Monday, March 30, 2015

Model Activism

http://www.amylemons.com


Amy Lemons
May 31, 2012


Amy Lemons is an internationally known and respected commodity. She is a model. She is also an advocate for change within her industry. A member of Model Alliance, an organization striking out at the fashion industry's leaning towards the zero-size-standard. Ms. Lemons is an advocate for healthier lifestyles, and the elevation of young women's self-esteem.

I know Naomi Campbell, another international model, is in the fight to protect the gains made for Black and African models who are used less in a racially exclusive format. The business of fashion and modeling has a terrible history with its preference for white models. There was a brief break in the trend that started in the late 1950's when the wife of EBONY and JET magazine's founder entered the game boldly. The major players would not allow Black American women to model their clothes. It would lower the value of their clothes, or so they believed. In response to that industry condition Mrs. Johnson purchased the expensive clothes herself, and catapulted the value of the Black woman's presence onto the international runways escalating the profits of an industry that pretended a huge potential market did not matter, or exist.

It is a common theme. In the real estate business a linked ideology was used to scare white homeowners away from their neighborhoods. The real estate industry knew full well the property values of homes sold to Black Americans escalate for reasons many refuse to believe. Historically, Blacks intentionally raise the value of their homes through their care of their homes. Also, unethical lending practices, and the propensity of whites involved in the dirty business of removing money from Black communities unfairly brought a lot of money into the industry by manipulating emotions and images!

As I have pondered the fashion industry over the years I wonder if the fear to confront the Gay movement's 'sales people' will continue to stall the progress to lead the industry away from its insistence upon unhealthy models to shape the images of women themselves to weak to muster up the creative juices to develop esteem separate from their unquestioned influences. Or, perhaps the culprit lies within the Puritanical influence upon women's esteem. Believing women to be the 'weaker vessel' has effectively affected self-esteem for a little over 20 centuries! Together these two have created a lot of fear, and misconceptions.

Knowing this advocates will have to dig in deeper than the tradition activism submits to. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 6.13.13



Belle Whitein short red short dress in white heels.
Jan. 24, 2013

 

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