The Beyonce Effect

When I first started, 21 years ago, I was told that it was hard for me to get onto covers of magazines because black people did not sell. Clearly that has been proven a myth. Not only is an African American on the cover of the most important month for Vogue, this is the first ever Vogue cover shot by an African American photographer.”-Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter

Image result for beyonce september issue
This September we witnessed something that magazines such as Essence, Jet(which is no longer in print), and Ebony have tapped into for generations. The infamous September issue is the most important issue and cover for fashion magazines. What was a pleasant surprise this year was that magazines, that have become infamous for their lack of diversity and exclusivity, showcased black cover stars on magazine stands all over the world. This year iconic faces such as Rihanna for Vogue UK, Slick Woods for Elle UK, Zendaya for Marie Claire, Adowah Abooah and Naomi Campbell for Love, Naomi King for Shape, Tiffany Haddish for Glamour, Lupita N'yongo for Porter, Tracee Ellis Ross for Elle US, Yara Shahidi for the Hollywood Reporter, and Beyonce being the cover star for the now historical American Vogue issue. These magazines have set beauty standards for decades meant to work against black women are now showing the beauty of black people, culture, and history. 

Image result for black september covers
Though the celebration of blackness this September came as a beautiful surprise it is also important that magazines and runways only grow in diversity and not because it is trendy but because it is beautiful. The Fashion industry has had an "interesting" relationship with Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop culture for decades. Many designers and creative directors wanting to treat it as a commodity and not seeing it as a culture filled with a rich history and meaning for the Black community. Big names in Fashion have taken an interest in Black culture as a whole, but not an interest in black people. The love of Black culture but not Black people has to lead to numerous Cultural Appropriation scandals on runways and in editorials showing overly bronzed white models with Fulani braids and faux locks instead of casting Black people to showcase Black culture. Now that Hip Hop music, artist, and culture have become mainstream and society being socially aware magazines have tapped into "the culture" and are now using Black artist and models to represent themselves and have artistic control over how they are seen in media. Tyler Mitchell, a 23-year-old NYU Tisch alum, became the first African American to shoot a Vogue cover in its 126 years of publication. The Beyonce and Mitchell collaboration is not only historical, but for the first time in the magazine's 126 year history sought to capture the multi-dimensional Black experience through art, fashion, and storytelling. Both Beyonce and Mitchell were able to discuss what exactly it means to be simultaneously Black,creative, socially aware, and human.The two artist captured how all aspects of their separate identities and realities intersect with their Blackness.



The amount of diverse Black faces on September covers will allow many young girls and boys to see themselves in every hue and background. The diversity of the Black umbrella is being shown on a mainstream level and I hope the Fashion industry will become more diverse and socially aware. Even though this is a win for representation, it is also important to remember the publications that believed in, pushed, and celebrated the beauty of Blackness when we were not being put on mainstream covers and editorials. Magazines like Ebony and Essence have celebrated the beauty and diversity of Black people for generations, and have never treated aspects of Black Culture as trendy. Black fashion lovers and vogue collectors should celebrate this historical season, but shouldn't abandon the magazines we looked to as children in order to see ourselves. 

Thanks for Keeping Up With Kat
Instagram: @ktinsley_

Comments

Popular Posts