Relevance

Inclusivity and cultural appropriation are hot topics in the fashion industry right now. There is this call-out culture right now where consumers are holding magazines, brands, and publications accountable. Vogue Brazils fashion director resigned this year for cultural insensitiviy, glamour hungary was involved in a scandal where a photographer claimed that they had a rule about only hiring caucasian models. National geographic has devoted its april issue entirely on the topic of race due to the racist coverage they admit to have done in the past.

I found in my dissertation that a lot of racist stereotypes about china have originated with colonialism. Minorities in western countries were seen as savages, peasant and natives elsewhere in there own countries they were exotic and interesting. Cultural appropriation happens in fashion because theres racist history behind these cliche design movements like chinoiserie. This magazine is relevant because younger generations don’t know why certain things might be insensitive. The progression from cultural appropriation to cultural appreciation can only happen through education.

Not only does mainstream media not represent and reflect certain cultures, when they do its not accurate and it comes across culturally tone-deaf. there are a lot of independent and niche magazines that are beginning to address these issues.