There are very small percentages of models of colour at any of the top agencies and it shouldn't be like this.

You people are spreading racism here. Beauty doesn't mean fair skin.

Black models don't sell...is true. i myself worked in the industry and has seen people coming for a face that fits with their product and surprisingly most of the time it was a white face. No way we should blame the industry for being rude/discriminating to the women with colour. if there are more people who want to see a Black model to wear their fav lingerie then obviously we'll see more black than white models.

Yes, they don't sell, count black models in India, you won't find a single one because in India beauty does mean fairness - an indication of sick mentality.

Mainstream magazines use all sorts of different looks but you will never see a conventional Asian girl. It's absolutely appalling. There is no excuse.

Nowadays parents might be interested in seeing their daughter grow up to become a model, but our grandparents always thought modelling is akin to prostitution.

I just don't like modeling so won't comment on black models, white models or whatever, useless talk.

Model means 'NAMUNA' in Hindi language. All models are namunas.. :-)

this is a deliberate attempt to malign the fashion industry by sucking it into a racial controversy.

This might be because most well known fashion houses are based in Europe and the US where the blacks are in minority. So as in any industrial representation they appear to be lesser in numbers than the majority group in the fashion industry as well. Maybe this is just the fodder sensationalists were looking for.

I wish i was n the other side but if we compare the number of white models and black models in the industry, definitely there are more of the ’whites’. The colored models lag in between these two scales.

No doubts gals like Naomi have made it big and inspire others to do so, but then she herself accuses the industry of having a biased attitude towards ’black’ models.

Where the west still accepts the ’black beauty’ i find more of the biased attitude seeped in the mentality of colored people, who are dying to get fair.

Blame it on the American standards of beauty....golden hair, blue eyes, fair skin and rosy cheeks...uhh..get a life...black is indeed beautiful...

@Nitesh...

so why are u here.? just to tell us that u hate ’models’..

@Prasad...

i think u belong to the same category-”namuna”!!!

Ekta -

u r talking rubbish. when did india have black population? if u mean by models with darker skins, don't look beyond sushmita sen, bipasha basu, madhu sapre who were top models before and now carol gracias etc. even male models like john abraham and milind soman are not 'fair' in colour.

THE FASHION INDUSTRY IS A SCANDALMONGER'S PARADISE. EVERY NOW AND THEN YOU GET NEW SCANDALS EMERGING FROM THE INDUSTRY LIKE - DRUGS, ESCORT SERVICE, COERCION FOR SEX ETC. NOW IT IS RACISM.

there are millions of fans of black models.... i mean by descriminating why woudl the fashion designers want to lose lucrative markets.... i dont think this is happening.

mere speculation......

letz face it. as in otehr jobs therez racial discrimination in modeling jobs too. racism exists everywher. itz a fact

Yes black models sell only when they reach a cult status like Naomi Campbell. Black models are paid much lesser than white models in Europe and they get lesser assignments as well.

Blacks are always losers in every industry and the fashion industry is no exception. People may cite black supermodels etc. It doesn't take much to notice the disparity in employment and payoffs between blacks and whites in the fashion industry.

i disagree completely because most of the top models in our country are blacks. perhaps brazil has a large black population and the fashion here is a big thing. there are many brazilians working in milan and paris. most of them have black background.

@ Salil....

the names u have counted are called ’colored’ like most of the Indians are...

What we are talking is about ’black’ models and Ekta is right!!!

I tend to agree with the argument that there is problem. I would like to go a bit deeper. There is no dearth of black fashion/photo models. In fact, the number is decent enough to refute such an argument as baseless. However, have you noticed how many 'pure' black models are around? I mean those who are not Afro-American or Afro-Latino origin. In plain words - there are just a very few models of purely African descend or 'ebony-textured' and not from the 'mixed stock'.

Models like Alek Wek and Maryann are just like conspicuous toppings in the generally baked cake.

I am a white and my favorite model is Alek Wek. She is so elegant with the legs to die for. I would like to see more such models walking the ramp and endorsing fashion houses and I am not the only one who thinks so. Now someone on the left tell me what would the industry gain by being racist? Such models tend to come from poor and war-torn African countries where it is very difficult to spot, train and recruit them. In my book, the more of them in the industry, the merrier for me.

IT DOES NOT MATTER FOR THE FASHION INDUSTRY WHETHER A MODEL IS BLACK OR WHITE AS LONG AS THE PRODUCT LOOKS GOOD ON THEM. IF A DESIGNER DRESS LOOKS BETTER ON A BLACK MODEL THAN A WHITE THE CHOICE WOULD BE OBVIOUS. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

BYE.

yes....but again....with black models options become limited....it's a fact....

the options you've with white skin in displaying designer wear is much more than on back skin....i mean you can't really call it discrimination....it is according to the need of the industry....

but then who knows if there is racism going on in the industry....there are reports of lower pays and jobs for blacks in modelling industry....

ya derz racism in us,eurpe, oz n evryver. bt it boilz dwn 2 1 thng -

WHO CARES???????????!!!!

ne1 wid n ans??????

beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. black or white do not matter.

Whites far outnumber blacks when it comes to buying designer clothes. What goes well with a black doesn't mean that it will go with the whites as well. So if there are lesser number of black models and lesser number of jobs for them in the modeling industry it is purely because of market demands and not racism. This is a baseless argument.

NAOMI CAMPBELL IS SOOOOOOOO UGLY MAN!!!!! SHE IS ALSO A VERY VIOLENT WOMAN. I DONT SEE ANYTHING GOOD IN HER. SHE IS A CHEAT TOO. REMEMBER HER U-TURN IN PETA CAMPAIGNS.

Color is not an issue in the fashion world. Salability is not determined by skin color. It is in the way how the model carries the product he/she is endorsing.

Hating blacks as models is a blatant racial discrimination.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has the choice to wear anything and appreciate beauty. If you don’t like black models, just keep your mouth shut! Never discriminate... You have no right.

To be a black model does not mean you are a minority. Indeed, equality among men and respecting skin color should be understood by heart to lessen conflicts in the world.

Let the Indian fashion designer select black models for their shows then I will jump in left side of the debate.

To hell with the modeling..this is the worst profession in the world.

They do sell. Look around you; you will realize that there are numerous black models who have made successful careers. It depends really whether or not the product looks good on them.

Who said black models don’t sell? By asserting here black is a strong indication of racism prevailing in the modeling, which is indeed an ugly business of beautiful ladies, be it black or white. Don’t forget, black is also beautiful

I am curious to know how arguments on race in industries such as fashion and entertainment are typically limited to a black and white perspectives and viewpoint. Being that the population of the United States specifically is so largely culturally diverse, shouldn’t this be a broader discussion backed with facts on say....Asian involvment in these industries, etc...This article would be more complete had easily found statistics been added.