Style December 7, 2016
Screenshot from Deddeh Howard's YouTube ChannelAfrican-American model Deddeh Howard is tired of the lack of diversity in the modeling industry and she’s choosing to do something about it. According to her, it’s time to “do something positive and inspiring about [her] race.”
In Howard’s new project titled “Black Mirror,” the model, who was born and raised in West Africa, recreates various advertising campaigns from major companies, including Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Victoria’s Secret.
Each photo on her website features Howard with identical poses, props and outfits to show what advertisements would look like if they featured a black woman instead of a white one. For example, in recreating Gisele Bündchen’s Vivara ad, Howard’s photo features the same color scheme, fishnet stockings and off-the-shoulder bodysuit. Although the two models differ in skin color, Howard’s followers agree that her photo is every bit as striking as Gisele’s.
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“Growing up in Africa, I knew nothing about Black and White, we’re all equal, it was United we stand!” Howard wrote on her Instagram post. “I believe we can be whoever we want to be.”
Every day, Howard points out, society is bombarded with flashy billboards and television advertisements of women who look the same. “Something that always bothered me when you see these amazing images that very rarely you ever see a black woman on them,” Howard writes.
And because she lives in a time when black folk are “underrepresented at important events such as the Oscars” or making headlines for “being targeted by the police,” Howard hopes to “bring awareness back to the positive side of black people.”
With these side-by-side photos, Deddeh Howard is making big strides to reiterate that black is beautiful too.
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This is a message that the fashion industry needs to hear.
Howard’s project shines a critical light on how fashion agencies limit the number of women of color on their ads. “Not too long ago it happened to me that I would walk into various fashion model agencies and I would immediately be compared to that one or two black model(s) that they had on the roster,” Howard shares. “Even though I was told by those agencies that I have an amazing look and wish they could represent me, they already have a black model … It seemed as if one or two black models on the roster are enough to represent us all.”
So now, she poses the question, “Why can’t the big brands embrace our diversity more and give all of us visibility?”
Deddeh Howard’s project with photographer Raffael Dickreuter comes just months after New York-based designer Zac Posen called out the lack of diversity in during 2016 Fashion Week. For the Spring 2016 season, The Fashion Spot reports that of the 9,926 model appearances from New York, London, Paris and Milan, 77.6 percent of the models were white. In response to this, Posen made a powerful declaration during the Fall 2016 season that “Black Models Matter” by hiring a cast of women of color to model his collection.
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“Within this global environment – diversity is very important and it is something that has always been equally important to me as well as a key component of my collections whether it is shapes, sizes or skin color,” Posen said about his show.
Thus, with the “Black Mirror” project, Howard joins other influential figures in the fashion and modeling industry who are calling for a change. From Zendaya’s inclusive fashion line to Ashley Graham’s revolutionary work as a size-16 model, it is becoming more and more important to set positive examples for young girls about body image.
“I hope to show the world that it is time for all of us [to be] seen,” Howard writes. “Just like a Gisele Bündchen, Kate Moss or Candace Swanepoel gets to travel the world, shoot the most amazing campaigns and live an exciting life to inspire young girls, let’s give the next generation something to believe in.”
