Intersectionality When It Comes To Fashion
The concept of Intersectionality is a topic that has often been avoided in today's society. “The word has migrated from women’s-studies journals and conference keynotes into everyday conversation, turning what was once highbrow discourse into hashtag chatter” (Barlett, p.1) The reason why this quote relates so heavily to intersectionality is because it shows the origin of the word and how it came into fruition. Along with this the reason why intersectionality gets no praise behind it is because it comes as previously mentioned women studies, which have been neglected for a long time and are only now becoming more and more popular. With intersectionality becoming more and more popular many people dont know what intersectionality is, in layman terms the concept of intersectionality is defined as the social connection between individual categories such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc as well as how they relate to bigger organizations. The fashion industry will be the main focal point of this essay and how it takes advantage of those in those social categories.
The fashion industry is built on the backs of people of color and gives no rewards to them and has exploited their work time and time again. If we take a look at the business side of fashion, the luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy; which oversees a wide variety of luxury brands and is the top of the top when it comes to fashion business, is 100% white when it comes to their top board of directors. This is a problem not for the conglomerate itself but for the industry and those who partake in it because if these directors are uninformed about different cultures or have a team that is well diversified it lets in the notion of the brands that perform under them to release products that may not sit well with its buyers. Not long ago the brand Gucci released a sweater that also doubles as a balaclava ;which is a head scarf that covers the face, and depicts the stereotype of a sambo with dark skin and incredibly red lips. Anyone who is familiar with this depiction knows that it was a bad call and if they had personnel on their design team that felt uncomfortable with this then it would've been called off; but they don't. People of color do have a big role in the fashion industry but for the wrong reasons. We often see those of different races become fetishzized and have their looks emulated and given to those that don't appreciate it or, a majority of them become exploited in the industry by working positions that take a toll on them physically as well as mentally which more commonly includes modeling or production.
Another way that intersectionality is needed in the fashion industry is that it can be very ableist in a way where they show to the audience that they want diversity but only to a certain extent. If you look at runway collections all of the models walk in a certain way and are supposed to stand a certain way to appeal to the audience, but we’ve all seen that before. When was the last time anyone who was in a wheelchair or an individual with cerebral palsy walked down the catwalk? You most likely haven't. Imagine individuals who may be disabled trying to enter an industry that has no one like you; it can be very invigorating and can be very demeaning.
But what can you do in order for these big fashion houses to be more inclusive and knowledgeable about who wears their clothes? The fashion industry has been unforgiving and cold since the beginning. Though some progress has been made such as Rihanna including a wide variety of body types in her for her underwear brand for all people, there is much more progress to be made. The intersectional lens of looking at the fashion industry helps the way we approach the subject because it gives you more information as to who to give your money to and who to support and to see the true ethos of their brand.