VS.
According to Forbes (and graciously gisted by Newser), these are the The World's Top-Earning Models of The World:
- Gisele Bundchen ($25 million, down $10 million from the previous year)
- Heidi Klum ($16 million)
- Kate Moss ($8.5 million)
- Adriana Lima ($8 million)
- Doutzen Kroes ($6 million)
- Allesandra Ambrosio ($6 million)
- Natalie Vodionova ($5.5 million)
- Daria Webowy ($4.5 million)
- Miranda Kerr ($3 million)
- Carolyn Murphy ($3 million)
No matter how unsuprised I am by this list, I just hate the fact that these are the top earning models of "the world". Do I see the world here? No. And what percentage of the world do white or caucasian people actually make up? Are any of these models women of color? No.
Well, at least not if you count a spray tan. I'm not encouraged. And don't give me anything about Gisele and Adriana Lima being Brazilian. "Brazil is one of the most ethnically diverse places on the planet"... so why did Sao Paolo fashion week have to enforce (a very measly 10%) quota for black, African descendent, or indigenous models?
If these are the most recognizable sought after faces world-wide, then what message does that send to me or my future kids, or my family and my friends? What racial standards (beyond the twiggy, long legged etc.) has mass culture left unbroken for beauty? I'm sure these women are hard-working but it hurts to think of all the models of color who time and again are rejected from the high profile catwalks and spreads. And even when they are included, Non-caucasian models are often marginalized as exotic accents or shucked in to fill quotas.
And seriously, If the world of fashion prides itself on intelligently selected control of what's in and whats out then it should stop ignorantly rejecting the entire market of non-white consumers. Just sayin'.
