Representation: Is It All Just Noise?
The heated political events of the past year have centered conversations around diversity more fervently than before. In our age of rampant social media usage, more and more brands are being called out for not being diverse enough, for not standing up for the issues that matter most to their constituents, and for their poor handling of representation in the past. However, especially in the fashion industry, it will take more than just people breaking stereotypes in pop culture for change to be truly solidified. All the noise is just to get our attention—to make sure we focus on one topic amongst the mass of thousands constantly vying for space. Making noise in the fashion industry is not enough to be a solution. One of the best and most recent examples of this is Halima Aden announcing her departure from the modeling/fashion industry until brands meet her standards of modesty.
Supermodel Aden made headlines across the world as she used her Instagram stories in late November to announce she was no longer going to model unless brands allowed her to wear her hijab in the style she felt most comfortable. She cited examples of photoshoots with major magazines that had either compromised her level of comfort or erased her hijab completely; she even admitted to modeling without it on one occasion. As she endured this internal battle, her biggest fans only saw the end result: one of the first women in the fashion industry to grace magazines, walk major runways and represent brands, all while wearing a hijab. Aden was applauded for trailblazing, for representing Muslim women and the traditional headscarf. This made a lot of noise. However, this level of noise about representation is not enough, as Halima’s departure indicates—the industry must be ready to receive trailblazers and set them up for success if they are to remain.
Everyone benefits from a trailblazer, from a noise-maker. Brands get clout. The fashion industry is seen as “progressing” and everybody seems happy. But if there is no support beneath them to keep them going, to stand up for them and to make sure their needs, values, and voices are respected, trailblazers crash and burn. The noise no longer has depth or soul or lasting resonance. For example, one reason Halima did not want to speak up during photoshoots where she felt uncomfortable was because of the lack of Muslim stylists. She was buoyed by well-meaning intentions, motivated and excited to exemplify an entire group of people (because there already so few Muslims in fashion modeling) —a responsibility that was dropped on Aden instantly, simply because of how she identified. But perspective and boundaries were erased. Glowing from being the perfect representation of a long-marginalized group, a true impact on values was neglected. Aden felt as though the representation wasn’t deep enough: the industry was toxic, unsupportive, always trying to push boundaries and cut corners. She was used for the sake of representation, surface-level progress, and capitalistic gains. And from this, she suffered the most.
What does representation look like in the fashion industry today? Really, more of the same. It looks like beautifully big-boned women becoming models who do not have the typical body type but are held to the same standards as the average model—sexualized and exoticized. Rihanna’s highly popular Savage x Fenty lingerie show is a great example. Even if it's probably the only place you’ll find several models wearing size 40 panties and rocking it, Rihanna is known for being cutting edge, for being loud and noisy and dramatic—her brand is built on it— so this is an acceptable show of fashion-related representation. Fat women don’t need to be seen anywhere else, and for the most part, they won’t be.
Noisy, thoughtless representation looks like biracial women splattered across every magazine cover as an acceptable show of diversity, flouncing in dresses or in a men’s pantsuit with no bra, with their perfect fros and signature red lip. Asian women, short women, or women with skin the color of midnight and hair like wool will be featured once in a while to make a statement, to create a slightly different note in the same song about diversity. But that is all.
Trailblazing for the sake of representation comes with risks. You might not get hired, you might not get paid, you might have to compromise your values for the sake of the rest of your race, religion, gender. It is a thankless, lonely job, but it does not always have to be that way.
We must recognize noise for noise. Just because Halima Aden broke the mold and became a supermodel doesn’t mean that the fashion industry has finally evolved. It means someone was given the key to the door so they could stick their foot in and keep said door open for a short while. Representation in the fashion industry requires responsibility on every level. When a brand chooses to make representation matter, it must be deeper than just deciding to hire a brown person or someone who openly identifies as LGBTQ+.
Representation requires research. It requires thought. Let’s say a brand hires a Black model with dark skin. Do they have photographers on set who know how to accentuate Black skin on camera? Recently, for instance, the Vogue cover of African American gymnast Simone Biles, shot by the prolific Annie Leibovitz, came under fire, especially on Twitter, for how poorly lit the star’s skin was, making her look drab and ashy. What such an incident demonstrates is that one can be the most talented type of creative and still not be able to truly highlight Blackness the way it deserves because they do not have prior experience with and exposure to other Black artists in their industry.
It is imperative that we welcome more makeup artists who know what type of nude lipstick won’t make a model look ashy. That we hire more people of color on staff. Because the fashion industry is so visible, so open and complex, it is necessary for the growth of this industry to stop this cacophony of distracting, surface-level representation. Representation requires questions and answers; it requires conversation. Otherwise, it will end the moment a voice is silenced, drowned out by the lack of support and advocacy required to feel motivated, loved, and strong during lonely nights and moments of weakness. The fashion industry has a duty. If it is truly dedicated to change and development, it must stop thriving off the noise and finally start listening to the people who make the music.
Artwork by Simone Hadebe