Italian Vogue Does All Black Issue [View All]

[Number23]

From the NY Times:

(snip)

"Conspicuous by Their Presence"

"RACIAL prejudice in the fashion industry has long persisted because of tokenism and lookism. “We already have our black girl,” says a designer to a fashion-show casting agent, declining to see others. Or: “She doesn’t have the right look.” Laziness, paranoia and pedantry may also have something to do with the failure to hire black models for shows and magazine features in any meaningful number, but, hey, that’s just a guess.

...What would finally move American designers to include more black models on their runways? That 30 percent of the country is nonwhite? That black women spend $20 billion a year on clothes? That an African-American is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party?"

Oh, is THAT all it took?? Makes sense to me!

Article here - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/fashion/19BLACK.html

Why does it take a "special" issue of Vogue to feature these stunning, gorgeous women? And in ITALY?