Fashion Discussion: Black Men as Props

By On February 16, 2011 · 16 Comments

by Guest Contributor Claire, originally published at The Fashion Bomb

I was cruising on one of my favorite fashion editorial sites, Fashion Gone Rogue, when I happened upon this February/March 2011 cover of Russh Magazine featuring Delfine Bafort:

Delfine Cover

The Belgian model is surrounded by a group of adoring black men, who all seem to be looking at her lustfully. Her white dress, blonde tresses, and aloof stare contrasts markedly with their dark naked skin and enraptured looks.

Interesting.

The shoot seemed very reminiscent of other editorials I’ve seen in the past few years:

Mode Matthias

Vriends 2

Vriends 3


Alessandra Ambrosio, Rob Evans, and TaeJahn Taylor by Matthias Vriens-McGrath for Numero Tokyo January/February 2011.

Chanel & men

Chanel & men 2


Chanel Iman for Elle Italia October 2010.

Giselle & Men 1

gisele bite

Gisele Bundchen by Sølve Sundsbø.

Black men being used as props is nothing new. Remember slavery?

In 2011, I think it’s past time to let these tropes go, don’t you think?

Related: Gisele Bündchen’s Photo Shoot is a Study in Interpreting Racially Charged Images, LeBron James as King Kong on cover of Vogue?

(Image Source: Fashion Gone Rogue)

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  • ch555x

    Fashion industry jumping sharks, perhaps?

  • Guest

    There was also an editorional called The Black Allure in Vogue Italia. You can see pictures here:
    http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2011/02/vogue-italia-black-allure.html

  • umm…what

    Is it just me or does it seem that the standard degree of muscularity for black males in fashion is set higher?

  • http://DeadAmericanDream.blogspot.com AngryBroomstick

    I have to say that it’s not really the same when a black female model (Chanel Iman) is next alongside a black man. I don’t see it as objectifying– whereas it’s much more disturbing, racist, and objectifying to see a white woman being surrounded by black men, or even worse, a white woman dominating a black man (yuck). becaase you know, white women are prized above all other women of races and ethnicites!! *rolls eyes* Barf.

  • Medusa

    You know, I was just thinking about the Gisele shoot last night. Then I saw the first picture in this post and that “Again??” I’m so fucking sick of this shit. Black people aren’t actual people, we’re just props or even worse, commodities to be used and discarded once “normal” people are done satisfying their fetishes.

  • Anonymous

    it’s really shocking more people aren’t up in arms about this…

  • http://www.scribblesandsonnets.blogspot.com Jessica Isabel

    Tyra Banks did this sort of photo shoot on an episode of AMNT way back… I think it was in the earlier seasons. I’m not surprised, but lack of surprise doesn’t in any way augment my disgust. Fashion in general just spawns this enormous amount of objectification, dehumanization, and racism/sexism/all other isms as a whole. It’s hard to find a magazine that would feature people of all genders, all colors, all ages, all abilities, all sexual orientations, all religions (et al.) modelling clothing in a respectable way.

  • Kat

    I don’t see how this relates to the topic at hand at all. The topic is the use of Black men as props…

  • http://www.facebook.com/ankhesenmie Ankhesen Mié

    Make me yak….

  • http://jumpstreetchapel.tumblr.com Angela

    Male models in general are always used as props. Its not race…

  • Medusa

    Ummm…what-

    No, I don’t think it’s just you. Asian/Latino/White male models seem to have a completely different standard right now than Black male models. Not entirely sure what the reason is…to still subtly portray black men as overly fertile and threatening?

  • http://dont-read.blogspot.com Angel H.

    It is race when a Black male model is dressed in a loincloth and held by chain by a White female model. Also, fashion photographers are notorious for using all POC as background props in fashion editorials. This isn’t some new phenomenon.

  • Juan

    I think you’re visitin the wrong site then or not payin attention

    ,Juan

  • Juan

    Didn’t you know? Black men come only in one shape: muscular. Anything else and you’re just imagining things /snark

  • umm…what

    Perhaps, but there is also the connection of muscle to athletic performance and the belief that blacks are more adept to sports than members of other races due to our supposedly uniform set of physical characteristics. It’s like there’s some sort of screen that filters out all of the non-athletic black males from the public consciousness, leaving a race of Ronnie Coleman’s (google him for a kick) in the collective psyche of the American mainstream. I know that as a teenager, I was certainly aware that in order for me to be considered passingly attractive as a black male, I would need a statuesque physique.

  • Anonymous

    It should be noted that male models in general are used as props and are often half naked. What makes it racist is how the black men are placed in a overly sexual and overly masculine way.

    I have seen slim and non-muscular white male models. However whenever they use black models he is very buff and hyperexualized. I mean the chainned black male is offensive.

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