- Beverly Johnson, the first Black model to appear on the cover of
Vogue , condemned the magazine and the fashion industry as a whole for failing to address ongoing racism. - Johnson wrote a Washington Post op-ed published Thursday, in light of an email sent Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, who acknowledged the lack of Black representation at the magazine and promised to improve structural exclusion at Vogue.
- "My debut was meant to usher in a current of change in the fashion industry," Johnson wrote in her op-ed. "But as the national conversation around racism expands, stories about discrimination in the fashion industry and at Vogue, in particular, have come under the spotlight."
- The model proposed a hiring guideline for Condé Nast to increase Black representation in influential positions called the "Beverly Johnson rule," which requires "at least two black professionals to be meaningfully interviewed for influential positions."
- "Forty-six years after my
Vogue cover , I want to move from being an icon to an iconoclast and continue fighting the racism and exclusion that have been an ugly part of the beauty business for far too long," Johnson wrote.
Beverly Johnson, the first Black model to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine, slammed the fashion industry, and the fashion magazine in particular, for exploiting Black culture.
Johnson wrote an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Thursday that condemned the unequal treatment of herself and other Black people in other parts of the fashion and beauty industry.
"My debut was meant to usher in a current of change in the fashion industry," Johnson wrote. "But as the national conversation around racism expands, stories about discrimination in the fashion industry and at Vogue, in particular, have come under the spotlight."
Johnson's op-ed came in light of the recent mea culpa of Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, who acknowledged the lack of Black representation at the magazine in a leaked internal email to staff. She wrote that she recognized that Vogue has "not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators."
In 2018, the Vogue cover featuring Beyoncé was the first cover photo shot by a Black photographer, Tyler Mitchell, in the 125-year history of the iconic fashion magazine.
The doyenne of Condé Nast also took "full responsibility" for the "hurtful or intolerant" content that came from the publication in the past, she wrote in the email.
"It can't be easy to be a Black employee at Vogue, and there are too few of you," she wrote in the email. "I know that it is not enough to say we will do better, but we will — and please know that I value your voices and responses as we move forward. I am listening and would like to hear your feedback and your advice if you would like to share either."
Johnson addressed Wintour's admittance of "structural exclusion" in her op-ed, calling out Wintour and the rest of the fashion industry on their shortcomings in racial inclusion.
"Wow — after three decades, fashion's leading arbiter has finally acknowledged that there may be a problem!" Johnson wrote.
Wintour and Vogue have been under fire as of late after the fashion magazine and its parent company, Condé Nast, was accused of discrimination and classism.
"Managing racism is one of the things the fashion industry does do well," Johnson wrote. "Year after year, companies inflict harm against black culture while actively gouging it for inspiration and taking all of the profit."
The model listed out various "racist faux pas" committed by designers, like Gucci's blackface turtleneck and Burberry's hoodie with a noose knot.
"When called out, these companies plead for forgiveness, waving promises and money around," Johnson wrote. "Then it's back to exclusion as usual, until the next brand 'accidentally' repeats racial vulgarity."
"The racism management cycle then begins anew," she added.
Johnson went on to recognize the "enormous" contributions Black culture has made to the fashion industry, "but black people are not compensated for it."
"Brands do not retain and promote the many talented black professionals already in the fashion, beauty and media workforce. Brands do not significantly invest in black designers," she wrote. "The fashion industry pirates blackness for profit while excluding black people and preventing them from monetizing their talents."
Thus, she proposed a new guiding principle for hiring for influential positions to Wintour and Condé Nast as a whole — the "Beverly Johnson rule," which requires "at least two black professionals to be meaningfully interviewed for influential positions."
"Forty-six years after my Vogue cover, I want to move from being an icon to an iconoclast and continue fighting the racism and exclusion that have been an ugly part of the beauty business for far too long," Johnson concluded the op-ed.