President Obama's sensational campaign and subsequent win has done more for than lift the spirits of under-privileged and insecure African Americans, it has allowed for greater job opportunities for black models.
Inadvertently, Barack Obama's election to presidency has awarded a greater diversity to the fashion industry. The New York Times calls it "The Obama Effect."
Guy Trebay reports that while it was once not uncommon to see such signs as "No Blacks" at casting calls, there is now a greater tolerance and demand for black models. At Duckie Brown's show during 2008 Fashion Week, Trebay interviewed several black models who told of their experiences.
One of them, Marcus Lloyd, explains, "I remember my agent was like, 'If Obama does become president, there's going to be a lot more work for you guys.'"
Another model, Shawn Sutton says, "Fashion shows have basically been Caucasian for a while. I'm not really a black model, I'm a model. I just love putting on the clothes and jumping into the character."
No comments:
Post a Comment