In this 2015 “Flip the Script” segment from Mic (an online media platform covering news, pop culture, and art and targeting millennials), senior editor Liz Plank discusses the topic of diversity in the fashion industry. She criticizes the industry, along with its followers, for assuming that diversity has been “solved.” Plank calls attention to a 2013 open letter written to industry leaders and designers by former model turned diversity advocate, Bethann Hardison. Plank further investigates diversity in magazine images, runway shows, and interviewing the public on the topic. Plank concludes that the diversity problem has not been solved, and that the public must hold industry leaders accountable.

discussion

How does Plank counter prevalent thinking about the industry, and establish that there is actually a diversity problem?

How might the public perception of diversity in a given industry (fashion or any other) affect change?

Who do you think is responsible for change in the fashion industry? How can we hold the industry accountable?

Have you ever felt excluded by the fashion industry? Based on your race, ethnicity, gender, body size, disability, age, religious beliefs?