexualized and seductive way, and are often viewed as the vulnerable or powerless individuals in fashion advertising.

In addition, women are notorious for showing different forms of body language than men. For example, in the following Hugo Boss ad, the woman has her arm steady against a platform, as if she is trying to keep herself up by the dominant male figure. She also has a tense facial expression, and appears to be making very minimal eye contact. The man, however, has his hand casually in his pocket while grabbing the woman’s waist, asserting his power and dominance over her.

Essentially, these brands are intentionally selling gender identities in their advertisements, and manipulating their audiences to further succumb to the stigmatized gender roles present in our society. It is said that Calvin Klein, one of the most famous and successful fashion brands, was a main influencer of sexualized advertisements, and has influenced many other brands to do the same, which, of course, is simply controversial and provocative.

On the contrary, advertisers and graphic designers have been promoting more realistic visualizations of natural beauty among women, as seen in Dove’s beauty campaign and the #AerieReal campaign. Both of these companies have essentially changed the methods of advertising in fashion, by portraying women of all races, genders, shapes, and sizes, and promoting female dominance to reflect diversity and authenticity in society. We can only hope that these high-end fashion brands begin to alter their traditional methods of advertising to promote more realistic and natural images of women.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cEb_Q5-Hi_tkse4xL9FtNoM1m-XP-06QZ7OVT52LxaI/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

In the 1980s and 1990s, Calvin Klein was a brand that had no problems casting models of color. For the years that followed, they started to become criticized for lacking racial inclusivity particularly in their fashion shows, acquiring a reputation for having some of the whitest New York Fashion Week shows. However, in recent years, they have begun to include more non-white models as well as celebrate them in their campaigns and runway shows.

Calvin Klein came under fire in 2013 for their lack of racial inclusivity, when black model and activist Bethann Hardison sent out letters to the four governing bodies that oversee the New York, London, Paris, and Milan Fashion Weeks. The letters were sent on behalf of The Diversity Coalition, discussing the lack of non-white models on the runways. The letters concluded with a list of designers and brands that lacked racial diversity on their runways, including Calvin Klein, along with other brands such as Céline, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Versace.

James Scully, a casting director, has been vocal about the shows that did not have diverse casting in their shows. Scully has said that Calvin Klein would sometimes hire one black model “to not get in trouble.” Additionally, the women’s creative director of Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa, justified their choices by saying, “There are only a handful of top-level, professionally trained models of color at a particular level out there now, and they end up being booked by other fashion houses and can be seen on dozens of runways each season, which is counter to what we are looking for.”

After looking through their recent campaigns and runway shows, Calvin Klein has definitely made improvements. Their runways are more racially inclusive and move beyond using non-white models only as a token minority. A report of their Spring 2019 advertisements found that non-white models made up 67% of advertisements for Calvin Klein Performance, 67% for CK Calvin Klein, and 58% for Calvin Klein Underwear.

Their newest campaign launched in February of 2020, titled “DEAL WITH IT.” It celebrates “unapologetic confidence and self-love,” featuring a diverse range of celebrities who have a “willingness to bare themselves to the world.” The campaign includes Lil Nas X, Lay Zhang, SZA, Justin Bieber, Hunter Schafer, Maluma, and Kendall Jenner.

Just in 2017, Calvin Klein, the world’s leading fashion brand, had signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles, known to be “comprising a set of seven areas in which businesses can take action to promote gender equality in the workplace.” Steve Shiffman, CEO of Calvin Klein, spoke out about his commitment to the organization and emphasized his important role as a global leader, and his battle to “continue to fight for gender equality across the world, and lead true social change.” It is true that the brand is a prime influencer of inclusivity and diversity among its models, however, it hasn’t always been so impactful in this way.

Back in 2016, Calvin Klein presented its campaign tagline “I ____ in #MyCalvins” which sparked controversy regarding the brand’s true message to its consumers. Actress Klara Kristin posed in an “up-the-skirt” photo, with the caption, “I flash in #MyCalvins,” following an image of Kendall Jenner holding a grapefruit with the caption, “I eat in #MyCalvins.” Many people have critiqued the images on social media, saying they “objectify and hyper-sexualize women.”

This image shows a woman with her hands in her underwear, with the caption “I pulse in #MyCalvins”. Clearly, these photos are simply supporting the perpetuation of hypersexualized women in society, and using women as a sexual appeal to advertise its products. In addition to representing women this way, the brand also has also stigmatized gender roles, portraying men in a higher light than women.

Advertisements show Klara Kristin posed on a couch, with the caption “I seduce in #MyClavins” yet, in another light, portray Fetty Wap’s ad with a simple headshot of himself in a regular black T-shirt, with a caption “I make money in #MyCalvins”. The two are clearly juxtaposed, as they address the double standards of men being breadwinners and women being sexualized.

Calvin Klein Australia is also known for its “rape” ad that was present in 2007. The ad shows a woman getting raped by a gang of men, in an effort to display the “dark fantasies” people may dream about when buying their products. However, an idea like this is simply unprofessional and morally wrong. To attach a personal sexual opinion to your brand equity is distasteful, and is quite offensive to women.

Although Calvin Klein has a history of hypersexualizing women, the brand has transformed its traditional tools of advertising to incorporate a more diverse and accepting scenery for its products. It now promotes difference among individuals, by including those of all genders and sexualities to support its campaign. Luckily, new protocols have opened up new opportunities to support gender equality and human rights across its leading corporations by “promoting education, training, and professional development for women.”

Calvin Klein’s decision to spearhead their latest campaigns with a hashtag was well thought out. As I mentioned in an earlier reply, hashtags are a method of grouping. This can be taken both literally as well as socially. Instagram and other social media platforms that support hashtags literally group posts that use the same hashtag, but people also like to use hashtags because this places them in a social group with other people who use the same hashtag. For example, wedding hashtags, which are becoming more and more popular as well as more and more socially sought after, are used by guests to verify that they are part of the ingroup of people who were invited. The APA dictionary of psychology defines an ingroup as “a group characterized by intense bonds of affiliation such that each member feels a sense of kinship and some degree of loyalty to other members by virtue of their common group membership” (APA Dictionary of Psychology). The hashtags give their posts and their attendance at the wedding a sense of validity. In the same way, using Calvin Klein’s hashtag “#MyCalvins” puts everyone who uses it into a group of people that are given a figurative token of inclusion. If you look up #MyCalvins on Instagram, it is clear that the hashtag is being used by everyone, not just those who were paid to use it, in an effort to get into that coveted group. Calvin Klein gives a few people the chance to be featured through the use of the hashtag on social media.

As every company has in today’s day and age, Calvin Klein has shifted the majority of their advertising to online media sources and social media platforms. In late 2018, the company announced that they would no longer be putting their main focus on print media starting in early 2019. In the last year, TikTok has quickly become one of the more popular sites on the internet. According to Business of Apps, TikTok has gained 800 million monthly active users. Calvin Klein chose their spring campaign last year to debut their brand on TikTok, allowing them to reach a new audience: younger children and teens.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10O9lZ4HQndHa7wtc7nwSfpMsUBH1Ask6LDTqbd7-R2s/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

Aerie is the subsidiary brand of parent company American Eagle Outfitters. It mainly focuses on different types of lingerie while American Eagle Outfitters doesn’t direct its focus to any one article of clothing. The two are closely linked and each of their websites advertises the other in that both websites showcase the products of both brands. American Eagle Outfitters has no interest in separating itself from its offspring company and refers to their customers as their “AE and Aerie family”. Regarding the recent news about COVID19, both websites put out the same message on their homepages that links to the same page.

American Eagle likes to be upfront about their business. They have an official website that aims attention at their corporation, rather than their products. This website displays news, media and press about their company as well as many other related aspects. One of the more relevant pieces on this website talked about how Aerie has been helping American Eagle Outfitters’ overall sales. Kelli Ell wrote, “The company’s bright spots continue to be the American Eagle jeans business and intimates brand Aerie. Aerie had its 21st consecutive quarter of double-digit sales growth with comps increasing 26 percent during the quarter. That’s on top of a 23 percent increase the same time last year” (Ell).

While American Eagle Outfitters prioritizes their advertising campaigns and promoting their positive image, they need to keep their businesses afloat. In order to do this, the corporation has created a special website meant for their investors. This public website keeps investors up to date on anything and everything dealing with American Eagle Outfitters and their subsidiaries. It houses a complete, comprehensive overview of recent news, finances / stock information, events / presentations, resources, and even names each corporate official high up in the company as well as their role. They also have all their annual reports and proxy statements on the website.

According to the information presented on this website, they are still doing well financially in the midst of this global pandemic which has taken a large toll on the American economy. Hopefully, they will pull through and be able to continue spreading inclusivity, body positivity and self love as they have been doing largely through Aerie.

When looking at the models on the Aerie website, it is clear that the brand is inclusive of all women. Not only do they have a racially diverse range of models, but these models embrace their natural beauty and the way that they express themselves, rather than being made to conform to standards of beauty that have been in the fashion industry for years. They have both lighter-skinned and darker-skinned black models, and many are seen with their natural hair. Often, the black models that brands feature in efforts to appear more racially inclusive are ones who are “accepted” as beautiful by white people, usually lighter-skinned, slim, and having straightened or loosely curled hair. Instead, Aerie’s models wear their hair without changing it to fit a certain look. Although details like hair may seem small, the increase of models with their natural hair in the fashion world challenges previous standards of beauty. In the past, many women of color would try to assimilate their outer looks in order to feel accepted or beautiful, by straightening their hair or using skin-lightening products. Some women still do this today, but Aerie’s choices in how they present their models showing women that they are beautiful the way they are and do not need to look a certain way to be beautiful.

Additionally, Aerie is racially inclusive in their plus-size modeling. The fashion industry has started to become more inclusive of plus-size models in recent years, but there is still progress to be made. Many of the most famous and in-demand plus-size models are white and their figures are curved in all of the ideal places. Some people in the plus-size community have spoken out about how many women of color have the same body shapes that these popular white plus-size models have, yet the white models are often more celebrated. This reflects how there are still issues in the fashion industry in terms of how “plus-size” is only accepted if the models look a certain way. Aerie’s plus-size models are racially diverse, sending a message that there is no “one type of beautiful” when it comes to plus-size women.

Aerie does not narrowly represent their models of color, and their campaigns confront the issues of inclusivity that still persist today in the fashion industry. Their choices in their models and how they authentically portray them celebrate the diverse beauty of women, instead of communicating that women must look a certain way to feel accepted or beautiful, as many other brands have been doing for years.

What initially started out as just an average lingerie brand has transcended into a collection of representation and inclusivity among women. The brand, Aerie, known for its “AerieReal” campaign and “Strong, Beautiful, Me” campaign to support NEDA, has succeeded in its natural body approach by promoting healthy, positive women for its products. Over the years, the Aerie clothing brand has altered its advertising approach to turn away from conventional female advertising, and more toward a unique application, to embrace the beauty of women through various body shapes and sizes.

Although the brand’s mechanisms of promoting self love and acceptance are exceptional, the one complication behind this campaign is the singular “girl” audience. The inclusion of transgender/nonbinary individuals is lacking in such an inclusive brand, which is quite surprising considering the normalities of our present day society. Such actions are vital to consider in this day and age, especially toward male-bodied individuals who identify as gender fluid, or for females who identify as male. Male individuals should also feel deserving of Aerie lingerie, but may feel uncomfortable or hesitant to purchase, since it isn’t necessarily promoted in its advertising. In addition, targeting lingerie advertisements towards female audiences is just supporting the perpetuation of socialized gender roles. Some males still feel ashamed to hold an Aerie bag, or Aerie product, without a quick justification for shopping for a girlfriend, or simply carrying the bag proudly in support of their identification.

Despite the limited consideration of transgender / nonbinary individuals, the brand itself is one of the best out there, in terms of inclusion and acceptance among women and other audiences. Considering the brand’s target audience, the company should continue to carefully consider underlying societal stereotypes still prevalent in its products and advertising, since the brand’s target age group is also quite young and continuing the process of self-discovery. Even the most accepting brands have a long way to go to achieve a maximal desire, but this is just a step in the right direction.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MmAGdzHbBdJN3CLKUkzxfQhvAamyHs0NrziWBG64esU/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Sanjna Sadarangani

The spark of transgender and non-binary models has created more eye-catching looks to  pose on the runway. By overcoming such high discrimination from recent years, transgender models appearing in high-end fashion shows such as New York Fashion Week has now skyrocketed. As shows are now encouraged to incorporate inclusivity and diversity in their runways, the appearance of such figures are becoming more and more prevalent. In Spring 2020, it was reported that of 2,327 show castings considered, 24 went to open transgender models, and 12 to nonbinary models, creating a total of 36 models, compared to just 30 in Fall 2019. Although small, the week’s 1.55 percent inclusion rate topped the previous season by 0.26 percent, supporting the gradual increase in transgender and nonbinary inclusion in events like New York Fashion Week.

In addition to the exclusion of transgender communities in the fashion world,  runway ideals toward sexuality have also changed to meet present-day clothing styles and expectations on the runway. Although designers have created clothing that doesn’t necessarily fit one particular category, the majority tend to present their clothing on women. Womenswear has always had a reputation of dominance on the runway, since it was claimed to be more experimental than men’s in recent decades. Thus, many brands tend to lure people toward their clothing by utilizing a womenswear schedule, to prove the clothes can be worn by models with a range of gender identities. This season, in particular, NYFW has shifted toward menswear on the runway, giving a balance toward both male and female models. Overall, NYFW brands are becoming more gender fluid, and are incorporating styles that are compatible for models of all genders.

One of the popular brands that made itself known on the runway this season was No Nesso, a Los Angeles based brand founded by Pierre Davis.  The brand challenges conventional ideals of gender, and mainly focuses on the absence of it in their clothing, as the Italian name “no nesso” means “no sex/no gender”.

Another popular brand that appeared on the runway was Bode, designed by Emily Adams Bode.  Her work this season mainly focused on “all male presenting casts” and insisted on a menswear approach.  However, her use of vintage fabrics transformed her looks into intricate, utilitarian workwear clothing for people of all genders, which caught the eyes of many in the audience.

The brand Palomo Spain had the eyes of many, as its distinctive vision was an attractive element to NYFW.  Founded by Spanish designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo, the brand composes a “costume-y glam” type look, and displays its pieces with young male models in heavy makeup.  His main goal was to have a brand that allows queer to find clothing that fit thier glam tasted, as many are historically driven to the “women’s section”.

New York Fashion Week’s shows have been progressively more racially inclusive in recent years. In 2014, the diversity of the models on the runway were only 20.9% of models were non-white. As of Spring 2020, the percentage of non-white models are 46.8%.

While the growing numbers of non-white models are extremely important in having an accurate representation of all people, many people within the fashion industry have spoken out about issues that still have yet to be resolved behind the scenes of the runway. Naomi Campbell, a supermodel from the late 1980s and 1990s, spoke at a Wall Street conference last year about how fashion companies need more diversity in their employees as well. Considering the number of racially and culturally insensitive pieces of clothing that continue to be made, including from big brands such as Gucci, it is shocking to know that none of the people working on the production of these blatantly offensive items thought that they were offensive. This shows that diversity should be on the runways as well as behind the desks, so that more people of color can offer their insights into the projects and designs.

One brand that has used their New York Fashion Week platform to bring awareness to issues within the black community is Pyer Moss, a menswear label created by Haitian-American designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. For their Spring 2016 collection, Jean-Raymond created a short film about police brutality to show at the beginning of his show, featuring footage from police brutality cases and interviews of the people close to the victims. Jean-Raymond admitted that he almost did not even want to present his clothes, saying that the most important thing he wanted people to see from his show was the film, but he ultimately did show his clothes.

One look featured white boots with the names of black women that were killed by police written on them and dripped with red paint.

The theme of restraint was also prevalent in the collection, with many of the models wearing headbands around their neck or buckles.

The following year, Jean-Raymond centered his collection about mental health and depression. He created the collection after he experienced depression following his previous collection, where he felt like he was accidentally type casting himself by speaking out about these issues. The collection brought attention to drug abuse and seeking help for mental health. It ended with a model holding a picket sign that read, “MY DEMONS WON TODAY IM SORRY,” as a tribute to the 23-year-old Black Lives Matter activist MarShawn McCarrel II, who committed suicide by shooting himself on the steps of the Ohio State House. The sign is a reference to McCarrel’s last Facebook post before he died, which said, “My demons won today. I’m sorry.” This also brings awareness to the mental health of activists and the toll that it takes on them to fight for what they believe in.

Kerby Jean-Raymond recognizes his influence in the fashion world and uses that to start conversations about issues that are important to him. In doing so, he forces people to face the realities that continue to persist today.

New York Fashion Week as a whole is a globally recognized and highly anticipated event that occurs twice a year (in February and in September). Its fame allows it to get by without an exceedingly detailed website. The website solely consists of the designers that are taking part in the show, a few behind the scenes pages dedicated to different designers, videos of talks about the shows, and information about the venue. The website also has a hyperlink to another site that gives a bit of a background on the experience of New York Fashion Week and hosts a small gallery of photos. Despite the simplistic official page, New York Fashion Week is still an extremely organized event. A separate website, Fashion Week Online, shows a very structured calendar with all the different mini events carefully placed in its own designated spot.

New York Fashion Week has its own social media accounts as well and its social media presence is very strong. Its username on Instagram and Twitter is @nyfw. The Instagram account is updated daily with fashion forward photos and is complete with jaw-dropping looks and aesthetic concepts. It also has Instagram story highlights saved for each day of the most recent New York Fashion Week that happened back in February. The Twitter account is much more active, staying up to date on world events and commenting on important issues like the recent Coronavirus pandemic. As a remarkably well known entity, they are using their larger than normal platform and their wide reaching influence to shed light on efforts to provide aid.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18ORmjgg10XYnff7XUk3myjlydDdMVWshSwbCrwstaoI/edit?usp=sharing

Emily Bajek, Katie Sun, Michelle Manjunath, Sanjna Sadarangani

Advertising and marketing are immensely important components of any corporation, especially one as large and globally recognized as Victoria’s Secret. Anticipating an avalanche of press coverage of anything and everything the company puts out, Victoria’s Secret has created their own website meant specifically for the press called the VS Press Room. This website is home to the current and recent Victoria’s Secret campaigns and shows the media kits and backgrounds of each. Below is a small peek at part of the information given on one of their recent campaigns, “First Love Eau de Parfum Fragrance Collection”.

It is no surprise to see how Victoria’s Secret has normalized discrimination over the years.  The company’s minimal efforts to incorporate diversity and inclusivity into its campaigns and fashion shows has created dissatisfaction among plus-size and transgender women, in addition to gender nonconforming people.  Although not explicitly stated, the show year after year included the stereotypical tall, white, thin model, showing no regard for transgender or non-binary individuals. Since the first show in August 1995, not a single plus-size or transgender/gender nonconforming person has walked in the show.  After a direct remark made by L. Brands’ chief marketing officer Ed Razek in a Vogue interview, stating that the “show is a fantasy” and claiming that “transsexuals’  shouldn’t be part of the show, many took offense, creating an adverse effect on viewing rates and company sales.   In 2017, the shows viewings fell 30% from the previous year, which calculated to just under 5 million viewers, and about 3.3 million in 2018.  In addition, company sales plummeted about 5% in 2018, and had lost market share to more body-positive brands such as Aerie. Thus, Razek’s justification for the lack of casting of transgender individuals simply wasn’t enough, as seen through lack of sales, as well as the opinions of the people.  

The fact that a powerful white man is claiming a disregard for the principles of a modern day society, and simply promoting ideals of contempt and disrespect toward gender communities is completely unethical, and has created havoc through social media platforms.  An abundance of viewers and performers advocated their opinions about the matter, claiming that the show has aggravated hate and ignorance toward the transgender community and other marginalized groups.

The term sexuality does not just refer to the connotation of the word “sex” , it relates to the ability for one to feel confident and secure with his/her own body type.  In an interview with Vogue Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of Victoria’s Secret, said the show would not have transgender models and plus sized models because it wants to represent a fantasy.  This notion is extremely problematic. Victoria’s Secret is quite possibly the most noteworthy womenswear manufacturers, with its fashion show garnering immense amounts of media and press coverage. It is a celebration of sexuality with the models being able to confidently show off beautiful pieces of lingerie.   Women empowerment is not accurately represented, if only a certain mold of woman is being empowered. The brands places confines on the body type it wants to celebrate, by not acknowledging trans bodies and plus sized bodies. A study with Yahoo found that only 1 in 7 individuals actually feel satisfied with their body image and this is exactly why representation matters.  When brands like Victoria’s Secret does not display diversity of body types, individuals will feel like that is the body type they need to strive for in order to be beautiful.  

Razek said they want to have a fantasy.  People who consume this media will actually believe that this fantasy is actually reality and will not feel comfortable in expressing their sexuality.  In daily life, transgender human beings experience misogyny with others calling their bodies “sexless.” The real world is not a fantasy and consists of individuals who are different sizes and are different genders.  If a platform like Victoria’s Secret would embrace that and be inclusive towards others who do not just fulfill a “fantasy,” that would normalize the fact that society is comprised of many different individuals. It would be reputable for brands of lingerie to be more inclusive, and represent more than a certain mold.  Brands could possibly sell more and show that fashion has the ability to make all different types of people embrace their sexuality. More inclusive representation would give people confidence to see, yes there are other people who look like me and give those consumers the ability to realize the inherent value of their body and sexuality.

Victoria’s Secret has been the subject of much criticism for years for promoting standards of beauty that are not representative of most women. While they have made efforts to have a more racially inclusive in their cast for the fashion shows in recent years leading up to the cancellation of their show in 2019, they have been known for not being particularly sensitive to appropriating, sexualizing, and exoticizing other cultures or groups of people.

In 2010, they had a segment in their show called “Wild Things,” featuring tribal body paint, animal print, and male dancers performing what resembled a tribal or indigenous dance. All of their models of color were featured in “Wild Things,” compared to the other segments where only a few of them walked. This segment is reminiscent of how throughout history, many non-European cultures were seen as wild, exotic, or “other.” Following the broadcast, the brand was criticized by many for their insensitive interpretation of what it means to be “wild.”

Victoria’s Secret has also run into many issues involving cultural appropriation and culturally offensive outfits, most often for designs supposedly inspired by indigenous and Asian cultures. In one portion of their 2012 show, they dressed each model to represent a month of the year. For the month of November, model Karlie Kloss wore a Native American headdress and lingerie that looked like buckskin. After pictures of her outfit circulated before their show aired on television and many people spoke out against the brand, they decided to edit her part out of the broadcast and apologized.

However, they did not learn from that experience, because they decided to have a section called “The Road Ahead” in 2016, which was meant to honor the cultures of countries such as China and Mexico. Many viewers found some of their outfits offensive for being inaccurate and sexualizing the way that certain cultures dress. Some Chinese viewers were also upset that the outfits inspired by China were not worn by more models who were Asian. Again in 2017, they had a section called “Nomadic Adventures,” where models wore tribal prints and beading that resembled common stereotypical depictions of indigenous people. With the large amount of influence that Victoria’s Secret has, these kinds of decisions have an impact on how certain groups of people continue to be viewed and are disrespectful in the lack of understanding that they have for different cultures.

One notable step in the right direction, although long overdue, was in their 2015 show where model Maria Borges became the first Victoria’s Secret model to walk with her natural hair. This was an important moment because most of their models have always been styled to have long, flowing, and loosely curled hair, and Borges showed that people do not have to conform to traditionally Western standards of beauty. In their following shows, more of their models walked with their natural hair as well.

Business Insider argues that Victoria’s Secret’s lack of representation and inclusion is going to be the reason that the company goes bankrupt. Companies like Adore Me and Aerie are slowly catching up to Victoria’s Secret and are raking in revenue due to their policies of inclusion and representation as well as reality. According to Variety, the reason that the corporation decided to cancel their world famous fashion show in 2019 was because they were working on “evolv[ing] the marketing”. Hopefully Victoria’s Secret will move further away from their current status of being unrealistic and unachievable and will move closer to a sense of reality and diversity.

SOURCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N8zW37K2RslTIggrPT0B2nAkUQXDoya3h9tfevNJNL0/edit?usp=sharing