I first found this short documentary, The Colour of Beauty, over at Jezebel and became completely mesmerized during the entire 17:48 minute video.   This video follows Renee Thompson, a model who is navigating her way through the fashion industry as a model.  Renee, 24, wants to make it “big” as a model and knock ‘em dead at Fashion Week.  She feels it’s coming down to the wire as is an older model.  Another thing? She is a black model.  As interesting and cool as Renee is, it is the fashion insiders that make powerful (and hurtful) statements about minority models trying to make it.

It’s hurtful as a woman with “big lips” and a larger nose to hear that your features are not desirable.  Or to hear that some designers straight out  do not want black girls in their shows.  Or if a black girl is hired, she has to be”like a white girl dipped in chocolate” as one client put it.

I know this issue is brought up time and time again and I debated posting this video, because it can seem like beating a dead horse. Yes, we know there is a problem with lack of diversity on the runways, but will there ever be enough done to see more diversity on the runways?

Photo from Gawker

So it seems the cover of the  Vogue May issue traditionally  features models has been revealed.  Liya Kebede, Natalia Vodianova, Anna Maria Jagodzinska. Isabeli Fontana, Stone, Jourdan Dunn, Raquel Zimmerman, Caroline Trentini, and Natasha Poly are the chosen ones to grace the cover.  To tell the truth, I’m not surprised by the choices.

Well, I actually thought maybe Sessilee Lopez might sneak in.  Also, I thought Chanel Iman might be included since she has been something of an “It” model for a couple of years now, but she is in the issue in an editorial with her boyfriend:

Photo from The Fashion Spot

However, I am glad that Jourdan Dunn, a rising newcomer, did have a spot on the cover.  With the influx of new models,  I never really keep up and I do care more about the clothes than the models, in general.  However, Jourdan Dunn is the one model that I always look for in shows and editorials because the girl always works it.  I believe she has a long and successful career ahead of her.  Don’t believe me?  Check out this vid:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPzVZKwGzrE]

As many interested in fashion know, it has not gone unnoticed that fashion has suffered from a lack of diversity in the past few years.  A few months ago, American Vogue had an article titled, “Is Fashion Racist”, which featured Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn and Arlenis Sosa. And Black models (and other ethnicities) have been missing from Vogue’s cover and editorials until very recently. Italian Vogue published their “All Black” issue in July to much fanfare and it became a best seller. And Ms. Naomi Campbell has spoken up about the issue and is said to be planning a London agency for Black models.

This brings me to the topic of this post, Ms. Donyale Luna.  Ms. Luna was the first Black model to grace the cover of Vogue magazine in 1966.  Born in Detroit with the birth name Peggy Ann Freeman, Ms. Luna was discovered by photographer David McCabe and quickly moved to New York to start her career.  In addition to a modeling career, Ms. Luna was also a party of Andy Warhol’s Factory and starred in a Federico Fellini film.  As a model, Luna supposedly demanded $60 a day for bookings, which was a pretty hefty rate during those times.  During my research, I saw an excellent post from Afrobella, who excellently summed up her life and career.

The real shame is  that Ms. Luna seemed to deny her Black ancestry and claimed anything but.  In a profile written by Judy Stone for the New York Times, Luna’s background was described as ” Mexican, American Indian, Chinese, Irish and, last but least escapable, Negro”. When asked if she thought her appearances in films would bring more opportunity for Black actresses, she remarked, ““If it brings about more jobs for Mexicans, Chinese, Indians, Negroes, groovy. It could be good, it could be bad. I couldn’t care less.” Luna’s career declined when she started to exhibit unprofessional behavior.  She died of a drug overdose in 1979.

Seeing how hard the path is for Black models today, Ms Luna definitely blazed a trail whether she wanted to or not.   Imagining how hard it was for her in the 1960′s, Luna definitely rose to succeed beyond expectations.   Here are a few more pics of Ms. Luna that I found from this website, The Beautiful and the Damned.