The black hair thing seems really complicated. In order to "look professional" they have to spend hundreds of dollars every month. This from a demographic that statistically has a lower income. Whereas I can just hop out of my shower and if I'm having a bad hair day I twist it into a bun and voila, takes about five minutes and an initial $10 investment in pins. I do think that's unfair, and would like to see that change.

Of course there will always be people who want to spend hundreds in the salon, but it should be a fun luxury, not a requirement.

There are a number of necessities that I've realized aren't necessities vis a vis the downturn in newspapers as of late. I'm working very hard to be more clever about earning a living writing, including working day and night on a book that I can do fast(er) before I do the big, research intensive book I wanted to do next. I'm almost done writing the proposal, and I'm testing titles out now. I have downgraded my spending in every area of my life, from TV to hair care products. Pantene, in giant bottles at Costco, is my shampoo/conditioner of choice as of late, much as I'd love to use Leonor Greyl's Creme Moelle de Bambou!

What the hell is "reverse racism"?

ISTM that the implication is that only whites practice racism and if a white person is ever discriminated against, we have to call it something else.

Racism is racism.

Essence certainly has the prerogative to hire whoever they want for whatever reasons they want, but this seems like a poorly thought-out decision. A magazine's fashion editor isn't just responsible for doing their job-they're also acting as the face of the magazine. Selecting someone who doesn't look like 99% of your readers doesn't really make sense. That's why we don't see 250 pound fashion editors at Cosmo or Vogue, even if a 250 pound woman happens to be the most qualified, competent, and experienced candidate.

And yes, the implication of a white woman being selected is that there were no qualified black candidates for the position. That's not going to go over well with Essence's readers, and I wouldn't be surprised if they lose subscription and sales from this decision.

Which of the four dudes is him?

Very unexpected indeed.

But do Cosmo and Vogue have a political slant? I am not familiar with Essence but it seems that these race-specific magazines often do.

This is a magazine about black women. They will thus have more credibility among their target audience if they hired a black fashion editor. Likewise, if somebody dared to put out a magazine geared toward white women, I would fully expect them to hire a white fashion editor, right before angry activists burned their offices down.

I 2nd Steamer's comment. I NEVER use the term "reverse racism" because it lets the bigot in question off the hook somewhat.

The turning point for me on this front occurred about 20 years ago when a childhood friend of mine, a fellow of Chinese-Canadian ancestry said to me with absolute sincerity: "But Rob, I can't be a racist because I'm not white."

I've long since wanted to see a large poll asking this question: "Can a person be a racist if they're not white?" Of the non-white poll recipients, I wonder how high a percentage would answer 'No'?!?

Robert W,
All races, whether they be white, black, brown or whatever are part of the same human species. We all share the same traits hardwired into the human genome. One of the behaviors built into human genes is our need to belong to a group of individuals most similar to us, which makes us social animals. This manifests itself in our need to group ourselves in terms of blood relations, sports team affiliation, tribes, communities, nations. Racism is essentially an outward manifestation of our human tendency to regard outsiders to the group, in this case skin color or culture, with hostility (which makes it an undesireable behavior). I have lived in other countries and have seen black Africans regard whites as inferior, Southeast Asians view Indians living in their countries with hostility and Koreans view foreigners (whites, Filipinos, Vietnamese) living in South Korea as people to be avoided. Your Chinese-Canadian friend is full of shit when he says that he can't be racist because he's not white. I should know because I'm part Chinese and have relatives on my Chinese side who absolutely don't want their children to marry anyone who is not of Chinese descent.

A woman I know is married to a Japanese man. He is from the northern part of Japan, which is why it was apparently okay for him to marry a foreigner, because he can only rise so high in Japan anyway.

Hey, that's what they told me. Caste systems are everywhere.

I would have started out my explination saying that dozens of black applicants had to be passed over in order to fill the race quotas set by the government in order to promote diversity.

Then, days later, after a whole buch of people said and wrote things that could be thrown back in their faces for years to come would I have gone with the real explination

I actually more annoyed the hired AN AUSTRALIAN come on you could not find an American to do the job, Tsk Tsk Tsk.

While I don't necessarily have a problem with Essence hiring a white woman as their fashion director, what this has brought to light more than anything is that there are not a lot of blacks in publishing at all. In 1988 Folio had an article about how Blacks are discouraged by the publishing industry’s “laissez-faire attitude toward recruitment" and that has not changed much in 22 years!

Andre (who I love) is the exception, not the rule. If you look at the background of editors, about half of them did go to the right schools and know the right people but the other half grew up in small town America with no connections at all. They moved to NY with a dream and for the most part, their white skin...

The fact that in Zandile's article for nymag.com, she counted fourteen black fashion editors only four- five of which are with one of the major publishing houses is ultimately the problem. To think that their is no racism in the fashion industry or publishing is very ignorant on your part Amy. Open your eyes and do your research before you speak because it makes you look quite stupid.

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/08/the_essence_controversy.html

Oh, the irony in promoting vapidity; maybe instead of inspiring black women to be 'bold and beautiful' it should inspire them to be hardworking, motivated, ambitious and to educate themselves.

"In 1988 Folio had an article about how Blacks are discouraged by the publishing industry’s “laissez-faire attitude toward recruitment" and that has not changed much in 22 years!"

Meaning, I suspect, that blacks are discouraged by the industry's attitude of hiring the best people for the job.

"In order to "look professional" they have to spend hundreds of dollars every month."

Fashion is supposed to cost money; if it didn't, there would firstly be little profit to be made by the punters of fashion, and secondly it could not be used to flaunt financial status by those who can afford it. Most people who become well-recognized in any industry though do so ultimately through hard work, education etc. ... i.e. by getting their work noticed, not by buying a look.

"I should know because I'm part Chinese and have relatives on my Chinese side who absolutely don't want their children to marry anyone who is not of Chinese descent"

I (white) was in a relationship with a Chinese woman, and indeed I brought great shame on their entire family in the eyes of the community simply for being white (in spite of being educated and successful - that meant nothing). It was a huge problem, and placed a lot of strain on the relationship.

The whole 'only whites can be racist' thing is just another part of the whole anti-white racist culture we've been swept along in.

Where more and more women (and men) in the US identify themselves as biracial (and I wish Obama and Halle Berry would do the same), I don't see Essence's choice as such a whopping pie in the face for African-American fashion editors or readers,. The EIC made the best decision for the bottom line--why look around when you've got an inhouse person who knows the book?

And the "face" of Essence is the EIC. Just like Anna Wintour is Vogue.

This is a magazine about black women. They will thus have more credibility among their target audience if they hired a black fashion editor.

There's a certain practical truth there.

But, on the other hand, I'm absolutely for things that destroy identity politics.

And if this forces anyone to realize that "black woman" isn't some mystically special Identity that Nobody Else Can Possibly Understand Because It's So Special... good.

(I mean, sure, I'm a nominally white male, so I "can't ever understand". But I also have plenty of other "minority" statuses, like everyone else, so I guess I can...)

(I also agree that the Fashion Editor isn't the face of a magazine. It's been a while [since I got my art degree] since I looked at a fashion magazine, but I don't recall them having any face at all, let alone the Fashion Editor being that face.)

Three things I'd like to point out:

1. In order to be a racist, one has to be in a position to wield power. Using the term reverse-racism implies the a person/group being "reverse racist" is not in a position to wield power. In other words, if all black magazines decided not to hire white people, it wouldn't affect white people much, but if all non-black magazines with primarily white readership/employees decided not to hire black people, the shut our would be devastating to black magazine employees/freelancers, financially and otherwise.

2. Ideals of beauty are subjective, learned, & easily influenced. The notion that someone changes their appearance because one way is simply prettier, "it just is," -is ridiculous. There are reasons why straight hair looks prettier to most of us than curly or kinky hair does. We're socialized to believe it's prettier.

3. Straightening your hair for free at home by putting it in a ponytail cannot be compared to black women spending hundreds/thousands monthly in salons to straighten their hair with chemicals, as though these are the same actions, done for the same reasons, with the same result.

For the record, I'm not saying you can't talk about black hair, and I can tell your intentions are pure. There are just differences between black and white people's hair and what we do with it.

I actually wrote a little about that in my advice to a woman on my blog who claims to be "a white woman with black hair." (If you're curious, this is the post: http://melsense.com/2010/09/23/the-erector-set/ )