Model casting for New York Fashion week is, of course, very competitive. Hundreds of models attend castings, and only a select few are chosen. With this comes designers searching for a specific "look." Unfortunately, this look is usually rail-thin, and pale. With so many choices, casting agents can afford to be picky.
“She needs to have a nice body, a nice neck and good ankles,” Gregori-Boina, a high status-casting director, said in a BCBG casting. He mentioned personality and intelligence second. Good ankles come first, clearly. These specific aesthetic needs lead to, whether unconscious or not, lack of diversity.
Models often attend multiple castings a day, sometimes 12 or more. The models meet the casting agents, hand them their portfolio, and showcase their walk. To be cast, a model must stand out. Despite this, mostly pale models are cast.
According to Jezebel, in the fall/winter 2014 season, only 21% of the female models were non-white. In a city as diverse as New York, you would think that would be a higher number. New York has every kind of person you can imagine, from all over the world. So why are white models overwhelmingly represented? Statistically, it doesn't make sense. There is definitely some sort of underlying racism that exists in every industry, but in one so heavily based in appearance, it is prominent.
That's a great topic, and well done!
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