Is the Fashion Industry "Post-Racial"? Nope.

Essence magazine, the preeminent (read: only) publication dedicated to black women has seriously misjudged its audience, some say. Following the departure of their fashion head, the monthly hired Ellianna Placas for the coveted Fashion Director position. Placas is white and that pissed a lot of people off, including former Essence fashion editor Michaela angela Davis. She tweeted that her heart was "heavy heavy" after hearing about Placas' appointment. (Read Davis' interview with Clutch online magazine here.)

One of my favorite phrases before I begin a race-based rant is "Well, in a perfect world, this wouldn't matter." Any reader of the Women's Rights cause has to know that the fashion industry, with its pro-ana, anti-color sentiments, is about as imperfect as it gets. The industry practically feels designed to either ignore, fetishize, or malign non-white women (among others), so when black editors get access to this world, it's a pretty big deal. Not because black editors aren't just as creative or hard-working or fashion-y as their white counterparts, but because the industry doesn't see black women as a whole as being very valuable to their bottom line.

Black models, designers and editors are still fighting an uphill battle to gain footholds in that industry, and for decades Essence was an ally. I can understand people who now feel that's no longer the case.

I can already hear the cries of "Placas was probably the most qualified!" I can almost unequivocally say that this probably wasn't the case, and even if it was, Essence doesn't know either way. I spent a very memorable summer as a fashion intern at the magazine and followed up that experience with time at many other publications. The hiring process at most big glossies pretty much goes, "Hey, let's grab the person we know the best." If that person works out, great! If not, let's get the next closest person.

To that end, I'd put money that the job postings online were more of a formality, especially since the book's editor confirmed that Placas had been freelancing in this position for months prior to her hiring, which is fairly standard. I'm certainly not doubting Placas' skills (her resume's as long as my arm), but in this case it really doesn't matter. There are lots of opportunities for her that don't exist for her black peers.

On the other hand, I'm also just a little tired of Essence coming under fire for not representing every single black woman. It's not their fault that no other magazine exists on their level for black women. It's not their fault that big publishing companies see no need to counteract the routine white-washing of their pages. And maybe they, like most employers in the publishing industry, just didn't feel like going the long way around to find a qualified black person.

This, to me, is a post-racial mentality at its worst. When all the balance sheets are equal, we can start being colorblind. Until then, news of this kind will continue to feel more than a little out of place.

Photo credit: NeoGaboX