The Beauty of Diversity

© VOGUE

Adut Akech Bior, a model born of war

 Adut Akechi is a model born of refugees. Her mother fled the civil war in South Sudan, and gave birth to Adut in a refugee camp in Kenya. Adut grew up with unforgettable memories of the terror that gripped the camp as people tried to kidnap or kill refugees. As a refugee, her model career didn't go as smoothly as she expected. She didn’t speak any English, and she was a tall, super-shy, awkward kid. She had a weird name, and a gap tooth. and she also felt insulted by people's general attitudes toward refugees and race. WHO Magazine printed an image of another model appearing at the show, instead. However, she overcame the obstacles and became an international supermodel, walking for brands such as Miu Miu and Bottega Veneta, starting with the Saint Laurent collection for Paris Fashion Week S/S 2017 at the age of 16.  

There is No Beauty, only Beauties

 Thanks to the activism of models like Adut Akech, it's not uncommon to see people of color, plus-size, and transgender models on the catwalk. This means that ‘body positivity’, the idea of loving and showing your body the way it is, rather than conforming to society's standard of beauty, has spread throughout society. For Generation MZ, where the pursuit of individual values is paramount, differences in age, race, gender, and taste have become personal choices that should be respected, and the definition of beauty, which is often characterized by clear skin, big eyes, and a pointed nose, is something that needs to be revisited. In an era of diversity that rejects conventional beauty standards and social norms and honors the individual from an ‘all people are equal’ perspective, acceptance of difference is no longer an option but a necessity.

Victoria's Secret Swaps Angels for 'What Women Want.' 

 Victoria's Secret has been making changes since 2019, including the addition of plus-size and transgender models to its roster. The company, which has been criticized for enforcing a one-size-fits-all standard of beauty, has taken this initiative to the next level, creating a ‘seven-of-seven’ model lineup that includes an openly homosexual soccer player and an Asian athlete. Victoria's Secret ads feature a diverse group of models including refugees and sexual minorities, to Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio, to refugee-born model Adut Akechi, there is not a single tall, thin, white professional model in the lineup.

 

Diversity and rebranding: Growing companies that care about marginalized groups

 The truth is that a culture of respect for diversity, including disability and sexual orientation, has been largely absent in our society. This is evidenced by the fact that there has been a lot of talk about hiring sexual minorities and refugees, but not a lot of actual hiring. On the surface, it looks like companies are trying to be more diverse, but in reality, they’re not. However, as times have changed, people's views have changed, and the failure to manage diversity has become a risk to the interest of company's. Therefore, marketing to social minorities is a necessity that will help improve the image of the company, and by catering to everyone's tastes and accessibility, the company will be able to generate more sales and create sustainable profits. This also has the ultimate effect of empowering socially marginalized people to earn a decent wage for a decent standard of living. However, using social minorities as a marketing tool, companies need to strike the right balance between their interests and respect for diversity.

 

Na Min-Seo (2-3)¹ | Staff Reporter

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