اخبار العرب من المحيط للخليج

It has been 46 years since Vogue featured its first black model, Beverly Johnson on the cover of an American Vogue.

Even so, Johnson believes that not much has changed since then, a time where she had to fight to achieve this milestone in her career. Johnson stated that both racism and exclusion are still very much present in the fashion industry.

“My debut was meant to usher in a current of change in the fashion industry, but (Photographer Tyler Mitchell’s) cover was a one-off, not a spark,” she said. “Since then, there have been no black photographers who have shot a Vogue cover.” She also went on to reveal in her story for The Washington Post that she was paid lesser than her white co-workers, and that whenever she requested for a team of black professionals for hair and make-up, nobody took this into account.

This comes shortly after Anna Wintour, the editor and chief of Vogue, made a public apology last week for publishing content in her magazines that were “culturally hurtful or intolerant.” Wintour, who is regarded as one of the most important figures in the world of fashion, came out with her statement in the wake of all the protests taking place around the country after George Floyd’s death.

Johnson went on the suggest what could be done for more equality. She wrote, “I propose the ‘Beverly Johnson Rule’ for Condé Nast, similar to the Rooney Rule in the NFL that mandates that a diverse set of candidates must be interviewed for any open coaching and front office position.” “The ‘Beverly Johnson Rule’ would require at least two black professionals to be meaningfully interviewed for influential positions,” she added.