2014 Soooo... Fashion and Racism Have We Really Gotten Anywhere??

Racism in fashion is definitly STILL AN ISSUE. The film below researches poeple's perception of diversity and racism in fashion. The film unfortunately uncovers peoples blatent ignorence of fshion in racism. One woman when asked about diversity said that she thought it was amazing that they had a redhead on the runway. What was more disturbing was the fact she was mixed race!! The system of the fashion industry has literally blinded peple from the issues of lack of representation and how it damages the self esteem of not only young girls but grown women.

How Fashion “solved” Its Diversity Problem. Accessed May 15, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OfABnH6hGY#action=share.

1990's Are We Seriously Still Talking About Sweatshops?

The Film Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh is a short documentary accounting the lives of sweatshop workers employed by Nike. Two journalists immerse themselves in the daily lives of the workers and commit to mimicking their lifestyle by observing where they sleep, how long they work and what meager food and financial stability the sweatshop offers them at the end of a very long and streonous work day. 

This research revealed that it costs precisely $3 to make a pair of Nike shoes, including matericals and labor, and it costs $6 to shit per unit. On average Nike's price point is between $80-$160. Surely there is room in that profit margin to pay your employees enough to have a proper matress and enough food to feed their children.

Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh. Accessed 1991. Youtube.

1980's and 90's Anti-Fur Campaign

The anti-fur movement started in the early 80s and continued through the 90s. This movement was mostly pioneered by the animal rights activist group PETA. With so many synthetic alternatives to animal skins, activists confronted consumers with a "no excuses" attitude. They use graphic imagery and shcok value to grasp the attention of the consumer who is subjected to hundreds of advertisements a day. These advertisements play into our symathy and humanity. PETA cleverly had celebrity endorsemnts including the spread of supermodels below. Throughout PETA's 30 year effort countless celebrities have appered in television advertisements and nude photoshoots. These endorsemnts hopefully would help us to have additonal motivation by forming solidarity with our favorite celebrites to abstain from purchasing and wearing fur

PETA. "We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur." Advertisement. 1994.

Anti-fur US Commercial/advert 1982. 1982. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL8cXSU4A9Q.

1960's Racial Standards and skin lightening

In an industry dominated by fair skinned skinny white women, women of color struggled to find their role. Black women were not being represented in magazines and films. Many women of color interpreted that lack of representation as a standard of beauty being set by the media. Women attempted to conform to this standard and subjected themselves to strenuous cosmetic practices. Not only is the lack of representation of black women unethical but the advertisements for these products only solidify black women's insecurities. The ad below says,"He never came near me until...I discovered Nadinola- Then he discovered me!" This basically communicates that if you don't appear light skinned no man will ever take a second glance at you.

Nadinola. "He Never Came Near Me Until..." Advertisement. Ebony Magazine, June 1960.

Nadinola. "Life Is a While for a Girl." Advertisement. Ebony Magazine, August 1960.

Nadinola. "Wonderful Things." Advertisement. Ebony Magazine, July 1960.

1950s Good Old Fashioned Appropriation

The 1950's were a time when advertising in print media was going through some vast changes. 

the trite catalogue format for the 1930's and 40's was no longer grabbing the attention of consumers. In the interest of good advertising, creative directors called upon artists to add a  considerable amount of wit and cleverness. The ignorance of racial implications and the beckoning call of profits influenced advertisers to go in a new direction: SHOCK and AWE. The photo below depicts an American man in  tight dress shirt sporting a Native American headdress. These headdresses are usually reserved for sacred occasions but here it is only regarded here as a clever trick to sell more men's dress shirts. 

Resurgence of Child Labor: The Great Depression

In the wake of the Great Depression, the United states suffered a setback in the progress of labor laws; particularly in child labor laws. At this time, families could not afford to send their children to school and therefore, sent them to work in the textile factories to contribute their share. Lewis Hine documents the children who have fallen victim to the economy of the 1930s and the unfair pay and working conditions of textile factories. 

Hine, Lewis. Child in Carolina Cotton Mill. 1932. Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Hine, Lewis. Smoking Children. 1930. Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Egyptomania and Cultural Appropriation

While many of us suspend our feelings of moral judgment in the interest of nostalgia, one cannot deny the blatant episode of cultural appropriation in the roaring twenties. November 26, 1922 marks the date of King Tut's tomb was discovered. This sparked an enormous interest in Egyptian culture and eventually led to a fashion craze known as "Egyptomania". This trend included mimicking sacred hair pieces and wigs and jewelry. Like many cases of appropriation this episode was not initiated out of malice but rather a genuine interest combined with severe ignorance. However, it is appropriation nonetheless and has set a precedence for the battle of appropriation for years to come.

"Woman's Afternoon Dress and Hat." The Berg Fashion Library. (n.d.). http://www.bergfashionlibrary.com/view/Philadelphia/21740.xml (accessed 15 May. 2015).