Hey Look! A Black Woman in an Ad! - Ariel Meredith/D&G S/S 09

Her name is Ariel Meredith. The lovely Shreveport, Louisiana native has been working the catwalk for years but is finally starting a little more recognition, proving that Black American girls are just as modelesque as their "more exotic by industry standards" peers. She was featured in TRACE magazine's most recent "Black Girls Rule" issue and walked for Nicole Miller, Baby Phat, Elie Saab, Vera Wang, Milly and several other designers last September.

Discovered at a modeling expo when she was still in high school, she quickly booked a lot of work including appearances in Lucky and Cosmo but found that her slim size 5 figure was considered "too fat" by the grotesque industry. She said in a Times-Picayune interview, "You know, Louisiana girls are curvy. I had a chest. I didn't care that I had some meat on my bones." She disregarded the pressure from her agency to slim down and get a breast reduction but soon found herself out of work.

Disgruntled, she took a year off to work on her body. "I basically did portion control and exercise. I like to eat. I'm not going to starve myself to walk down someone's runway... "And I'm not going in for a nip and tuck either. That's not me. I'm going to work with what God gave me." Once she hit a size 2, the bookings piled up quickly. Meredith has since appeared in ads for GAP Body, Target and Sephora.

In her Q&A with TRACE , one of the questions was "why do you rule?" and her answer was this:

I rule because I am me -- FUN! Fierce and independent (laid back at times.) Strong black woman...Stays positive....sStays grounded...Good attitude...THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!

Here's to hoping that we see a lot more of Ariel in the coming year :)

Source: Nola, The Fashion Spot, ONTD Fashinfags

Liya Kebede for LANVIN Fall/Winter '08

 

Sadly Liya has to share this campaign with Raquel Zimmerman but that doesn't stop her from looking stunning. 

Source: Luxx and Skywire/TFS

Handbaga Dentata?

There is nothing I love more than a chic little clutch bag. I just think they add a dose of sophistication to any little bag dress. After all, who wants the strap of a shoulder bag digging into their arm after a night on the town? Clutches keep you from bringing any more than the essentials; are small and sleek enough to place daintily on the bar when you order your cocktail; and give you something to do with at least one of your hands when you're dancing. There is nothing more embarrassing than repeatedly side swiping the person dancing next to you with your overstuffed handbag while attempting to do the electric slide at your cousin Pookie's wedding.

All that aside I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable stuffing my credit card, lipstick, and breath mints into this snakeskin (?) clutch by Salvatore Ferragamo. Is it just me or does this look a little like pulled back scaly lady bits? All I want to do when I look at this is rub ointment on it.

ETA: The ads for this vagina bag keep getting funnier.

Gianfranco Ferre Shows Some Skin

Latoya at Racialicious posted today about her admiration for Skin, the lead singer of Skunk Anansie. Since I too, think this woman is some kind of wonderful, I thought I'd post pic from last year's Gianfranco Ferre campaign (shot by Mario Testino) which featured Skin and Patrick Petitjean.

Source: The Fashion Spot

Post About Nothing and 10 Cane Rum

It's no secret that I am obsessed with images of black women in the media. I can't look at an ad with a black model without scrutinizing every little detail about the image. I write a lot in this blog about the lack of black models in advertisements and how many in the fashion industry seem to have narrow views of how a black woman should be depicted. Occasionally, I wonder if I might be overdoing it, looking for biases or other flaws where there is none intended.

I think part of that just comes from having a blog and subscribing to too many magazines. I'm always looking for the next thing that moves me enough to write about it. Since the Lebron/Vogue dust up, I've been thinking about this quote from The Washington Post's Robin Givhan:

“It’s so exhausting that every time people see an image of a black person they work themselves into a tizzy that somehow it doesn’t adhere to the way in which they think a black person should be presented...The whole LeBron thing really comes down to … maybe Vogue should have more people of color on their cover, male and female...Maybe then they won’t be so scrutinized when they do put a person of color on their cover.”

I took that quote to heart because I really think there is a lot of truth in it. So, I'm going to try really hard not to over shit all over this series of "affluent lifestyle" ads for 10 Cane Rum (which were developed by Mother New York.)

Instead of pontificating on inherent plantation vibe that seems to be a part of all Caribbean made rum ads, I'm going to focus on the positive for once.

For example, there are no pirates in this ad. Obviously the shitty last chapter of the "Pirates of the Carribean" series has put the final nail trend that was pirate chic.

Second, the older white guy has black friends. He invited them to his beach party and he cares enough about them to take a picture. Who cares if he's only going to use the photos to show his friends back home how not racist he is. The fact is, everyone was having a good time. Also, he has a black girlfriend and apparently she can swim because why else would she be hanging out with him on the water in that prop plane? Stereotype shattered. Black chicks can swim. This is a good thing. In one of the photos he even let her bring her dad along in the dingy. See? Family values, another mark in the positive column.

See? That really wasn't hard at all.

Old Navy - Nina Keita

Someone mentioned these Old Navy ads in the comments yesterday.

Coincidentally, I'd noticed the ad a few days ago. First because the dark skinned model in the ads, Nina Keita, has been featured in quite a few Old Navy ads recently and second, because her "love interest" in the ad is white.

I guess I'm so accustomed to seeing these types of ads go in a different direction that changing it up a bit immediately transforms me into a deer-in-the-headlights.

Ordinarily, this type of commercial would usually show the group of young white women (with their one black friend) flirting with a groups of white guys (and their one black friend) at a mall or amusement park. The end of the ad would show everyone matched up by race having a great time sharing fountain drinks.

I always thought that this set up put way too much pressure of the black friends. What if they didn't like each other? What if one of them way gay? Clearly, these were the only two black people in town. How was it that they were only just now meeting one another? Good Lord, what if they were related? Would their white friends care? Did anyone even bother to ask them how they felt about not being given a choice?

I've read many a designer complain that if they use a black or other non-white model in an ad or on the runway, then the consumer will pay more attention to the model than the product.

I think this is only partially true. I always pause at a ad with a person of color partly because of the rarity of black models in national campaigns but when I do I always note who is producing the ad. I can't watch Nina Keita stroll around town in that Old Navy green tube dress without wondering how it would look on my body. On the flip side, models like Jessica Stam, Kate Moss and Gisele appear in so many similar advertisements that I'd be hard pressed to tell any of the campaigns apart.

How exactly does that work in the designer's favor?

15 Years of M.A.C Viva Glam Spokesmodels

From left: RuPaul, Debbie Harry, Lisa Marie Presley, Shirley Manson, Pamela Anderson, Susan Rodriguez, Missy Elliot, Eve, Dita Von Teese, and Christina Aguilera.


I realize the maybe Mary J. Blige was too busy promoting her new CD to make the shoot but where is Lil' Kim? I know she wasn't busy.

Blast from the Past: Beverly Johnson, Louise Vyent & Iman (1989) for Revlon

Source: Soulstyle/Omifan

Moschino: A Second Look

Several days later and I'm still thinking about this ad. I'm not sure what Peter Lindberg was going for with this image (it certainly is thought provoking) but I still don't like it.

It's one of those things...tough to grasp at first but then over time it slowly becomes clearer.

Initially I just thought it was because of it's gimmicky approach (there are also versions of this ad featuring White and Asian models though neither of those ads has a nude model in them.)

Then I was irked by the segregation of the models by race. It is so rare to see Black and Asian models in major ad campaigns so what it the point of placing them in fashion ghettos instead of mixing them together?

Next, I was bothered by the nude model. Now, I'm used to seeing naked ladies in fashion magazine ads but I didn't notice, until I looked at all three ads again at TFS, that this ad is the only one with a happy grinning naked lady surrounded by sourpuss expressions.

Everything is deliberate in fashion photography. You can't convince me otherwise. So why bright red? Why are all the models nearly the exact same skin color? I have a huge family and you'd be hard pressed to find two people in it that are the same shade of brown. So who made that casting decision? I can picture someone at an agency going through a stack of cards, rejecting models that weren't "black" enough. Don't get me started on the wigs. I have a teeny-weenie afro myself so it's not that afro itself that bugs me, it's just the why this?

If you are a Black woman in her mid-30s like me, then no doubt you remember when Mattel came out with the first Black Barbie doll. I got one for Christmas that year. My mom bought it under protest because she hated how the doll was styled. Guess what she looked like...I wonder what my mom would say about this ad, 27 years later.

Moschino

Photographed by Peter Lindbergh. Of course the ad caught my eye because of all the Black models. Apparently, it's part of a series. There are "Asian" and "White" versions too. I'm always happy to see black models getting work but this feels kind of gimmicky. I miss seeing beautiful dark-skinned girls in fashion magazines.

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes for Calvin Klein 2000

Source: Davidtoc