love ll!

I i will be watching bet tonight

ll needs to sit down

keeping doing your thing mary

Chanel Iman just came in my mail today…on the new Express summer campaign! I love her!

I love that BET is doing this because it is a problem…doesn’t make since that we aren’t represented in a market that we contribute to heavily…

LL COOL J….Sears…. ?

LOVE!!!!!!! The watch…hot

grrrr. I am gonna miss the fashion segment because of fashion school She looks great on the cover though. I see her all the time in V. Secret catalogs.

Noemi was also in Rush Hour 3…. with a shaved head.

Did anyone see the documentary of Diddy’s fashion show and how he put all black male models in his show? I thought that was phenomenal.

ohhhhh was that her @ #6? she’s gorgeous.

THERE IS No more black rappers thats gonna make a successful clothing line
maybe in 20years but now it`s a no no no
You need to Learn business not as in going to school but studying the whole thing personally
i bet you that

KuKudos Noemie… she looks great! And for the rest of the black fashion world taking a stand. Its about time… Its really sad sometimes to see a runway show with not one black face in it. Needless to say. its 2008. Its disappointing and Im glad people are finally speaking out.

•Aye, check out my blog.
http://www.frescodaily.blogspot.com
The source for all that is Urban Pop Culture. Blending fashion, entertainment, music and sports.

Noemie Lenoir is beautiful.
check out my blog. http://www.sick-ish.blogspot.com

THOSE ARE SOME REAL PRETTY BLACK MODELS, MAKES ME PROUD! I WILL BE WATCHING TONIGHT!

Beautiful black people making moves. Love it!!!

I will be watching BET tonight.

LL get your hustle on.

The fashion blackout issue is silly at best.

Waiting for someone else to peg your culture to the mainstream is akin to admitting a natural incompetence and dependency issues. And if that’s the case, why shouldn’t the mainstream take advantage?

All this bitching and moaning for acceptance into Hollywood, the Fashion Industry, Corporate America, etc is just embarrassing. If you want to see blacks employed, run a business. If you want to cast blacks, write/produce/cast something. If you want to parade black mannequins, design some damn clothing and get black people to buy it. Quit sitting on your asses waiting for handouts because no one owes you anything.

“According to Targetmarket News.com Black women in the United States spend more than $20 billion on apparel each year.”

All I can say to this is if Black women in the United States are not capturing much more than $20 billion from the same market each year, then they are just DUMB. And it’s not the man’s fault.

ps: Big ups to Diddy. And Noemi is fine.. love the Euro sistas.

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Finally something is being said!!!

ok, ima start with the basics… Noemie is gorgeous, Iman n Jordann are pretty.
LL no. n Goodluck Mary with that!

onto more important matters.
We have a lot of talented and outstanding people trying to make their mark in this world. Its not so much them looking for acceptance or recognition by white people, but more so, them getting their dues and being able to compete or have a chance at the same markets. Nobody is asking for handouts! Black people work hard for ours, and we have the same skills and capabilities as whites, the only difference on any level happens to be our skin colour.

We have so much depth to our being, and white people could never understand it! To number 15, no one is depending on white people to bring black culture to the mainstream..it happens to just be a general question as to why our culture isnt mainstream and how it can become so. There is no natural incompetenece on the part of blacks, as history has it, Africa was a booming and thriving continent way before Europe was. We were civilized and more advanced at everything from clothing, jewllery, economic systems and food, and while all this was occuring, Europeans were beating each other over the heads with clubs and eating raw meat, dying by the numbers. They took everything and all that they know from others, and claim to be the ones that originated everything!

So please, same way were able to make a way for ourselves then, im sure if black people would learn to stick together in todays day and age, that we could sure make strides now!

@Unreal, ur statement is on point. I’m so sick of us crying crying crying for others to patronize and celebrate our beauty and as u said market it to mainstream. Hell we don’t even accept each other, yet we expect for others to do it? We have so many issues in our community that are far more important than to worry about being celebrated on the front pages of some white man’s magazine. We have some light vs. dark skin issues that have plagued our race severely. We have many black children being brought up in single mother homes where the black fathers are consistently absent. We have endless rows of poverty stricken homes scattered in neighborhoods all across America. The violence in our community is unmeasurable. LETS WORRY ABOUT EMPOWERING OUR OWN FIRST, FREE OUR MINDS, AND THE REST WILL SURE FOLLOW. ~Read A Book ~

@ #18:

I understand what you’re saying, and I know that black people have to work very very hard (which unfortunately won’t bear the same fruits as working smart) but it’s all about capitalism. No amount of protesting or BET exposés will fix the problem. If you don’t support the status quo with your money/dedication, the system will correct itself.

How come I don’t see any other US demographic complaining? Probably because they don’t feel “used?” Meaning that they probably extract from the system as much as they contribute? I can point to any ethnic demographic in the US and we will see how at some level beyond empty protestation, they cater to the cultural and economic interests of their community. If you’re in a capitalist system, you are completely subject to the whims of supply & demand; you must play the game accordingly, or you will simply lose. The very fact that the Black experience pretty much dictates American pop culture, and yet blacks fail to capitalize on this, is a damn shame. Its is a zero sum game. If you’re losing, someone else is winning. If you can’t figure it out, you deserve to be losing.

I love the fact she made the cover, you go girl !!!!

Mary, need to stop desinging watches and take that disgusting blonde wig off. Why this black woman always want to have blonde hair?

If, its not hair Lil Kim, Eve, etc. But, I give them credit they stop and try other colors.

Mary was rockin that blonde wig iiiissshhh from 19 how long. Please stop !!!!!!!!!

I love the fact she made the cover, you go girl !!!!

Mary, need to stop desinging watches and take that disgusting blonde wig off. Why this black woman always want to have blonde hair?

If, its not hair Lil Kim, Eve, etc. But, I give them credit they stop and try other colors.

Mary was rockin that blonde wig iiiissshhh from 19 how long. Please stop !!!!!!!!!

i totally agree number 20, other demographics do stick together. It’s a shame the predicament that we black people are in, and the way I see it, we should get ourselves out of it. I’m not a fan of having white people help us do anything, especially anything we can sure enough do ourselves if we would be patient with each other and co operate with one another in achieving the same goal. If we as a people can learn to do things together and be successful at it, the world for once would take note at how powerful and genius we are as a people, instead of just a few individuals here and there like Diddy, Oprah and even Obama, who managed to slip through the cracks and find success on their own.

Thanks for the reminder. I will most definitely be tuning in.

she ugly but she cool
sighn white girl

Oh and I don’t know how yall feel but when I think of class, elegance grace and beauty, a white woman does NOT come to mind. Etta James, Tina Turner, Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, Dorothy Dandrige, Iman, Beverly Johnson, Jill Scott, Angie Stone, etc., define those characteristics for me. The list could go on forever. And who are we kidding? We help cultivate white standards of beauty into a phenomenom by consistently thrusting our hard earned dollars into their corporations. White women have the trashiest images moreso than black women with things like Girls Gone Wild, Playboy, prostitution, brothels and the porn industry which is one of the largest multi million industries in the world to cater to and almost exclusively exploit the images of white women! Black is beautiful. Point blank period. We better start recognizing or value! ~Read A Book ~

I going to have to watch this on BET tonight bc its a issue that as a budding male fashionista i take to heart bc black men and women have ALWAYS been style arbiters and trend setters but yet the fashion industry seems to ignore us. What I have always find interesting is that this European fashion ideal often steal ideas and styles from US and try to claim it as theirs (which I hope the show highlights). But my brothas and sistas, we ourselves need to first self-examine OURSELVES at times bc while I can appreciate a beautiful model like Noemie Lenoir (much props to her Vogue cover) a lot of us look at a equally beautiful model like Alex Wek and say “she is too dark”. We often often ourselves have a warped sense of what is beautiful and what is not. But I digress, Im looking forward to seeing this show on BET and hope from there there will be much debate and discussion on this issue

i’ll be watching that tonight

LL buddy ol pal sit yo ass the hell down with these clothes he been tryna shove that mess down out throats since that shitty definition cd or wuteva its called just STOP IT!!!

good for mary!!!… you see mary you could of got this success long ago had you got it together but its better late than never

Naomi Lenoir is beautiful!

Big ups to Mary, thats my girl, wish i could afford a watch designed by Mary, but like ya’ll said I’d be in poverty too. Its still a good look, way to go Mary!!!!

@27 I do agree that our own standard of beauty is warped! I am a beautiful (and not bragging) beautiful dark skin lady and I get over looked ALL the time when Im with my lighter friends……..until they look at my face (and past my complexion) and realize how I look! With that said we need to stop worrying about the man and embrace our own culture love ourselves FIRST not look for approval from anybody else! Lets stick together & own our own Beauty supply stores, Gas Stations, Clothing lines, etc….Black is Beautiful!!!!

#15 & #18, I agree. All I have to say is, at the end of the day, it’s about money, not color. Noemie has been doing her thing for a minute. Glad she made the cover. I had a roomie that was a dead ringer for Jourdann.

I meant #19

CHING CHING, GETTIN $PAID$ OVA HERE, LOL IM CRUNK NOW, N E WAYZ, THAT LIL DOCUMENTARY WAS VERY INTERSTING, I AM PROUD OF DIDDY FOR WHAT HE DID…BLACK IS UNDENIABLY BEAUTIFUL!

knowing BET it will be replayed soon

I can’t miss the playoff game

Good article finally. I do blame us for this also, because we allow others to disrespect us like that. I have never seen a race of people with such short term memory in my life than the African-Americans. We go crazy over designers(Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and others); but forget we are mostly missing from their fashion shows and print ads. I will never talk shit about Phat Farm, FUBU, RocaWear, Baby Phat and such because if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t see African-Americans on the run way. I have to respect P.Diddy, and the others for that. I’m not here to judge their personal lives. I respect them for not turning their backs on African-American models.

I’m not one to buy other people labels and make them wealthy; so they can ignore us. Hell no!!!! We has a people have to make these stands and show we respect ourselves, so others can respect us too.

The same is true with Asians opening stores in our neighborhoods; and us complaining about them disrespecting us. One I think it is so funny that you would wear their hair(weaves) and also curse those people out. LOL! What about wearing and styling your own hair? I mean there are plenty of cute short and medium hair styles to wear. The Asians, Arabs, Latina can easily be defeated and bankrupt and shut down and leave our neighorhoods if we feel disrespected, it’s simple, don’t buy from them. They can’t survive without our dollars being spent in their stores. I suggest you young folks read about the economic lost to the bus companies when they arrested Rosa Parks. It was the money baby!

Noemie looks good except the eyebrows but maybe thats the french style

Joe Boxer is still around? lol

I aII agree with others. Black folks have our own hangups. Many darkskinned black models were celebrated by white fashion agencies before they were accepted by the black community. I remember reading an article in Essence years ago when a sister working for a fashion magazine stated that it was white staff members who were choosing the darkskinned sisters when they had to hire a black model. The brother in charge of hiring black models seemed to only hire “black” models who were very lightskinned with white features and long straight hair. I don’t see too many black looking models in our BLACK music videos and black oriented magazines.

“OUR” culture isn’t mainstream because WE don’t even stay true to our culture! I like how ppl are pointing out how there should be more black faces when the majority of A.A.s are assimilating to eastern european standards. Straight hair, chinese eyebrows and nails, “party like a rock star” materialistic promos… c’mon! I mean, look @ that cover! She’s light skin with photshop skin highlights, THIN AS HELL and straight hair. How is that BLACK? If you want someone to recognize you, then be YOU. There is so much more to “OUR” original culture than fried chicken, jazz and hues of skin. Maybe when we come together and respect OURSELVES as a WHOLE… others will do the same. They see us as another check. Why do you think they don’t care to use us anymore… because they already have our money! No need to exploit what you already have, right? They like Dave Chappelle “I’m rich, BITCH!”

#36 i agree 100% couldn’t have said it better myself.

its crazy how black people spend so much money in this country but we dont profit from it at all because we dont own shit!!!! hispanics, koreans, and arabs own stores and shops in every black neighborhood and they own homes and nice cars. meanwhile we just keep giving them our money. before the white man can recognize us we need to look within ourselves 4real. we are a real messed up backwards group of people.
i remember kids lined up rain or snow on lines going down the block waiting for the sneaker stores to open to cop the new jordans….then get robbed in the street only days later. im so tired of these kids with the most expensive gear on, but they have been living in public housing their whole life!!!! the same ones with the expensive clothes are usually the ones stressing over paying tuition!!!!! we need to get our priorities in order, get it 2gether black people!!!!!

I want to say keep it up P.Diddy, Jay-Z, The Knowles, Kimora, Fubu, and all the others. I will always respect your business sense and not turning your backs on us.

I watch the other designers fashion shows on youtube, and I’m telling you it’s like watching the “night of the walking dead” lol! skinny boy shaped dead eyes bitches, lol! I usually watch them for laugh factors. This
http://www.youtube.com/wa...Sv2HQ&feature=related
or http://www.youtube.com/wa...9F3rw&feature=related

Hands down Sean John in my book! whatever! The Sean Jean models look like they are living, lol!

Don’t get me started on the women, lol!

BLACK PEOPLE DO NEED TO WAKE UP..STOP BUYING WEAVE HAIR FROM ASIANS..DENA CALI IS A BLACK WOMAN WHO MAKES HAIR..WHY NOT GO NATURAL AND EMBRACE YOUR OWN HAIR AND YOUR OWN CULTURE…WHY NOT SUPPORT BLACK DESIGNERS LIKE KEVIN HALL INSTEAD OF LOUIS V? ALTHOUGH PHARRELL HAS DESIGNED FOR THEM (JEWELRY AND SUNGLASSES) BUT MARC JACOBS,,,NEVER SEEM A BLACK PERSON IN HIS ADS..NYLON MAGAZINE..NEVER SEEN A BLACK WOMAN ON THE COVER….

STOP SUPPORTING THESE PEOPLE WHO COME INTO OUR COMMUNITY TO ROB US!

#42 You are right, but black people will NEVER stop. Their insecurities and issues run way to deep….I hear you but let’s be real.

Love Noemie, she looks gorgeous. Chanel Iman is very pretty and Jourdanns done well.

As for the other issues everything that’s been said has been right (we need to get our priorities in order, we need to stop ‘expecting’ things to happen and just make them happen, and we definitely need to stop being so divided). But In terms of light skin v dark skinned, buying white labels, and there not being enough black models; these aren’t just black issues, they’re media/business created situations too. The media has always controlled a predominantly dumbed-down population in western nations. Especially the USA which is mostly white, as is the media, the businesses, and of course, as is the product orientation. Yeah Koreans, Asians and Latinas have lots of community businesses, which we should be doing - but as far as I know they don’t own US TV networks, production companies and big name designer labels. That’s why you don’t see them being marketed as much either and I do hear a lot of complaints from Asian friends about their lack of recognition.

White Businesses market to white people because it’s more profitable. It just makes sense. That’s why black rappers and fashion labels have white girls in their ads/videos; they’re reaching for that extra buck. Though I disagree with it, again, it makes business sense. Which is why, as mentioned, some white businesses do market to black communities (sort of) - because it’s a new market to tap into/exploit.

THAT is the true nature of capitalism. Not this utopian notion of everyone having their own business, capitalism is just private organisations monopolising markets instead of government ones; which is what all the large white corporations have done.

If we want it to change, we can’t just tell individuals who are influenced by corporations, and we can’t just tell corporations who are making big money through their exploits. We have to become the corporations.

I am glad that Mary has gotten her hand in on the collab scene. Its a really good look for her.

Also on the topic of the black model and fashion I would love if blacks would take pride as we did in yesteryear and support this movement that has been spear headed by Ms. Bethanne Hardison and others. We put sooo much money into the fashion industry every year, even sacrificing our bills to give our money to these same companies that do not use our race to represent them. It’s crazy to me how we have lost our sense of pride and protection in not just fashion but our everyday lives.

NoNoNO….Da USA steals fashion ideas from the eurpeans..hoo strted da skinny jeans.hoo started da whle retro fing. xx???

YOU GUYS ARE RIDICULOUS

I saw the program. It was great and it is what I have been seeing and witnessing all along. I reall get mad when people shout out these designers in a song. Where were they before you were famous and needed clothes to wear- they weren’t handing any out to the community. I have to honestly say I don’t own any major desiner wear- they don’t like blacks or any one else for that matter. I have yet to see an asia on the runway- unless it is Kimora’s stuff. I wondered when Lil Kim was in jail- what designer visited her. That’s what people but conterfeit- not because they can’t afford the real thing- what keep making them rich. I don’t buy cloths from people that don’t rep me.

BET NEEDS TO FOCUS ON OTHER CRUCIAL STUFF THAN BLACK WOMEN BEIN IN A PRODEMENATELY WHITE INDUSTRY. WHERE ACCEPTED AND THATS ALL THAT MATTERS…HOW MANY BLK MODELS THERE IS, IT NOT IMPORTANT BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW HARD A BLK PERSON TRYS TO BE ABOVE THE WHTE SOCIETY IT WILL NEVER BE IN AMERICA. ACCEPT IT OR NEGLECT IT….THATS JUST THE WAY AMERICA TURNS. BECAUSE THERE COULD BE NO BLK MODELS WANTED. ATLEAST THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE RESPECTED AND REQUESTED.

AND ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES IN THIS WORLD, REGARD ARE YOUTH VIOLENCE, HUNGER AND THE SICK MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY….THAT IS WAAAAY MORE CRUCIAL THAN SOME FASHOIN INDUSRY PAYIN MORE ATTENTION TO BLK WOMEN THAT ARE DISPLAYED TO LOOK WHITE. INSTEAD OF LOOKIN LIKE A TRUE AND REAL SISTER.

TI watched the special last night, it was really good, it didn’t really cover anything we don’t already know. Personally I stopped caring about magazines, designers who really don’t care about our community. How many Gucci, Burberry or Michael Kors ads to you see in Essence? The industry makes a lot of money from the black community just as much as they do whites, but we are not their target market. In a way I really don’t care that huge fashion houses don’t want to use blacks in their ads, runway shows and magazines because I really don’t care for them. As long as we keep recognizing and supporting our own style, culture and figures it doesn’t bother me, but I think the underlying issue is that its borderline racist for mainstream fashion elite to ignore us as if we don’t spend money on their stuff.

There are some very good valuable comments on this page.

If you’ll are tired of not seeing black faces representing all of these brands, then stop falling for what Kanye, Pharell, Beyonce and Mary peddle to you. These fashion houses have the top black stars peddling things that are way too expensive for the averqage black consumer. Mary from Yonkers, and Jay Z from Brooklyn peddling Yves St. Laurent and $22,000 watches? They’re not hired because they appeal to white consumers, so what demographic are they hired to bring in? The black ppl from around the way who look up to them.

Even CL and the other black blogs are always featuring “what white, over-priced designer the celebs wore” (not that CL doesn’t also feature up and coming black designers). They’ll pay the filthy rich Beyonce to wear stuff so that lil hoodrats will emulate and spend their checks on some damn Balenciaga and Laboutin shoes. Meanwhile, theres not one Black model in their runway show.

Even Diddy, after the all black Fashion Week show he did, just launched his new Brazilian Sean John campaign, and on the website, in a country where almost half the population is black, every model is white.

Cmon where does this stop? Black models are no different than the actors in film and tv. White people don’t have to take us into account, and they most often don’t, because they are the masses, plain and simple. It’s not even racist, it’s just that why would they go see a black version of a movie when they can see every movie, tv show, fashion genre they could want, with white ppl in it.

Blacks have spent so long being “over” any and everything black, then want to turn around and complain when there are no blacks around anymore. What were you’ll expecting, white ppl to watch and buy???

“Black women spend more than $20 billion on apparel each year…”

Yet, ZERO Black women became a billionaire last year.

Does this not strike you as odd? That we can spend BILLIONS of dollars annually, and NO ONE in the black community can really say that they have gained from this??? We should come together as a community to support Black entrepeneurs.

Ask yourself daily: What have I done this year to contribute to making at least one millionaire in my community????

If each individual within a community supports the business of just one business man or woman in their community, an individual who strives to give back to the community, and not just keep all the cash to themselves… if we decide, consciously, to find that one person within the community and support them, we can increase the number Black millionaires in this country and the number of even higher net worth individuals who can then give BACK that money to the community, in the form of scholarships, grants, and funding for other programs that are designed to aid and uplift.

Black Models work it! Thats a good look Mary…keep doing your thing and supporting the community!

cosigning with # 52

The only problem is how many black owned companies are well known and advertised? Also, how well do their apparel attract consumers? If these problem were corrected, I’m sure there would be more successful blacks.

This topic has been popping up on a lot of websites lately, and it’s starting to get on my nerves. I always hear the argument “well African- Americans buy high-end fashion too.” Yeah, that may be true, but how much? The other day Angel put up a fashion post about some shoes and a $27,000 Dior phone. An overwhelming majority of yall were whining about how it was too expensive. And now you want to see black models hawking this stuff? Why? Let’s be honest, the majority of us are not going to buy it, and the fashion industry (any industry really) is all about supply and demand

@ Unreal…Thank you! I don’t need to see African American models on the cover of a magazine to understand how beautiful we are. Just because there aren’t many black models walking on the catwalk doesn’t mean that African Americans are ugly. This whole “we need more African Americans in fashion” is really starting to bug me. They might as well scream, “I’m pretty too!!!” I was just talking to my sister about that this morning. The fashion industry doesn’t like American-looking white people either. They use a European standard to determine what’s beautiful. Guess why…most of the big designers are European (gasps). But that doesn’t mean African Americans are ugly.

wow, jourdan u do ur fing. a girl who gets discovered while tryin on sum sumglasses in Primark gets sum credit. u go. i watched dis show last week when dey aired it ova here. it was soooo true.

noemie.. now i no her name. she all in the marks and spencers adverts ova here. omg. she is doin big thangs.

Im a black girl living in Europe since i was a baby, When i came to America (to the area i went of course ) i saw obnoxious ghetto style which isnt chic per say, and some girls wearing tight stuff when they are fat, that is not fashionable, also i notice African americans always “want to look fly” when their house/car are banged up, Show off without nothing to back it up. Again not all African Americas are like that but its represented in the media and the most you see on the streets. and you guys need to spend more time in school even immigrated latinos are surpassing you guys in a large mark. Im not going to hate on asians those people work their asses off. I respect those African Americans who doesnt have that mind set that you get new stuff every pay check and those who are loud and rude.

Ciao. Proud Classy Black Woman.

i love noémie lenoir..
hair short,head shaved or curls.
she stays fab !

FiNALLy! WERE RECOGNiZED!

Noemie is a Beautiful French Black model!! Afroeuropeans rule!!

Hey it is no justt about AFrican americans… black people are not just african americans! In fashion most of the black girls are not from america!

and jourdan dunn is British not American!!

Most black girls that rule in fashion that you assume are American ARE NOT.
they come from africa, Europe, Brazil or other….