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“A member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan infuriating the masses? That’s unheard of!” said no one ever.
Kendall Jenner took to Instagram yesterday to announce her new modelling gig with the Spanish clothing brand, Mango. Jenner revealed that she is the new face of Mango’s fashion campaign called Tribal Spirit: a collection that was inspired by the African savanna. This is a huge new job for the young, new model as she will be following in the footsteps of supermodels Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. However, the new campaign has come under fire for choosing the White American 20-year-old model.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAfl63Gjo6A/?taken-by=kendalljenner
People began to express their frustrations in the comments of Kendall’s Instagram post, asking “Why is a white girl modeling African-themed clothes?” Frankly, those who are angry about Mango’s model choice have every right to be so. It would be just as easy to hire a model who is a woman of color – or perhaps even a model who is from Africa.
Wow. I bet the WoC in modeling are thrilled Kendall Jenner will Star in Mango’s ‘Tribal Spirit’ https://t.co/tjOk9YCITN (from @wwd)
— 🐈🧙♀️Amber Love Ofgus (@elizabethamber) January 13, 2016
The fact that Mango chose a White American model is sheer laziness. Had they decided to launch a fashion campaign that was inspired by Western European environments, then I suppose there would be very little outcry. Mango’s Tribal Spirit campaign is yet another page in the cultural appropriation book. Kendall Jenner? A White, American-born woman who is supposed to represent all of Africa? Are you serious? I really doubt the designers over at Mango took the time to study up on the history and cultures of Africa to properly represent them in this new fashion campaign.
via Cosmopolitan.
This is not the first time Mango has been criticized for its “tribal” themes in its clothes. You would think that the clothing line would have learned by now, but I guess not.
At the end of the day, despite that the industry states that Jenner has a “multi-ethnic face,” she is still a White American woman representing a fashion line that is inspired by Africa and that’s a problem. We should be demanding for more representation of people of color in the fashion industry – especially if they insist on drawing “tribal” inspiration from Africa.
