Top Earning Models of "the world"???

VS.

According to Forbes (and graciously gisted by Newser), these are the The World's Top-Earning Models of The World:

1. Gisele Bundchen ($25 million, down $10 million from the previous year)
2. Heidi Klum ($16 million)
3. Kate Moss ($8.5 million)

4. Adriana Lima ($8 million)
5. Doutzen Kroes ($6 million)
6. Allesandra Ambrosio ($6 million)
7. Natalie Vodionova ($5.5 million)
8. Daria Webowy ($4.5 million)
9. Miranda Kerr ($3 million)
10. 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'.

Oh my God... she's so skinny. She's so skinny, I want to be her...

Chanel Iman, why??? Why do I insist on blogging about you so much?
I think it's because you're a fucking rockstar. Just look at you.


Ripped from Teen Vogue (yes, I know. it wasn't my copy). Red tartan skinny pants, puh-leeze! She always reps it hardcore for the blasians.

The Balance of Cool and Uncool: Staying Hip When You're Really Not

I was admiring Chanel Iman as many girls my age (which is also her age) do, and I shared her name with my older -and thusly less hip- brother Paul. He hadn't heard of her. But he had "seen of her"? One short amorous stop on Google Images later and he came upon this:

*image cropped to suit argument

-On the left, is the picture of elegance: Alien-like supermodel proportions, flawless skin, 100% H.A.U.T.
-On the right is what Paul declared to be one of his biggest pet peeves - beautiful people, who know they're beautiful "tryna to do that geek chic shit".

Paul and I relate to Ms. Chanel Iman on the level that the three of us happen to be half Black and half Asian, Blasian, if you will. But we're *not* supermodels. We have distinct and ever-so-slightly fond memories of growing up geeky and nerdy and fairly uncool. So it should come as no surprise that we marvel at how this:

has become this....

And it got me thinking about the ways in which "cool" is ever so elusive. As soon as something is trendy it withers in the opinion of coolmongerers everywhere. But as soon as a trend dies it then has the potential to come back again with 10 times more ferocity. Did Bill Gates up there know he and a whole league of geeks just like him would be lionized and plagiarized for their (lack of?) vision? How did being unfashionable become the waterbear of couture. When their dowdy plaids and button down shirts, unseemly tight jeans, ironic hair, and complete lack of style and polish became the epitome of poshness... what is the nerd to do?

Because no matter how trendy or on point he or she is, no matter how "in" the look becomes, the geek is still on the fringe. Not uncool enough to be cool - just the nerds they were meant to be. In my opinion its like white people adopting black culture and dress, it doesn't change anything for the other side. White people stay white, black people stay black. And the beauties and geeks, at the day's end are immutable.