Supermodel Joan Smalls called out the fashion industry for largely staying silent and failing to meaningfully support Black people at a time when tens of thousands of demonstrators are protesting the death of George Floyd nationwide.
"This industry that loves stereotyping us, how many times have I been told that my hair was an issue and set to control it, how many times have I had to share campaigns or editorials when I saw my counterparts have their achievements by themselves," said Smalls"It was a constant battle no one saw but one that I lived on a daily basis."
"You have continually let us down with your insensitivity and tone-deafness and damage control apologies of 'we will do better.' You fall short trying to narrate our stories by toning us down or having us be curated by people who have not lived or walked a day in our shoes," she said in the video post."Well, now it's time to give us a real seat at the table because we are worthy, because we are talented, because we are unique and I stand by my words.
Smalls said that while she doesn't"need validation from an industry that casts me as the token black girl while ignoring my whole cultural identity," she does need the fashion industry to recognize"the systematic issues, the issues that arise from top to bottom," from continuing to work with photographers who refuse to shoot black models because"there's no need to shoot a black girl" to casting directors unwilling to give opportunities to black models.
"You feed the beast, the beast of racism and inequality," said Smalls, who also acknowledged those in the industry"that did see me for me and gave me a chance."
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