Cosmopolitan, the holy grail of how-to-orgasm and fashion tips, is under fire for a recent article about what’s considered an “R.I.P.” or “out” in fashion and what’s a “Hello, Gorgeous” or “in” in fashion. The magazine is being called racist because the handful of black women used represented only the “R.I.P.” fashion photos.
People on social media have called out the magazine for its blatant act of whitewashing and racism.
https://twitter.com/heavensdesign8/status/583378085170425856https://twitter.com/MushtaaqKahin/status/583550763093360641https://twitter.com/JahstMe/status/583398235550654466
The original article, “21 Beauty Trends That Need to Die in 2015,” dates to January, but it’s funny how things are brought back to life because of social media.
After receiving backlash online, Cosmopolitan updated the article with an editorial note: “This article focuses on beauty trends with images that represent those trends. Some images have been taken out of context, and we apologize for any offense. Celebrating all women is our mission, and we will continue to work hard to do that.”
So you’re meaning to tell me, its editors couldn’t find one example of a black model who was a “Hello, Gorgeous”? Or is it that there’s not one black fashion editor at Cosmo? Either way, I’m quite sure there will be plenty of canceled subscriptions. But I’ll continue to look for fashion advice from Essence.