In a new piece entitled “Is The Fashion Industry Racist? Yes — And It Goes Right To Its Core,” Naomi Campbell’s old agent who testified against her in her blood diamond trial, Carole White says that the problem with racism in the fashion industry begins in Paris and Milan but some photographers don’t even know how to light a black girl. Here’s snippet:

At the high end, it is slightly better now. But in the mid-range — the catalogs, the e-commerce websites — it is difficult. They want girls who are ethnic, but light-skinned girls. If a girl is very dark, they say no.’ Carole says the problem stems from the influential fashion capitals of Milan and Paris.

‘There, they absolutely don’t want black girls. A black model has to be a real star before you can take her there. They only take a black girl when the biz is buzzing about her.’ Carole believes the lack of ethnic diversity is the fault of the photographers as well as those at the top of the big brands. The famous photographers are powerful and can make or break a model, often choosing who they want in an advertising campaign. ‘A lot of photographers don’t know how to light a black girl,’ she tells me.

Daily Mail

Tagged as: Carole White, Ethnic Models, Light A Black Girl, Models, Naomi Campbell, Photographers, Racism