Who Cares If Teen Vogue’s Cover Model Is Pregnant?

tabby
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:03 pm: [report]

I would like to point out that she is 19 and therefore a legal adult. It isn’t as if she is 13 and could be considered “promoting teen pregnancy”. I think the far more compelling story is the one of racism in modeling/magazines. Who cares if an adult is having a baby? The readers of Teen Vogue aren’t stupid and can understand the difference between a 19 year old pregnant woman and a 13 year old pregnant child.

chasingstars
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:11 pm: [report]

I think the article is a very strong piece and I’m glad that Teen Vogue decided to go ahead with it. I’ve been a reader of Teen Vogue and Seventeen Magazine for a while, and I hate it when angry parents write complaints about the content in the magazine, such as this article.

These issues are very real and they are not promoting, they’re reporting. I think the more sheltered children are from real-life situations like the one the model finds herself in now, the more likely they are to rebel when they get their first taste of freedom.

Laurel
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:32 pm: [report]

I’m glad they’re covering this story so honestly!

Goldfinch86
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:36 pm: [report]

I personally think it’s fine, she’s 19 and not a child, although the government will treat her like that until she’s 21. However I see where many will think it’s a promotion of teen pregnancy but how many times can you even name a faceless model like this let alone recognize her in another magazine? She’s just a model, not a role model and personally I think if she was someone famous it would be different. Basically this is making her famous, this is her 15 minutes, she’ll be forgotten about and no one will be influenced.

Anna Banana
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:57 pm: [report]

I agree with the others that at 19 she’s an adult and therefore it shouldn’t be a big deal that she’s pregnant. Is it a bit young to be having a baby? Of course. By I don’t think pregnant teens age 18 and 19 should be thrown in the same category as those 17 and under. Jourdan is an adult with a real, high-paying job who can support herself and her baby. She’s not a kid still in high school with a part time job at McDonald’s.

LaLa*
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:03 pm: [report]

I don’t see what the whole “racism” controversy is about. Modeling is an entire industry based on appearances. No one is claiming these girls can’t perform because they’re black. The agencies are saying a black woman is not what they are looking for in this specific situation. So they only want one black girl? They probably also only want one blond girl, two size 6 girls, one girl with really long legs, one with a round face. Sure, they are being judged on their appearance, but did they not know that when they got into the industry? I’m tired of “poor me” racism claims. I have a naturally curvy body that would not fair well in a modeling career, but I don’t claim that people are blatantly judging my appearance; I, instead, chose to focus on English and getting a journalism job.

Kiki T
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:05 pm: [report]

Love Chanel—you go fellow yellow!

snap
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:37 pm: [report]

that 18 is an adult is a legal fiction.  in reality, there is little difference between a pregnant 19-year-old and a pregnant 17-year-old.  just saying.  for all practical purposes, a pregnant 19-year-old is NOT an adult in the ways that society typically defines an adult:  educated, mature, financially responsible, etc.  sure, many 19-year-olds have finished high school; sure, many are mature; sure, a 19-year-old model may have more financial wherewithal than the average 19-year-old.  but there is still a HUGE difference between a 19-year-old teen and a, say, 26-year-old adult woman.  relying on 18 as an adult, especially in the matter of teen pregnancy, is arbitrary and silly.  i doubt many people over the age of 19 would look back on that age and think it was “adult enough” to have a child.  however, i’m sure many pregnant 19-year-olds, just as is probably the case with many pregnant 16-year-olds grow up fast and become “adult-like” early.

GreenAura
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:41 pm: [report]

The racism issue is much bigger than the pregnancy.  It seems that agencies are only booking black models to say “see? We use black models!”  They are doing the absolute minimum to appear PC and pretend to ‘promote’ equality.  But thats a damn shame (and a disservice to the fashion community) since there are so many GORGEOUS black women!! umm, hello, has anyone seen the fine ass ladies gracing the screen on Ray-J this season?!?!

CleverShrew
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 02:32 pm: [report]

@snap - I think that it depends on the person. My sister-in-law is 26, and has a child, and by her actions, I would not consider her an adult. Even in terms of how you described adulthood she would fail miserably. So just because someone is 19 doesn’t mean they cannot be mature enough to handle this situation. Her mother obviously did a good job with her, and was in the same situation.

bethlynn00
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 04:28 pm: [report]

@ snap: society defines an adult as “educated, mature, and financially responsible”, well then I know 30 7 40 year olds who are not adults by those standards.  And there is a big difference between a 19 year model, who is probably more financially secure &mature; than your average 19 year college student and a 17 year old being pregnant.  DO you know Jourdan? How do you know her maturity level or her education level?  Are you saying that people without a college education are not adults or can;t be financially responsible?  I would have to disagree with that, it’s more about the individual, not some standard that anyone holds up waht is adult and what is not, because I know several 26 yr old women who are not as mature as many 19 year olds. 

Besides the big story here is about how the model industry treats black models, it is disturbing and I’m glad that attention is being paid to this issue.  It seems like the modeling industry, is full of bigots.  They only want the models to all look the same, no diversity.  As many gay, lesbian, Black, Asian, male, and female designers as there are, it would seem that they would want to promote just as much diversity on the runways, it’s really sad.

LaLa*
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 04:39 pm: [report]

Racism is hardly the issue here. Modeling is an industry where looks are the main focus. I don’t think saying “we only want one black model” is any worse than saying “we want one blond model” or “we want one size 4 model”. It just depends on the designer’s preference. I think it’s unfair to whine about the industry judging one on one’s skin color when I’m sure these people entered this career knowing full well it was all about appearance-skin color, leg length, waist measurement.

Fashion Revolutionaires
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 08:09 pm: [report]

thats absolutely ridiculous LaLa and I say that with LOVE l-o-v-e! A model is hired to showcase the clothing, they are to appear “like a hanger” what does skin color have to do with that? It kills me when people don’t want to admit, that racism still exists, and in a lot of industries. Weight and a person’s skin color you can’t even compare the two, that to me is like apples and oranges.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 10:42 pm: [report]

LaLa, it’s rather unfortunate to me that you just don’t get it, but also rather unsurprising. The dogmatic ones are usually the most clueless. The issue is that you could diet and be chosen because you are white - no matter what these girls do, they will never be the “ideal” simply because they are not white. That is racism. One blond model? No problem for you. You can dye your hair blonde and be chosen. Why? Because you are white. THAT is racism. If you can’t get that through your thick skull there is simply no teaching you.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 10:45 pm: [report]

An Asian girl, for example, could dye her hair blonde/brown/whatever, have a gorgeous face or, conversely, a “quirk” that they can sell, have long thin legs, and small breasts. Her chances of being on the cover of a major magazine will still be pretty much none. Why? Because she is not white. How you don’t see that as racism is laughable to me. I’m actually forwarding this thread right now to my friends so they can all laugh along with me.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 10:51 pm: [report]

bethlynn00, the problem is that there is actually a LACK of diversity in fashion designing as well. If you look at the fashion lines which are created by minorities, you’ll find - surprise, surprise - diversity in the advertising of the product (a good example would be Baby Phat). In lines which are produced by (often times gay) white men, or white women, white underweight models are all you see, unless of course legislature is enforced which demands diversity in sizing and ethnicity.

This is an example of what happens when a person of colour designs, well, anything: http://imancosmetics.com/color/

http://imancosmetics.com/skincare/

I strongly believe that white people (but particularly women, and I have proof of that as well) in fashion and media have a vested interest in promoting and seeing only images of themselves. The why of it is what I don’t understand.

mrcash
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:05 pm: [report]

Even though I’m white I will never be chosen to be a model, so the point you make is moot. You still have to be thin and tall, no matter what your skin color is. There is only so many changes I could make to myself and even if I made all of them, I would never be a model. People think that just because a woman is white she is automatically secure or beautiful because she has one facet of the “ideal”, but that’s not the case at all. I have freckles and large breasts, so yes, while I AM white, there is always something that’s going to stop 99% of the population from being “ideal”.

I do agree that saying you aren’t chosen because of the way you look in an industry ABOUT LOOKS that you purposely entered is ridiculous.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:09 pm: [report]

Sorry, your having freckles and large breats is preventing you from being the ideal? Well give me milk and call me drunk. There are now two people who don’t get it. LOL

When more than 90% of the people selected to represent an industry are one race, that is racism. And by the same token, hip hop is probably racist as well. But I don’t listen to that drivel so the 90% thing is mere speculation.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:11 pm: [report]

Also, I can say as someone with freckles, I’ve been told (by white people) they are beautiful and I wouldn’t be as beautiful without them. The reason for this is quite obvious - they are a typically Caucasian trait.

mrcash
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:23 pm: [report]

If you’re talking about the industry in America, only 12% of the population is black, so that might be the reason. Across the world, it would be Asaians who are underrepresented. Not blacks.

I’m saying that something is always going to prevent someone from being an “ideal”, get over it.

mrcash
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:24 pm: [report]

Asians*

fallonthecity
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:33 pm: [report]

:\

Holy crap at the cluelessness here!  How obnoxious is it for a white person to tell a black person (even a model) to get over it and/or suggest that they are just imagining racism?  I’ve stuck my white-privileged foot in my mouth a bunch of times, I know, but are you REALLY going to try and dismiss someone’s personal experiences?

LaLa*
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 11:43 pm: [report]

THREE WORDS! Tyra #&@$% Banks.

I’m not going to argue with someone who is going to name-call and mock…super mature. It’s just outrageous to be angry that someone is actually judging you on your looks in the modeling industry…oh no they didn’t!!!!

ChocoBoo
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 06:12 am: [report]

Look, I get that certain members of society are really tired of hearing folks like me “whine” about being excluded from certain niches of societies, but constantly being told to shut up and ‘get over it’?

Do you know how many people complained when Serena Williams did the “body” cover of ESPN magazine? Some of the most derogatory comments were made about her cover, due to her color. I don’t cry out in the streets about it every day, but it stings when: people say “She’s pretty,...for a black girl”; or I can’t pick up a magazine that has at least one black girl in the photo spreads/advertisements…ANYTHING.
I get it, many folks still think we’re a group of ‘whining’ eyesores who should just go sit in a corner and ‘get over it’. Thanks for the tip }:[

canadiancutie
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 07:41 am: [report]

Well, there was the time that the former editor of Cosmo told Tyra Banks to her face that as long as she was running the magazine, a black woman would NEVER be on the cover. I agree that Asian are underrepresented in the media but if you look at the link I posted earlier you’ll see that every race of women - including South Asians as well - were represented. I believe this is because the woman creating the cosmetic line is not white. Plain and simple. I studied media and it’s common knowledge that white women refuse to see a movie if the female star is not white, regardless of the quality of the film. Give the movie a name like “Legally Blonde,” however, and they’re packing the house. From a box office perspective, the same pattern is not seen with white men. You can put Daniel Craig, Will Smith, or Jackie Chan as the star of the movie, and their asses are going in those seats as long as they’re blowing s*it up.

There is one unspoken benefit for women of colour, though, to white women’s relentless self-obsession, that would suggest we too may have a stake, or a vested interest, in keeping things the way they are now. The overexposure of white women leads to the exoticization of the “other.” This is especially true in a liberal city such as mine. Put another way, when you remove the taboo of dating a woman of another race, you get a crapload of men - and from my experience, white men - who are eager to date you simply because you differ from what is constantly being shoved down their throats. This has historically been true for Asian women, but in recent years, more and more black women have been reporting this phenomenon too. What they’re doing, of course without realizing it, is shooting themselves in the foot.

ootie grl
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 08:37 am: [report]

I think its awsome to finally see black models on a magazine cover. Modeling is a white dominated industry. Sure theres been black women in or on magazine covers, but so rarely. Magazines are filled with mostly white models. The same with movies and advertisements. And so what if shes pregnant. Shes an adult.

bumbler
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 08:37 am: [report]

We can sit here and say that designers casting for their shows are only deciding who they hire based on looks but thats the whole point of why it’s racism.  Because beauty standards still reflect a white idea of beauty.  It’s more than just height and weight.  Ideal hair, facial features, body proportions are all based on a European-centric idea of what is beautiful.  While you may be able to make the case that designers have to hire based on which models sell clothes the underlying issues remain unchanged.

LaLa*
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 09:47 am: [report]

Haha canadiancutie…yeah I like your statistics? Strategically vague. “it’s common knowledge that white women refuse to see a movie if the female star is not white” ; “to white women’s relentless self-obsession”. Who is the racist one now?? I love Crash, The Bodyguard, and Selena. Other HUGE movies starring non-white women: Queen of the Damned, Catwoman, 28 Days Later, Diary of a Mad Blackwoman…
Your facts about the exotic other have no basis in reality or statistical facts, so I don’t even know how to argue with that.
@bumbler, thank you for posting a valid argument. Racism may still be an underlying issue in terms of beauty, but I think there are so many societal problems to blame that it’s too difficult to pinpoint. I don’t deny that racism is a problem for some people in some places. I think the modeling industry is the least of our worries, though. In an industry where there are SO many problems to complain about, just add racism to the list I guess. It just doesn’t seem like a big issue to me in the scheme of things.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 11:40 am: [report]

Movies which are also intended to court a large male audience - Star Trek, Queen of the Damned, the latest Terminator installment - do not have as much of the race issue (as I’ve already pointed out). But tell me, when was the last time you saw a romantic comedy that starred a black or Asian woman? Never? That’s because there is a female audience for these films, white women are the largest viewing demographic, and it’s commonly known in entertainment that white women will not see a movie where she does not see herself in that role. The Bodyguard is a notable exception. Too bad it was made in 1992 and there hasn’t been anything like it since. You want statistics? Feel free to take a media studies class or just look at box office returns, and the picture becomes a lot clearer why things are the way they are.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 11:45 am: [report]

I have a multiracial family which includes white women. My best friend is also a white woman. Do I hate white women? No. Do I have a problem with the way things are, and a willingness to take a stand against it? Hell yes. Regarding the dating thing, to me it seems quite obvious that comes from observation and subjective and anecdotal experience. Must EVERYTHING be spelled out for you, woman? Well, judging from the wisdom (lol) you’ve demonstrated so far, I’m going to say Yes.

bumbler
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 11:54 am: [report]

I also have to say that the black models and actresses who tend to have better careers have more of the traditional “white” features.  Light skin, straight long hair, narrow nose, wide set eyes, narrower frame.  Of course these women are beautiful but that doesn’t mean that women with features more prevalent in the black community aren’t equally as beautiful.  Tyra, Beyonce, Chanel and Jourdan are all beautfiul and talented women who deserve all the success they have earned but for some real diversity where is the next Alec Wek?

bumbler
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 11:55 am: [report]

Excuse me, Alek Wek.

betty123
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 12:39 pm: [report]

I know that I will get jumped on but stick with me. Think about it. White female models in ad campaigns. All look exactly the same. Why is this? You don’t want to use a models who’s features will distract too much from the product. Use a model of a different ethnicity that has what is deemed “exotic” features. You are looking at the model and not the product. So it would follow that you would use a model that has no distinguishing features, that I personally would call beautiful. So it is my opinion that models of different races perhaps are not used, not that they are considered not as beautiful, but perhaps because their features are TOO beautiful, distractingly beautiful.

Let’s look at runway models. What do they look like. Tall, excessively thin, no boobs, no butt, no curves at all actually. Not anything that the general population typically associates with beauty in real life. Why are they used? Because, as someone said earlier, they are human hangers. They are there to show the clothes and this is the body that allows the designer the most liberty in dressing it. Who are the people with this body type? White girls.

Now let’s take a Victoria’s Secret runway show where more realistic beauty is actually celebrated. I think that anyone can readily see the increased diversity there.

When I think of all the top supermodels, I actually have an easier time coming up with non-white models. I think that maybe this might have something to do with the fact that they had something, some distinguishing feature(s) or presence, that caused them to stand out, to be above all of the rest of those clones that are there to highlight a product.

Maybe I’m totally wrong, but food for thought.

bogart4017
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 01:29 pm: [report]

Shes pregnant——so what? A woman can’t be pregnant and work? Are we still in the 21st century?

LaLa*
wrote on November 6 2009 @ 03:16 pm: [report]

@betty123, you make a really good point.

@canadiancutie, how STUPID that I’m asking you to verify the points you are making! I forgot that you are a prominent scholar in race issues and I should completely trust everything you say! I can’t argue against generalizations that are likely fictitious. Surrounding them by big, “intelligent” words does not make them more true.
I’m not “dogmatic”, I’m not “clueless”, I recognize that blacks have faced serious issues in the past, and maybe some still exist. I just think the modeling industry is not where this fight should be fought.

melissaann
wrote on November 8 2009 @ 10:53 am: [report]

She graduated High School and obviously is enjoying a fairly successful career. What else do you want from her? She has MORE chance of her body bouncing back from the baby than she would if she would have waited until 26 or so…which is a necessity in the modeling world. Plus, she always could have chosen not to keep the baby, so I am surprised the crazy right winged haters aren’t commending her on that.

aries3_04
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 07:36 pm: [report]

canadiancutie and fallonthecity get it. completely agree.

stiffinp
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 08:01 pm: [report]

A few years ago there was a movie called Hitch with Will Smith (black) and Eva Mendes (Cuban), and there was a complaint because of the suggestion a black actress couldn’t carry the movie (I think thats how I want to term it).
But there was a movie called Something New with Sanaa Lathan (yum) who was the star (yes she was the star, not Simon Baker). Movies like these are done once in a while, when the “suits” decide to green light a project.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 10:30 pm: [report]

Yeah, the commercial tyranny of white women extends to the small screen as well. Recall last season of America’s Next Top Model, when they hit the online forums and message boards to declare their outrage over Tyra “picking a black girl over an obviously more talented white girl (this is an actual quote) for the fourth time.” This, in spite of the fact the judges liked the black girl’s shots more. Interesting to note that not a peep was uttered out of these viewers the six times previous that Tyra had selected a white girl to win the show. Anyway, they threatened to boycott the show en masse. In response and in an attempt to keep herself on the air, ANTM has more white models on this season than ever before. So many other examples like this. I wonder if maybe “relentless self obsession” is a bit of an understatement. lol.

plasticrose
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 11:07 pm: [report]

I studied media and it’s common knowledge that white women refuse to see a movie if the female star is not white ... white women’s relentless self-obsession

Can you please not make such sweeping generalisations? I’m a white woman and I’ve watched movies where the female star is not white. The lead actress’ race doesn’t matter to me AT ALL. And I’m not self-obsessed or obsessed with seeing white women. I personally applaud TeenVogue for running such an important story, and for not refusing to put black models on their cover. Not all white people are racists.

As for the ‘that’s just the fashion industry’ comments. Well, yes, it is all about appearance. That doesn’t mean it’s okay. They shouldn’t be discriminating against short or larger people either, but those things get a hell of a lot of attention already, and people largely ignore the race issue, so I’m glad that Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn have spoken out about it. Good for them.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 11:18 pm: [report]

“Not all white people are racists.” Oh, I’m well aware. For instance, my father and boyfriend? Both white people.

That being said, I don’t think not talking about an issue is the way to change it. I think challenging the status quo is what is right. Also, I don’t just want to see black models on a magazine cover, and once a year. I think white women are beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I won’t rest easy or shut up until picking up a magazine and seeing a Middle Eastern, South Asian, Asian, OR black woman on the cover is so commonplace as to be not even comment-worthy. I’ve said this before. I’ll say it again until I’m blue in the face if I have to. I understand that white women are the majority in America. But they are not being proportionally represented, and it’s at least in part thanks to the fact that they see no reason to change things, or have, say, a non-white girl on a show like The City (which is, ironically enough, cast in a city that is FULL of diversity). So I call them on their s*it. Big deal.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 11:20 pm: [report]

Big deal. haha… how ironic. Isn’t that what some of you girls have said about all the models being white?

CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on November 9 2009 @ 11:26 pm: [report]

@canadiancutie: Who’s to say blue in the face models aren’t extremely hot?

LaLa*
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 12:29 am: [report]

canada sucks

canadiancutie
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 09:38 am: [report]

Because of white women’s notorious reluctance to watch anything which is not starring a white woman, sometimes, in an effort to compromise and also secure minority viewership, studios will cast a biracial actress. This way, any positive attributes the actress has, such as beauty or grace, can be attributed to her having a white mother. It’s from this that we get the “Away We Go’s.” Mendes is careful in that movie to include a scene where Maya Rudolph and her character’s beautiful younger sister are discussing their deceased mother’s “sparkling green eyes.” These movies do better than the “Something New’s,” but still not as well as if they’d gone the whole hog and cast a white woman.

Mike Myers has said publicly that he wrote into the script of Wayne’s World that Cassandra was meant to be played by a “hot Asian chick” because if he hadn’t, they would’ve cast a blonde without fail.

MuchoMacho
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 09:43 am: [report]

its common knowledge that white women wont watch movie with black lead actresses?  lol…  if its common knowledge why is it so surprising to most of us?  i dont believe that statement for a moment.  put up a list of the current top 50 female actresses, and most will be white.  i think it has more to do with more white ppl getting into acting than other races.  and if there are more white lead actresses, more white women will go see them.  misleading statistics…

spatula
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 10:02 am: [report]

ugh…i wish you could “hide” people on the Frisky like you can on Facebook…

Riley
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 10:04 am: [report]

@Spatula - I don’t see how hiding my comments will fix anything.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 11:08 am: [report]

MuchoMacho, what I should’ve said (if it wasn’t implied) is that it’s common knowledge among those who work in marketing, casting, or acting. Or those, like myself, who have studied media and make a concerted effort to be media literate. I agree that white women are the bulk of those auditioning for parts, though. I posted a link before of two Native American actresses who are contemplating quitting acting because they keep being told they can’t get the lead roles since they are not white. I would not be surprised if women of colour actresses were collectively beginning to give up. The current white-centric state of affairs is not only influencing people of colour’s perceptions of what is beautiful, but it is also influencing our perception of what is possible.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 12:19 pm: [report]

Lol. That’s mature. I am dazzled by your brilliance and intellectual acumen.

Riley
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 01:01 pm: [report]

@Canadiancutie - What exactly is studying “Media”?  Do you study magazines, movies, literature or a combination?  Media is just such a general expertise to claim, I wonder what exactly do you mean?  Is it something you do for work?  Say purchasing media for companies or producing ads for clients?  Do you work in web-based publications or traditional print?  Is this a degree program at your University?  I’m confused; don’t be surprised as I am incredibly obtuse.

Surely as infallible as your points are, there is something to back them up besides media study.

LaLa*
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 03:23 pm: [report]

Thank you Riley. Seriously,  she has good ideas, but she’s impossible to argue with because she claims she is an expert (?) and that her facts don’t need backing up because “anyone who has studied the media knows this”. Uh, okay. Thanks for the intelligent argument.

plasticrose
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 04:20 pm: [report]

@Canadiancutie - I don’t disagree that American media under-represents women of colour. But it doesn’t give you the right to make offensive statements about ‘white women’ as if we are all the same, rather than individuals not defined by our gender and race.

And I don’t know why you attribute so much blame to other women. As far as I’m aware, many films and TV shows are marketed at males. How many women, after all, went to see Wayne’s World at the cinema? Surely the target market was male. So in that case it was about white men thinking that other white men would prefer a hot, blonde chick, and nothing to do with this supposed ‘self-obsession’ of white women. Film and television producers are still almost exclusively wealthy, white males and probably the majority of fashion designers are white men. And more to the point, their perception of what ‘the public’ want to see doesn’t necessarily reflect the truth. At all.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 08:06 pm: [report]

“But it doesn’t give you the right to make offensive statements about ‘white women’ as if we are all the same, rather than individuals not defined by our gender and race.”

Well that’s an easy one. I word things the way I do specifically because I don’t blame any individual woman for the current state of affairs. I know there are plenty of good women of every race. Social problems arise from the collective, and need to be acknowledged and corrected by such.

What bothers me I guess is what I’ve had pointed out to me. Once you have it pointed out to you, it becomes so obvious. Basically, what was pointed out to me is the predictability of white women’s responses to any such claims. There are about three things they will do immediately. One of them is to automatically blame white men. I’m not saying white men are perfect, but I do feel they’ve done a lot more to acknowledge their privilege and their role in perpetuating it, while the women just deny it, try and distract from it, or just plain point fingers at the men.

Finally, I am not claiming expertise on anything. Just not blatant ignorance. I had to make the conscious decision to educate myself on certain matters, and seek out the dialogue that is available but definitely something you have to dig for since it’s not readily available in the lighthearted, surface value world of the mainstream where things are the way they are “just because the stereotypes are true” or “that’s what the people want.”

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m gonna go watch the video of one of my favorite bands where I get to hear my Rock Goddess declare that “all the blondes are fantasies.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEz8N8AT-yo

canadiancutie
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 08:10 pm: [report]

Btw, I used to believe that last point too, so I did some research and was not shocked to discover that both the majority of casting directors and magazine editors are white women.

canadiancutie
wrote on November 10 2009 @ 08:16 pm: [report]

Oh, for those who are curious, it started with me studing filmn & lit in high school. That piqued my curiousity so I took media studies & diversity & awareness in college. I’m working now but continue to try and become familiar with the issues. There is a wealth of information out there that is really, really interesting if you look for it. Some of it is not even that far from the mainstream - just below this you’ll see links to a variety of sites with some really interesting dialogue. I can’t even claim credit for this one: “The current white-centric state of affairs is not only influencing people of colour’s perceptions of what is beautiful, but it is also influencing our perception of what is possible.” That is a blatant rip-off from racialicious.com.

I do think there are SOME white women who will not react to this truth by doing the “deny, deny, deny” thing. Unfortunately, some of them going about trying to change it in completely retarded ways. This is an example of the WRONG way to try and affect social change: http://jezebel.com/357774/designer-fashion-runways-are-full-of-white-dogs

With that said, not talking about it or pretending racism has nothing to do with it is also, in my opinion, the WRONG way.

Riley
wrote on November 11 2009 @ 08:53 am: [report]

@Canadiancutie - I see.  I knew this condescension came from a highly-educated plane.