Jun 11 2020, 9:07 am EDTJoan Smalls has been frustrated with the fashion industry for some time. And her feelings of anguish have only grown in the wake of the killings of Ahmad Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, which ignited demonstrations across the globe, demanding accountability for their murders and an end to systemic racism.
This encompasses the whole gamut of the fashion industry, from agencies to magazines to brands. An industry that profits from our Black and Brown bodies, our culture for constant inspiration, our music , and our images for their visuals has tiptoed around the issue at hand. You are part of the cycle that perpetuates these conscious behaviors.
And I stand by my words, because I have lived through them in this industry that has loved stereotyping us. Times have changed. But was it sincere, or were you forced to make changes to please and placate your consumers?How many times have I been told that my hair was an issue and told to control it? How many times have I had to share campaigns or editorial when I saw my counterparts achieve those milestones solo? It was a constant battle no one saw, but one that I lived daily.
The same thing SashaExeter was saying in her Insta stories without mentioning names only to have jessicamulroney threatening to have her fired I now get why people have been silent, they're probably facing threats to remain silent BlackLivesMattters