The “Black Lives Matter” movement has exposed not only deeply rooted issues such as racial discrimination and black empowerment, but also sparked controversies over racial diversity in other sectors and levels, with the fashion industry being one of the affected sectors. Suddenly, the issue of racial diversity in the fashion industry has been brought to the forefront, and American Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, has become a target of criticism because of this.
According to the fashion business review media “BoF”, Anna Wintour issued an apology statement: “I must admit that our magazine did not have enough ways to give opportunities to African-American editors, writers, photographers, or other creators; in the past, we have also made mistakes in publishing images or words that are harmful and intolerant, and I must take full responsibility.”
Anna Wintour continued to express that she will improve the situation in the future, giving more inclusivity and respect to her African American colleagues. However, this apology was not accepted, and it even sparked more criticism towards her. A former African American employee of Vogue publicly stated on Twitter that during her time at the company, it was the most painful and challenging time for her, with lower pay than her white colleagues and bullying from white colleagues leaving her exhausted.
On the other hand, some Twitter accounts have created Google documents calling on employees to publicly disclose their positions, gender, race, and treatment to prove the existence of racial discrimination issues. Anna Wintour is facing a crisis of stepping down because of this, with many rumors suggesting that she may be asked to resign, but the CEO of the group responded that Anna Wintour has been with the company for nearly 40 years and will not be dismissed because of this. However, some people are defending her, pointing out that she has repeatedly appointed people of color and spoken out on niche issues, criticizing the move as too harsh. This also leads to everyone’s thinking: what should be done, and how much, to fundamentally eradicate racial prejudice from the fashion industry?
Although Anna Wintour has saved her “rice bowl,” she still faces various challenges in the future, not only to recover from the impact of the new crown epidemic; but also to properly resolve the negative events related to racial issues, it is definitely a tough battle.
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