Why aren’t there any black faces on the covers of magazines?

As a fashion profession I will have to answer this question without the PR bias of race studies. First some facts, in 2014 there were 4 black people on the cover of American Vogue. That is 1/3 of the year. And lets not forget that just last September, the most important September Issue, feature a black person on the cover. So when asking why there aren’t ANY black faces on the covers of magazines, what is the real question you are trying to ask?

lupita nyongo vogue cover october 2015 10

I find it hard to even write an answer with such loaded phrase as previously answered. But I find that it is simple numbers. According to the CIA world fact book, the demographic makeup of the US is 79.9% “white”, now that is from the entire population not all of whom read the magazines of which you may be referring to. So the representation of models to covers based on demographics are spot on. Now I understand that perhaps in some reverse racism way when some one race is not represented in anything, there are negative feelings that go along with that. But with a Black president, how is anyone screaming racism? The NFL and NBA are not represented equally with the demographics of the population, so why should the fashion industry be?

Its not about racism, as to say, “No black models on OUR covers!”, its just business. Look at the demographics of the industry, look at the available pool of models, and think about the numbers clearly. It about advertising, industry, and marketing. The MUST follow marketing standers and not sway just because of “fairness” The percentage of blacks actually buying magazines and purchasing the advertisers products is just as powerful as the number of blacks on covers if not less. So where is all of this hostility coming from?

Short Answer: There ARE black faces on the covers of magazines. More than the percentage of black faces in the USA, and more in percentage than those who actually contribute to the industry. Its not racism, its pure numbers. Now lets ask the President of the United States if he feels it is racism?

Source: Why aren’t there any black faces on the covers of magazines? – Quora