When black model Joy Bryant got run off the runway
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The lack of black models and the prevalence of razor-thin models has long been the bane of the fashion industry. (At this season’s N.Y. Fashion Week, jumpsuits are much more popular than multicultural catwalks, says Reuters.) For an entertaining and infuriating firsthand account of one black model’s experience in the biz, check out actress and ex-mannequin Joy Bryant’s essay on the Huffington Post. Here’s a tidbit of her describing one casting call to get you hungry:
‘I finally get to the room, where the VERY famous designer is sitting at a long table with a few associates. I say hello, hand my portfolio over, and proceed to ‘walk’ (please reference ‘Top Model’). I do so and then the VERY famous designer says to me, with a smile of course, ‘Joy, you are soooo beautiful, but I’m not using black girls this season.’ (Insert sound of record scratching here). Yeah, he actually said that to my ‘beautiful’ face. He’s lucky he didn’t get a black eye.’
You have to wonder why this designer would bother to see a black model if he had no intention of using one in his show? Reuters also reports that Diane von Furstenberg, Tracy Reese and DKNY used a high number of black models this season. Worth noting.
-- Monica Corcoran
photo of Joy Bryant: WireImage