Milwaukee’s own, Lindsay Peoples Wagner has an enormous buzz throughout the media about her latest article with @TheCut. As a fashion editor now in New York, Lindsay makes it her business to call it like she sees it. If she sees beauty she calls it beautiful. If she sees trash, she’ll call it garbage. And when she sees racism, she calls it out.
Her recent article entitled “What It’s Really Like to be Black and Work in Fashion” has the nation turning heads left and right. There’s been hundreds of reposts and retweets simply because this topic hit home for many and was lit from A to Z.
In this writing, Mrs. Wagner elaborates on her feelings once she received a direct message from a black Human Resource manager, telling her that no one would hire her in the fashion industry if she had a picture frame that read “Every Nigga is a Star” in the background of her profile picture.
After receiving such feedback, Lindsay could only think of reasons to continue to proudly be black. She references Issa Rae and how she is literally making history, yet breaking all the “black-code” rules in fashion.
Lindsay went on to expose the results of a survey she did on 100 plus people of color, in fashion, about this topic and, to some, the results were a total shocker. Models, stylists, celebrities, executives and many more all shared their personal experiences concerning racism in the industry.
After reading the results a few things came to mind.
1. At what point is it that people of color in the fashion industry, or any industry for that matter, feel the need to tone down their blackness?
2. How often does racism and other barriers make black people bold enough to speak out about the mistreatment in the industry?
3. What would happen if 10,000 more people of color made it their priority to be and represent black greatness? Would it then trend; to be black and proud?
Lindsay Peoples Wagner is surely making her mark on this world. Her articles are nothing less than a fresh breath of air to our nation. When she speaks she speaks for US. I couldn’t consider her anything less than a legendary activist, in the making. I tip my hat off to her for touching on a topic that was not only personal, but well needed in our society today.
Our world needs so much more of this truth. So many people are living their dream every single day, yet degrading their dignity, compromising their beliefs, and shrinking their confidence because they’re afraid; afraid to speak up, afraid to speak out, afraid of not getting the check, afraid of what everyone else is going to think. Most of all, so many people are simply afraid to embrace every bit of who they are.
Topics like this bring power into the ability of change. When we know better, we do better. Once we talk about it, we can move forward. Thanks to Mrs. Peoples Wagner, another black woman or man in fashion, knows that they aren’t alone. They know that their voice is heard because they have now spoken through your words.
Thank you.
-LaShawnda S. Wilkins
Leave a Reply