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1. bastard.logic on 07 Nov 2007 at 5:52 pm

   Wednesday Blogwhoring: Reappropriating ‘rEVOLution’…

   by matttbastard

   Keep those letters coming!  Love you all; always, muchly.
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2. Life Links 8 (They’re New!) « My Sky ~ Multiracial Family Life on 08 Nov 2007 at 2:49 pm

   […] debut covers of Vogue India and Vogue China feature the same White European model, from […]

Comments

1. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

   I’m guessing the cover of Vogue Kenya, if they ever did one, would look a lot like this. Only with Gemma Ward of course.

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 7:56 am ¶

2. tasha wrote:

   I don’t see why they didn’t just feature the two Bollywood actresses and left it at that. I understand how Gemma represents high fashion, but a) she’s not that famous of a model outside the fashion world that her presence would boost sales b) from what little I know of Bollywood, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra could have sold copy on their own and c) they could have just as easily used Ujjwala Raut, the only Indian model that I know of that ever made it big in the West, as the high fashion embassador.

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 8:23 am ¶

3. Mireille wrote:

   I actually think Gemma Ward is unusually pretty, in the same way people idolize Kate Moss. I do agree that it was inappropriate and likely foolish marketing to have her on both first issues. Maybe those REALLY obsessed with western fashion would know who she is, but I doubt the average person with some expendable income and a taste for luxury goods (China and India are both beginning to emerge as huge markets for all things Chanel and LV) will pick up a recognize her and thereby pick this up. I couldn’t imagine that this didn’t alienate a segment Vogue’s demographic in India.

   But Vogue isn’t exactly a bastion of enlightenment. You’d think, though, it would have enough marketing savvy to not insult the population of a new market. India has it’s own stars that are a heck of a lot more marketable.

   Thankfully, Vogue is actually painfully irrelevant in the lives of most.

   Now I want to see what Cosmo India and China look would like…

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 8:58 am ¶

4. deb wrote:

   Here’s what the entire photo looks like.

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 9:37 am ¶

5. Free wrote:

   My comment is not meant as a defense of Vogue, but it occurs to me that including western models on the China and India covers could be a reflection of the thinking of the wealthy and merely rich in China and India. A linking of high fashion and high culture (class) with Europe (whiteness), as they watch Fashion TV or jet off to Milan or Paris for Fashion Week. The readers might not recognize Gemma Ward or know she is Australian, however that straight blond hair and pale skin screams European. BTW, the cover models were chosen by Vogue Indian editor Priya Tanna and her staff.

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:03 am ¶

6. Neil wrote:

   actually mirielle, the only alienation that would be felt in india’s demographic of vogue readers would be of the self esteem of the young girls that idolize and continue to idolize the ‘fair skin’ mentality of fashion.
   everytime i go to india (every 5 years or so, money’s not my friend), and i hang out with my cousins, conversations at some point always lead to favoring fair skin, whether it’s a 5 minute diatribe, or just an offhand remark. we would either pass a billboard for loreal and my cousin would make a comment about their ‘nasty’ hair not being naturally straight, or one of them would make a blunt remark about how they’ll never find a husband “because of how dark they are.”

   tv there is saturated with commercials of skin bleaching creams, and brightening makeup. if you think the self-esteem of little girls in the united states is bad, india would blow your mind.

   i mean, even taking this specific mag cover; even if that blonde model was taken off the cover, what do you see? the whitest indian models. any celebration of people with dark complexion -whether it be magazines, bollywood, or whatever- is few and far between. colonialism has already internalized this. you don’t need the australian model to make this cover more fucked up than it already is.

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:22 am ¶

7. Neil wrote:

   here are a couple of the commercials i’m talking about that you see between every freaking television program in india:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWls3U7ZZ1E
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-9tcXpW1DE

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:28 am ¶

8. squidfly wrote:

   Shilpa Shetty shouldn’t get a free pass.
   http://www.ligali.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=2759

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:40 am ¶

9. Michelle wrote:

   I love how the models who resemble aishwarya are not on the flap of the cover

   Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 12:23 pm ¶

10. gatamala wrote:

    Excellent point, Neil.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 2:02 pm ¶

11. Seattle Slim wrote:

    Yet again you honor me Carmen! This made my day so thank you as one of this blog’s biggest fans.

    I want to see diversity but I want everyone to get their shine. The models on the Chinese cover of Vogue were GORGEOUS. The young ladies on the Indian cover were gorgeous as well. We are at a time when the old standards of beauty need to be shed. We talk about equality but fashion has yet to follow suit.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 2:47 pm ¶

12. Fatemeh wrote:

    YEAAAAAAAAH! Great article!

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 2:48 pm ¶

13. Asha wrote:

    am i the only one who doesn’t think aishwarya rai is all that beautiful? that being said, neil makes a great point about beauty standards in india. but the obsession with fair-skin is no longer limited to women, now there’s “fair and lovely” for me.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 3:34 pm ¶

14. anna wrote:

    so i guess that Vogue Britain/France shouldn’t have coloured models either then?

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 5:20 pm ¶

15. Neil wrote:

    anna, could you please explain your post? and please give a DAMN good reason for using the term ‘coloured’ models…

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 5:45 pm ¶

16. brad wrote:

    Isn’t Aishwarya Rai green-eyed and fair complected? Let’s be honest that India’s film industry has glorified the “beauty” of fair skin over brown and dark brown skin for decades.

    Anna,

    The point of the criticism is that the premiere issue of the magazine shouldn’t have had non-Indian as the focal point. The composition and choice of all three models serves to confirm the superiority of fair skin and blue eyes.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 6:20 pm ¶

17. Angela wrote:

    From what I read in an article about the lack of black models, India and China are what the fashion world is looking at. Their economy is booming and the number of consumers with the type of expendable income to spend on luxury goods is crazy. And black models with their darker skin, “broad noses”, “thick lips”, dark eyes and hair, and associations with “Africa” are not what the Asian markets want to look at.

    So don’t blame Vogue, blame the perennial obsession with fair or white skin, “European” features, and eye and hair colors found in white people.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 6:24 pm ¶

18. Seattle Slim wrote:

    @Anna:

    That’s not necessarily a fair contrast. Vogue Britain and France hardly use minority models to begin with that’s why Vogue has branched out and has attempted to become “more diverse.”

    If Vogue US, Vogue UK, and Vogue France, probably the most read, had a revolving door of diverse models constantly gracing their covers and their magazines, then we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 6:58 pm ¶

19. newbatgirl wrote:

    What is it with fashion magazines and needing to do this contrast of a light-skinned model with darker skinned people? I suppose they think it’s being “artistic” but I think real art has some component of originality to it and none of these “contrast” layouts are original at all.

    I also noticed that Indian models on the cover actually look like grown women while Gemma looks like a teenage girl. What’s the message there?

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 7:13 pm ¶

20. Safiya wrote:

    Anna - British/French people are ethnically diverse, so Vogue Britain/France should of course represent this.

    Whereas Gemma Ward is not Indian, nor is she ethnically representative of Indians, thus it seems odd that she is front and centre on the launch edition of Indian Vogue.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 7:37 pm ¶

21. ciji wrote:

    Can you really blame Vague when the Caucasian race is defined by the Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English as “relating to a broad division of humankind covering peoples from Europe, Western Asia, and parts of India and North Africa“.

    So, technically, Gemma Ward and the other two models are the same race!

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 8:42 pm ¶

22. ciji wrote:

    ::tongue firmly planted in cheek::

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 8:50 pm ¶

23. anna wrote:

    Aren’t there Caucasians in India, and what about Anglo-Indians? There are a lot of Indians who are at least partly Caucasian, such as Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty. The Caucasian features in them are obvious…or they should just be ignored?

    And according to your mentality, it is fair that France who’s over 95% White or Britain who’s over 92% White do not have that many minority models.

    A minority model should be on the France cover 0.6 of the time (2 weeks per year but that’s impossible since it comes out every month) and UK should have one 0.96 of the time (approx 3 weeks per year); assuming that an issue is published every month.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 9:39 pm ¶

24. merq wrote:

    Anna,

    I believe you’re missing the point here. South and East Asian women are very seldom featured on the covers of British/American/Italian/French/whatever Vogue magazines.

    Now, when countries like India and China finally get their own publications, who still gets to be front and center? A white model.

    Also, as you analyze the demographics of France, Britain, etc, please remember that there isn’t a dearth of white faces on magazine covers around the world.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:10 pm ¶

25. Angel H. wrote:

    Personally, I prefer Parminder Nagra.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:32 pm ¶

26. tasha wrote:

    “Aren’t there Caucasians in India, and what about Anglo-Indians? There are a lot of Indians who are at least partly Caucasian, such as Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty. The Caucasian features in them are obvious…or they should just be ignored?”

    Anna, Since when are actresses with the features of Rai and Shetty ignored in India? Have you seen any Bollywood movies? Last time I checked, women with such features are the norm not the exception. So please, try again. No wonder Parminda Nagra (ER, Bend it Like Beckham) lives in the US. She has a better chance of getting acting work here, than in the country of her own ethnic origin.

    And according to your own statistical argument, women with the features of Basu and Chopra shouldn’t be featured on Indian magazine covers as often as they are because they themselves are a minority. I also find it most telling that you can rationalize how “fair” the derth of minority models is in France and Britain, with both countries being, according to you, 92-95% white, respectively, yet, you don’t apply the same logic in regards to featuring a blonde, white model on the cover of magazine that’s supposed to target a population that’s 99.9999% Indian.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 10:35 pm ¶

27. sad wrote:

    I’m mad that you’re standing up for fair skinned light eyed Indian models who by and large unfairly dominate the “beauty” industry in India and shamefully endorse their god-forsaken skin whitening creams (yuck yuck). As Neil and others have stated, Gemma Ward, Aish - same thing. You’re not representing the full diversity of Indian beauty, and with Aish you are further reinforcing the idea that dark skinned dark eyed Indian girls are not as attractive as the Aish type - fair skin and green-blue eyes. I know you mean well, but…you’re going from the frying pan into the fire.

    Posted 07 Nov 2007 at 11:37 pm ¶

28. Jay wrote:

    The Caucasian features in them are obvious…or they should just be ignored?

    I think you’re digging yourself into a deeper hole here… why are those features “Caucasian”? They own those features, and everything else is “not Caucasian”? So if let’s say an Asian has round eyes even if he or she doesn’t have Caucasian ancestors they’re still “Caucasian” features? They have to have slanted eyes to be “real Asians”?

    And according to your mentality, it is fair that France who’s over 95% White or Britain who’s over 92% White do not have that many minority models.

    You miss the point here. It’s not just that Gemma Ward is on the cover, it’s that she’s in the center. ie she’s the most important ie they’re trying to say you’re nothing unless you are white.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 1:14 am ¶

29. JWest wrote:

    Let me make this simple for those feigning ignorance. Pretty much all parts of the world with native people of color, subjected to European colonialism, have been left with racial identity issues. Overwhelmingly, light skin is favored over dark skin, this is generally the case for the Americas, Asia, Africa, India, etc.

    By putting a white non-Indian model on the cover, Vogue is helping perpetuate stereotype about what is beautiful. It’s bad enough that India (like most other cultures) favors celebrities with fair skin but they decided the light Indians were not good enough and a white girl would really top the cover off (just like they did with China). It’s a slap in the face.

    @Angela the “obsession” with white skin and European features did not come out of nowhere, it has a long, bloody and degrading past.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 2:36 am ¶

30. luckyfatima wrote:

    great article. a few things to mention. Since India’s economy has opened up, Indian beauty ideals have become continuously Westernized. Compare the latest Bollywood actresses, who have more “international” faces, i.e. smaller noses, western hairstyles, slimmer bodies, etc. with the Indian fantasy girls of yester-years: Sri Devi, Hema Malini, Juhi Chavla, Madhuri Dixit, etc. (probably all with the exception of Zeenat Aman who was a slim woman with more “western” features). The Indian ideal of beauty for the educated and upper and middle classes is now so Westernized. Same with models in magazines. A Femina (Indian woman’s magazine) from the 60s and 70s has more “Indian” looking Indian models, i.e. large eyes, larger noses, plump bodies, etc. Openning the Indian market has meant that more international (Western) companies have come in and Western standards have re-defined who and what is Indian beauty. Just a few years back, the face of India in terms of ads and modelling was a Czeck woman married to an Indian artist, she was called Yana Gupta. In other words, the role-model for Indian beauty wasn’t even Indian! She was the cover girl for the domestic make-up brand Lakme! The Vogue thing is just so stupid, and is a further nail in the coffin for traditional Indian ideals of beauty.

    anna: India won independence from the white people in 1947. Very few stayed behind with the exception of some religious clergy. Anglo-Indians tend to be fair but still “wheatish” anyway. Comparing racial dynamics in India to France is a false parallel because of their different roles in the history of oppression and colonialism and their affects on ideals of beauty (and many other things).

    Final thought, I think the fair=beautiful comes from the long history of fairer skinned conquerors of the sub-continent, from the Aryans to the Muslim invasions, then finally to the colonial era. Now it’s neo-colonialism in some ways in terms of products and pop culture, this time mostly from the USA.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 4:24 am ¶

31. AliB wrote:

    “Aren’t there Caucasians in India, and what about Anglo-Indians? There are a lot of Indians who are at least partly Caucasian, such as Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty. The Caucasian features in them are obvious…or they should just be ignored?”

    First off, if your point is that Caucasians shouldn’t be ignored because there are Caucasians in India,then you should be happy. Gemma Ward was on the cover. She’s obviously Caucasian and Vogue easily & happily inserted her onto the cover. They paid homage to the Caucasians in India right off the bat! As you must know, Caucasians are a severely misspresented group in India who suffer from terrible stereotypic representations of themselves in the Indian press. And it’s just so hard for Caucasian models to get jobs in India! (well, except for the inaugural covers of VOGUE, and fancy fashion spreads inside Teen Vogue US , and so on and so forth) I’m sure they cry all the way to the bank!

    “And according to your mentality, it is fair that France who’s over 95% White or Britain who’s over 92% White do not have that many minority models.

    I believe Safiya’s point is this- why is is so damn easy to put a white model on Vogue China & India but so hard to put a non-white model on US or UK Vogue?

    “A minority model should be on the France cover 0.6 of the time (2 weeks per year but that’s impossible since it comes out every month) and UK should have one 0.96 of the time (approx 3 weeks per year); assuming that an issue is published every month.”

    So if this is your point, what is it? Do you or don’t you believe that the portrayal of models should correspond with population statistics of a given country? Because if you are saying that non-white models should appear on France & UK covers 2-3 weeks a year… well I’ve got news for you - that DOESN’T EVEN HAPPEN RIGHT NOW. It’s more like 1 cover a year, and only if you happen to be Halle Berry (who is actually half Black) or Nicole Richie (again, coincidentally? half Black)

    And that’s no secret in the fashion industry. Everyone knows there’s a problem, Vivienne Westwood (the English designer) was only one of the recent ones who complained about it. Naomi Campbell can’t even get the cover of Vogue UK ( guess she’s too Black)

    But hey Anna go ahead and champion the poor oppressed blonde model, because Heaven knows, they can’t go be successful without help from people like you.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 8:07 am ¶

32. Neil wrote:

    AliB, your sarcasm hit me like a truck. lol

    luckyfatima, i actually disagree with your callouts of madhuri dixit, hema malini, and sri devi being any different than the indian models of today.
    looking at any of the old movies they were in, they were all fair as heck! and the only striking difference in appearance between them and zeenat aman was clothing; zeenat would appear in a lot of movie in 70’s style pants or dresses, while the other women wore traditional clothes.
    the fascination with fair skin goes even farther back.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 10:22 am ¶

33. Lisa wrote:

    I think this is a case of overreacting. After all, it’s frigging Vogue, that institution of reinforcing harmful beauty standards as a way to encourage people to buy overpriced, useless crap to compensate for/make them feel better about their supposed physical shortcomings.

    In the case of China, and not just Vogue but all of these publications, and then at fashion runways, the idea is it is necessary to include Caucasians to be “international” - which all middle class Chinese aspire to be. Hapas are usually 30-50% of the models.

    Apart from a long-standing fetishization of large eyes and pale skin, which Caucasians supposedly have more frequently, Chinese think white folk are kinda freaky and “exotic” looking. Magazines and fashion shows include whites for what fashion PR friend of mine calls the “decorative Caucasian factor”.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 10:34 am ¶

34. Jazmin wrote:

    I’m equally curious as to why the bug eyed gemma ward is in the center on this cover. And I’m sorry but the first two women surrounding her look EXACTLY the same to me. Also, if they wanted to do a cover that showcased the beauty and variety of Indian women, they would also show those that were darker than a paper bag with at least a few broad noses.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 1:40 pm ¶

35. Seattle Slim wrote:

    I believe Safiya’s point is this- why is is so damn easy to put a white model on Vogue China & India but so hard to put a non-white model on US or UK Vogue?
    ==============================
    I couldn’t have said this better myself. AliB well put!

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 3:36 pm ¶

36. Seattle Slim wrote:

    Lisa if it’s this: ‘decorative Caucasian factor’ then it’s overdoing it. Why do we need a Caucasian model to decorate anything when the models are pretty enough to hold their own?

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 3:39 pm ¶

37. Jen wrote:

    Thanks that someone finally pointed this out! I think Gemma is such a cool girl, but the issue is that minority beauty always needs to be “supplemented” or its thought of as “exotic” or…sadly, “down-market”.

    Because the catwalks, zines, ads have been largely white in these recent seasons, unfortunately a popular, well0known minority pick would be difficult….

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 6:52 pm ¶

38. Anonymous wrote:

    I subscribe to Vogue, the American version, and I will tell you that women of color don’t grace the magazine once a year. If you want to get technical, and add up all the Vogue covers, over all the years that it has been in circulation in America, I seriously doubt that non-White looking women have graced the cover about once a year. Probably more like once every twelve years, if that. Anna, does that really seem fair to you? I think that White beauty, European standards of beauty, rather, have been glorified and rewarded for many, many years. Don’t you think so, Anna? Is it really too much to ask for the first cover of Indian Vogue to feature just Indian models?

    On another note, could someone please enlighten me on the Dravidians? I was under the impression that they were the original inhabitants of what we now call India. After the invasion of the Visigoths, a caste system was put in place based on skin color. The Dravidians (being very dark) became the “other”, the bottom of the system. I was under the impression that India’s obsession with skin color went back that far. Is that true?

    Not that it matters, but Nicole Richie is not have Black. She is not Black at all. I am not sure if her mother was white or Latina, but her father is a Latino (Cuban, I think) musician. Sheila E’s (Glamorous Life) brother, actually. Nicole was adopted by Lionel and Brenda Richie when she was a baby.

    Where can a woman go to be valued for her beauty if she is darker skinned and her hair is very curly/kinky and her eyes are dark brown? (HONEST QUESTION ALERT!!) I have not traveled as much as I would like, but it does not seem like there are too many cultures that value that form of beauty. I have heard that in some parts of Africa, women are using dangerous skin lightening creams. I have actually seen women who are the victims of those creams. So where do you go?

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 8:58 pm ¶

39. Lisa wrote:

    Slim, you misunderstand me: a few “decorative caucasians” are thrown into the mix as props or window dressing so as to make it supposedly “international” and for Benetton-esque visual “diversity” - kinda like the token person of color on stage at Republican political events. Few here would think the random foreigner(s) are more attractive than the Chinese models. Although the sort of Chinese beauty preferred by high fashion is not considered very attractive by Chinese standards, and is actually more diverse and darker-skinned than the pale, big-eyed, even thinner ideal promoted in domestic media.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 9:59 pm ¶

40. Katie wrote:

    Vogue is annoying, but I think, like others have said, that this is fairly representative of Indian thought rather than wholly Vogue’s fault. Also, I don’t think the pale ideal in India comes from Western thought; the idea that pale is better goes back thousands of years. Many believe that the caste system was at least partially based on color. (And even now, the upper class people tend to be lighter than the lower class, though there are always many exceptions.)

    When I went to India I really couldn’t believe how many commercials and such I saw for fairness creams. I had to buy a bottle, just because it seemed so different. Every other commercial on tv was for something like Fair and Lovely, White Beauty, Fair and Handsome, etc. I suppose it is a physically healthier trend than trying to be as dark as possible (and exposing the skin to harmful uv rays and such), but it’s still sad.

    There are so many beautiful Indian women; I wish Gemma Ward didn’t have to be in it, or at least didn’t have to be in the center.

    Posted 08 Nov 2007 at 11:10 pm ¶

41. BoredJane wrote:

    I just want to say something.

    India has many ethnicities and minorities that have different facial features. There are INDIANS from Bihar, Mizoram and Manipur, and Assam, who can easily pass as Nepali, or even Chinese, and guess what? They are INDIAN with Indian roots.

    I’d rather have seen a Bihari or Assamese model on the cover with Bipasha and Priyanka than a white, Caucasian foreign model who has NOTHING to do with India, Indian culture, Indian beauty or fashion, or Bollywood.

    I am so angry and pissed off about the whole putting a white, blonde, blue eyed model on the cover of Vogue India. way to go, guys. as an Indian woman, I feel so angry and insulted.

    Posted 09 Nov 2007 at 2:28 pm ¶

42. dirkdiggler wrote:

    wait. i thought only white people were attractive.

    Posted 09 Nov 2007 at 10:29 pm ¶

43. Jay wrote:

    Slim, you misunderstand me: a few “decorative caucasians” are thrown into the mix as props or window dressing so as to make it supposedly “international” and for Benetton-esque visual “diversity” - kinda like the token person of color on stage at Republican political events.

    Except they only define “international” as “white” which makes the whole thing pointless.

    Posted 10 Nov 2007 at 3:33 am ¶

44. Neil wrote:

    “I’d rather have seen a Bihari or Assamese model on the cover with Bipasha and Priyanka than a white, Caucasian foreign model who has NOTHING to do with India, Indian culture, Indian beauty or fashion, or Bollywood.”

    a bihari model? HA! that’s a good one. i don’t think our grandchildren would live to see the day that india is that openminded and inclusive…

    Posted 10 Nov 2007 at 12:04 pm ¶

45. squidfly wrote:

    Race and Racism in the Chinas. Cultural attitudes toward Africans and African americans
    M. Dujon Johnson.

    Breaks it down.

    Posted 12 Nov 2007 at 7:34 pm ¶

46. Anonymous wrote:

    Um….

    I just wanted to know…I looked online to find info about Bihari culture/people in India. I gather that they are very dark people, but most images I saw were of tapestries and rugs and jewelry. Anyway, I thought that maybe you guys could point me in the right direction to find out more info about Bihari and Assamese culture in India?

    Posted 13 Nov 2007 at 1:37 am ¶

47. latinamericanprinces wrote:

    I like fashion, in the sense that I like to look good, but pretty much gave up on magazines when I was 13. Not just because of the overwhelming whiteness but more the overwhelming homogeneity. How boring!!!

    I must add though that I have found the obsession with lighter skin in my travels too. In Thailand women won’t go out in the sun and baby powder is found in every bathroom to lighten one’s face. Whether this is a pre- or post-colonialism phenomenon, I don’t know. But I noticed a strong correlation with skin tone and class there and discrimination seems rather rampant.

    Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 12:56 pm ¶

48. Preety wrote:

    Well what do you expect they obviously dont have a lot of interest in Indian models and Fashion. Also, why did they use Indian actresses? Where are Indian models? Bollywood has taken over our country’s (India)Fashion industry. I am Indian so I know this, we dont have many models, our fashion industry us pretty much ruled by bollywood and that sucks for our fashion industry. even on the cover of a High fashion magazine they had to use Bollywood actresses not Models. I dont even know why vogue came to India in the first place. Also just to clarify a point, Ashwaria Rai is not a model she was a beauty pageant winner and that does not make her a model that woman cant catwalk to save her life and I have yet to see one high fashion picture of her.

    Posted 31 Jan 2008 at 3:26 am ¶

49. Jen wrote:

    Hey Tasha, just wanted to let you know that Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty are not even partly Caucasian, they are 100% indian. That’s a pretty common misconception, and I don’t know if you are aware of the fact that Indians were classified as Caucasians by antropologists until the 1920’s. The only reason they are no longer under that ethnic category is because they were not “white” in color.

    Posted 30 May 2008 at 5:43 pm ¶

50. Raj wrote:

    Whiteness sells in India. Why blame vogue? They are doing exactly what the Indian fashion houses are doing..put white girls on billboards.

    Posted 15 Jun 2008 at 9:55 pm ¶

51. Le wrote:

    Thank you for posting this. I’ve forwarded it to my blog. The topic of my blog is the excessive portrayal of attractive white girls as victims of crime in our news media. I’m sure advertising trends are closely related to this phenomenon.
    http://covergirlsthedocumentary.blogspot.com/2008/06/white-models-in-asia.html

    Posted 26 Jun 2008 at 3:48 am ¶

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