Liya Kebede Is The New Face of L'Oreal

(Photo: L'Oreal Paris)

International model Liya Kebede has been tapped to be the newest face of L'Oreal Paris.

"Liya is a very strong, inspiring, and courageous woman, with an extremely refined and enchanting beauty. Her generous commitment to the cause of women's wellbeing is also remarkable," says Cyril Chapuy, Global Brand President of L'Oreal Paris.

The catwalk diva, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist will join Beyonce, Freida Pinto and Jennifer Lopez as a Spokeswoman for the brand.

But before folks start singing the praises of L'Oreal, check out The Black Snob's realistic take on this:

While this is exciting news for Kebede, fashion fans and all us horrible, unloved, yet incredibly hot black women out there, this is a smart move for L'Oreal who has some questionable race relation issues. In 2009, L'Oreal Paris was found guilty of racial discrimination due to the cosmetic house's pursuit of an "all-white sales staff" to promote their Garnier Fructis Style hair care products. Then, proving that being "light" and "bright" doesn't count unless, you too, are "almost white," L'Oreal was accused in 2008 of lightening the already honey-kissed Beyonce Knowles in her promotions for their hair coloring products. 

LEGENDARY: Lena Horne, Our Bronze Venus (1919-2010)

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne

Singer, Actress, Civil Rights Activist

(June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010)

Stormy Weather was the first all-Black classic film that I had ever seen (and helped to establish my love for Black classic films). When I was a kid, the local television station would, once or twice a year, air this classic, and I would stop whatever I was doing to watch it. My favorite part was when Lena Horne's character, "Selena Rogers", sang Ms. Horne's signature song, "Stormy Weather" as the great Katherine Dunham danced in the background. Like everyone else, I was in awe of her beauty and the classy way she carried herself. Ms. Horne as a glamourous, sophisticated leading lady was a welcomed depature to the maid and "mammy" roles I was accustomed to seeing Black actors play when watching films from yesteryear.

It wasn't until I got older, and read more about Ms. Horne, that I learned that she was more than a pretty face. She was a pioneer who broke barriers for Black performers, becoming the first Black actor to sign a contract with a major Hollywood studio. Ms. Horne was also a fierce advocate for Civil Rights, working with Paul Robeson (which caused her to be blacklisted during McCarthy's Red Scare), refusing to perform for segregated audiences at USO performances, participating in the March on Washington in 1963 and, my personal favorite, throwing at lamp at a customer who made a racial slur at a Beverly Hills restaurant. In Brian Lanker's book, "I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America", Ms. Horne said, "I was always battling the system to try to get to be with my people. Finally, I wouldn't work for places that kept us out. ... It was a damn fight everywhere I was, every place I worked, in New York, in Hollywood, all over the world".

Thank you, Ms. Horne, our Bronze Venus, for showing the world that Black is beautiful, strong, elegant, classy and courageous.

"I don't have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I'd become. I'm me, and I'm like nobody else." - Lena Horne

Suggested Reading:

The Hornes: An American Family  by Gail Lumet Buckley

Desirée Rogers Featured in WSJ. Magazine

The über-fabulous and tres chic Desirée Rogers is featured in the May issue of WSJ. Magazine. Here she is looking stunning on the cover in a Viktor & Rolf trench coat and Cartier diamond stud earrings.

The actual article, however, was disappointing. From the first sentence, you know what The Wall Street Journal's agenda is:

"Desirée Glapion Rogers is the descendant of a Creole voodoo priestess named Marie Laveau Glapion..."

Oh, I can hear the right wing nuts now: "See??? I told you those Obamas were dangerous! They're into voodoo! That's why Obama won! He had Desirée put a spell on the country!"

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The racist tone is glaring, but that's par for the cause for Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the company whose New York Post tabloid newspaper thought this cartoon was funny.

While the article had it's moments of insight into Ms. Rogers' life (She's a breast cancer survivor) and how she's using her business background to reshape the traditional role of the White House Social Secretary, it was also dripping with partisan propaganda, insinuations (claiming that the reason Michelle Obama started a garden at the White House was to deflect the negative press the administration was receiving over the AIG bonuses) and straight up elitism which sought to take away from Ms. Rogers' achievements, but only exposed the author's and her employer's insecurities and envy.

You can read the article for yourselves here: Desirée Rogers’ Brand Obama. But I must warn you: The hate in the comment section is THICK, so make sure you have a cup of chamomile tea at the ready.

The Fashion Industry's Bout With "Miss Ann Syndrome"

By now, most of you have read Bridget Foley's article in WWD, where Oscar de la Renta channels his inner Christopher St. queen, and complains and chastizes First Lady Michelle Obama for not wearing American designers. Well, it seems that Mr. de la Renta just won't let it go:

...When informed that the First Lady had worked a few Europeans into her wardrobe of late — Alaïa, Moschino, Etro — Oscar de la Renta said at his bridal show Monday: “Our industry right now is having a very difficult time. I think it would be great if the First Lady dressed in American styles. There are a lot of talented people here too.” (Source: WWD)

Well, the last time I checked, Jason Wu, Tracy Reese, Isabel Toledo, Michael Kors, Thakoon, and Narcisco Rodriguez -- designers that Mrs. Obama wears -- ARE AMERICAN DESIGNERS.

So, let's put all the bs aside and be real: This has absolutely NOTHING to do with Mr. de la Renta's or the fashion writers like Ms. Fole's concern for the American fashion industry. This is a classic case of "Miss Ann Syndrome". Sistas, ya'll know what I'm talking about. I'm sure you've encountered sufferers of this ailment from time-to-time. These are the white folks, who suffer from delusions of grandeur and superiority, who think that Black women are mindless children who can't think for ourselves, and who need to be taught the "proper way" to behave. They're the ones who resent having to answer to Black people, feeling as though we should be subservient to them.

And that is exactly what is happening with the fashion industry's attempt to bully Michelle Obama into wearing the so-called "big guns of American fashion". It's about them not liking that a Black woman, from the Southside of Chicago, with a working class background, has the audacity to make her own sartorial decisions without first seeking the permission of the so-called "Ruling Class" AND being successful in her choices. They resent having to go to her in hopes that she'll choose them. They don't like that an unmistakeably Black woman has become the premiere fashion icon in the world. In their minds, fashion icons are supposed to be white, skinny and wealthy, and along comes Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama to break the beauty mold. The rants/comments by designers like Mr. de la Renta, Vera Wang, Donna Karan, and writers such as Ms. Foley in the WWD article and Cathy Horyn of the NY Times are Elitist-ese for "Who does she think she is?".

I'm not the only one who has noticed the elitist behavior of the fashion industry. Journalist and author, Gioia Dilberto wrote the following in an article for Huffington Post:

"The designers say that Michelle will help the struggling fashion industry if she spreads her sartorial self around. But it's hard not to read in their complaint a note of condescension. How can Michelle, who comes from a working class background and probably doesn't know the difference between silk ziberline and silk twill, dare to snub them?"

But this isn't the first time they have talked slick about FLOTUS. For several months now, I've noticed how articles have taken a certain tone towards Mrs. Obama, and her good friends Desirée Rogers and Valerie Jarrett. I wrote about such an article that appeared in Town & Country magazine. These articles come across as either "shock and awe" that Black women are fashionable and wear high-end designers, or they give "advice" on how these sistas should conduct themselves.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Afterall, society has a history of portraying Black women as maids, mammies and concubines, and they're not used to sistas as the go-to example of elegance and grace. Well, they better get used to it, because Mrs. Obama ain't going nowhere!

UPDATE: Check out this awesome blog post by former model dmitcha on DailyKos. She breaks down the racism that exists in the fashion industry like a fraction, and calls out designers, like Vera Wang, for not casting models of color in their shows.

UPDATE II: Here's a couple of pics of Mrs. Obama wearing --- wait for it --- an Oscar de la Renta dress at the California Women's Conference in 2007. It's a houndstooth sheath from his Fall 2007 collection.


According to InStyle.com, she also wore a "Global-inspired print suit" from de la Renta's collection.

And look what Oscar told WWD prior to his rant.....

"Mrs Obama is certainly stylish and very good looking," de la Renta has told WWD. "It will be great for any American designer to dress her." (Source: Instyle.com)

Like I said: "Miss Ann Syndrome".

Milan Takes Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

WHITES ONLY???

Remember when we were singing the praises of Italian Vogue for their all-Black model issue last July? Sistas all over the world got their Dora The Explorer on looking for the coveted issue. We thought maybe, just maybe the fashion industry would open its doors to models of color, particularly Black models. Well, the designers that showed at New York Fall '09 Fashion Week got the memo. Jezebel's stats show that there was an 18% increase in models of color cast for shows, with 41% of the models of color being Black. Some sistas either opened or closed several shows including our girl Jourdan Dunn who opened AND closed Oscar de la Renta! WHOO HOO!

Then along came Milan.

New York Magazine reports that the top Italian designers Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio Armani,Jil Sander, Marni, Missoni, Moschino, Prada, and Salvatore Ferragamo did not have ANY models of color. Not. One.

"...And the few times when designers did book ethnic models, they picked from a small, highly-selective pool of girls: Jourdan Dunn, Liu Wen Marina Peres (Dunn, Wen, and Peres were the most requested girls from their respective groups.)

...We noticed that most of the girls had just one turn down the runway, while their Eastern European counterparts had two."

NYMag.com breaks down the stats:

Aquilano e Rimondi
Asian: 2 (Tao Okamoto, Liu Wen)
Black: 0
Latina: 1 (Daiane Conterato)
White: 36 of 39

Alberta Ferretti
Asian: 2 (Tao Okamoto, Du Juan)
Black: 1 (Jourdan Dunn)
Latina: 4 (Marina Peres, twice; Raquel Zimmermann; Daiane Conterato, twice; Bruna Tenorio)
White: 35 of 44

Alessandro Dell'Acqua
Asian: 1 (Tao Okamoto)
Black: 1 (Jourdan Dunn)
Latina: 1 (Raquel Zimmermann, twice)
White: 26 of 30

Blumarine
Asian: 1 (Lakshmi Menon, twice)
Black: 1 (Chanel Iman, twice)
Latina: 3 (Isabeli Fontana, twice; Viviane Orth, twice; Gracie Carvalho, twice)
White: 46 of 56

Bottega Veneta
Asian: 1 (Daul Kim)
Black: 2 (Chanel Iman, Arlenis Sosa)
Latina: 3 (Raquel Zimmermann, twice; Daiane Conterato, Clara Alonso)
White: 28 of 35

Burberry
Asian: 0
Black: 1 (Rose Cordero, twice)
Latina: 0
White: 47 of 49

C'N'C Costume National
Asian: 1 (Shu Pei, twice)
Black: 3 (Aminata Niaria, twice; Georgie Baddiel, Ariel Meredith)
Latina: 0
White: 34 of 40

D&G
Asian: 2 (Daul Kim, Tao Okamoto)
Black: 2 (Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn)
Latina: 1 (Aline Weber)
White: 48 of 53

Dolce & Gabbana
Asian: 3 (Daul Kim, Liu Wen, Tao Okamoto)
Black: 2 (Jourdan Dunn, Chanel Iman)
Latina: 1 (Isabeli Fontana)
White: 58 of 64

DSquared2
Asian: 1 (Du Juan)
Black: 2 (Chanel Iman, twice; Jourdan Dunn, twice)
Latina: 0
White: 30 of 35

Emporio Armani
Asian: 0
Black: 0
Latina: 4 (Martha Streck, twice; Bruna Tenorio, Roza Gough, Martina Correa)
White: 49 of 54

Etro
Asian: 1 (Lakshmi Menon, twice)
Black: 1 (Jourdan Dunn, twice)
Latina: 0
White: 38 of 42

Fendi
Asian: 0
Black: 1 (Aminata Niaria, twice)
Latina: 0
White: 41 of 43

Gianfranco Ferré
Asian: 0
Black: 0
Latina: 0
White: 40 of 40

Giorgio Armani
Asian: 0
Black: 0
Latina: 1 (Bruna Tenorio, twice)
White: 47 of 49

Gucci
Asian: 1 (Liu Wen)
Black: 2 (Jourdan Dunn, twice; Chanel Iman, twice)
Latina: 2 (Raquel Zimmermann, three times, Marina Peres)
White: 40 of 49

Jil Sander
Asian: 0
Black: 0
Latina: 0
White: 57 of 57

Marni
Asian: 1 (Liu Wen, twice)
Black: 0
Latina: 2 (Daiane Conterato, twice; Marina Peres, twice)
White: 49 of 55

MaxMara
Asian: 3 (Lakshmi Menon, Liu Wen, twice; Tao Okamoto)
Black: 1 (Rose Cordero)
Latina: 1 (Aline Weber)
White; 36 of 42

Missoni
Asian: 1 (Liu Wen)
Black: 0
Latina: 0
White: 36 of 37

Moschino
Asian: 1 (Tao Okamoto)
Black: 0
Latina: 2 (Viviane Orth, Daiane Conterato)
White: 41 of 44

Moschino Cheap & Chic
Asian: 0
Black: 1 (Jourdan Dunn)
Latina: 0
White: 38 of 39

Pollini
Asian: 2 (Tao Okamoto, twice; Liu Wen)
Black: 0
Latina: 3 (Raquel Zimmermann, twice; Marina Peres, Daiane Conterato)
White: 25 of 32

Prada
Asian: 0
Black: 0
Latina: 1 (Marina Peres)
White: 39 of 40

Pucci
Asian: 1 (Liu Wen)
Black: 1 (Jourdan Dunn)
Latina: 0
White: 39 of 41

Roberto Cavalli
Asian: 2 (Daul Kim, Liu Wen)
Black: 1 (Chanel Iman)
Latina: 1 (Marina Peres)
White: 31 of 35

Salvatore Ferragamo
Asian: 0
Black: 0
Latina: 1 (Bruna Tenorio, twice)
White: 40 of 42

Sportmax
Asian: 1 (Tao Okamoto, twice)
Black: 1 (Aminata Niaria, twice)
Latina: 1 (Marina Peres, twice)
White: 46 of 52

Versace
Asian: 0
Black: 1 (Jourdan Dunn, twice)
Latina: 3 (Raquel Zimmermann, three times; Isabeli Fontana, twice; Bruna Tenorio)
White: 47 of 55

Should we really be surprised? Shawn Sutton, an up and coming Black model, told the New York Times that casting sheets at model castings for the recent Milan men's wear shows actually said, "No Blacks".

So much for a "post-racial" society, huh?