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Do some Americans know that South Africans, Egyptians and Moroccans are also light skin in colour too?
Spanish fashion house Mango had Kendall Jenner model their spring 2016 “tribal” collection, and while this may seem like a good move to help bolster the brand’s image, it’s been doing a bit of the opposite. Considering the collection is centered on the “tribal spirit” of the African Savannah, many people became enraged that the company used Kendall rather than a black person as the face of the campaign.
But, I am still surprised at MANGO, this is 2016!
Mango’s Vice President Daniel Lopez explained to Women’s Wear Daily of their decision,
“We thought that she was the best model to embody this trend. And obviously the upside with that is that, as a model, she’s very professional, she works fantastically. As a celebrity she has huge repercussions in the market and among her followers.”
Some of the complaints:
But Kendall aside, the entirety of the collection itself could be considered controversial. Saying the collection gains inspiration from the African Savannah seems to limit the masses of tribes across the desert under one stereotypical umbrella, despite the heavy cultural differences among them.
Either way, criticism directed at Kendall is presumably misguided—she didn’t come up with the campaign, she just showed up for her job and posed for pictures.