Beauty & Skin Color

(5 minute read)

When I was 15 years old I flew to London, England for the first time. It was there on that Boeing 747 that I met the stunning Naomi Campbell. For those who don’t know, she’s a very famous supermodel and actress– she’s also African American. My dad was traveling with me at the time and being the proud father that he was, he told virtually everyone that his model daughter was heading to London to walk the runways. Back before iPads were a thing, models carried around a thick book called a “portfolio”. It’s basically just a book filled with your best and most marketable modeling pictures. 

To further embarrass his daughter, my dad decided to pull out my portfolio and show it off to anyone who cared to see. Everyone in coach was buzzing with excitement about how Naomi Campbell was up in first class. They were also weirdly excited about me. A few people even asked to have their picture taken with me incase I ever became famous. For whatever reason, the stewardess decided to tell Naomi about me and the commotion my father had caused back in coach. Miss Campbell, intrigued to hear there was a 15 year old model just starting out, sent the flight attendant back to fetch my portfolio. Then she sent for me.

As I approached the glamorous Naomi Campbell – I was internally terrified. I rushed up to first class but as soon as the curtain was pulled back, I can remember stopping to gawk. There she was in all her glory – just casually sipping a glass of champagne with a Louis Vuitton blanket draped over her. I approached her with fear because back in 2005, she had a notorious reputation for being mean and nasty to other models. This was not my experience with Naomi. Not at all. Not even a little bit. She was one of the nicest supermodels I have ever met. She even gave me advice and words of encouragement. I walked back to coach feeling both relieved and baffled. I replayed all the stories models had told me about her. Then I realized all the models who had bad experiences with her – were black. 

The fashion industry can be pretty cut-throat. Models rise to fame one season only to crash and burn and fade from the limelight the next. It was theorized back then that Miss Campbell had “scarcity mentality”. While Tyra Banks was known for trying to help other black models reach the top, Naomi was territorial about her place at the top. Back in the 80s, 90s and even early 2000s – I could see why. There were countless white models and supermodels but very few black models. Obviously 15 years has changed a lot and from what I hear, Naomi is now an advocate for black models. Time is a beautiful thing. 

But the point remains that only 15 years ago, racism was still alive and well in the fashion industry. If Naomi ever felt threatened, it was for a reason. I had an advantage over the other models because of my skin color; and that should NOT have been a reality. Depending on the designer, any given runway show needs about 20 models (some more and some less). Back in my “catwalk days”, I can remember walking in shows where all the models were white. Some designers would have one or two black women and maybe even a few asian women; but almost never both. Most of the runway shows I walked back in 2005 & 2006 honestly looked like Hitler’s fantasy. I was even asked if I would wear blue contact lenses at a casting one time! Things have fortunately changed a lot since then. 

I don’t like to think about or talk about white privilege — but that’s probably because I’m white. In light of the George Floyd incident however, I think we’re all being forced to. And frankly when I reflect back on my experiences in the modeling industry – it’s about darn time. After that horrific video went viral, it sparked some deep conversations between my husband and I. We began discussing racism and debating the topic of white privilege. It was 2am before we exhausted our voices and opinions and came to the realization that our culture does favor white skin. To put it another way, white skin is more “marketable”. 

It also occurred to us that all of the main characters in our children’s books and movies – were white. My barbies growing up were all blonde and blue eyed. Every “hot girl” in those ridiculous 90s movies we use to love — were all white. Whether we want to accept it or not, our culture has defined beauty as white skin. I know things are getting better, but at 2am when I went into our son’s room and looked at the cover of every children’s book I have so meticulously placed on the shelves – I felt like crying. All of the main characters are white. Seriously! If you’re a mom and you have Wheels On The Bus, go look at that book! It’s only white people all around the town! I went through our shelves and the Canadian books fortunately have multiple skin colors in them. But almost all of the American ones we have – do not. I’m not trying to criticize America here, Canada has racism issues too. I’m just stating an observation I made. So please don’t misunderstand me. 

It almost seems that right from infancy, we are being programmed to think a particular race and color of skin is somehow superior or more socially acceptable than another. We might not realize it or even want to admit it, but it’s true. Just take a moment to look back on your childhood. Think about your dolls, the tv shows you watched, and the advertisements you saw. What message were you subliminally given?

Becoming a parent changes you. I do not agree one bit with the violent riots going on. But I understand them. I did not grow up in a Christian home so please be gracious with my vulnerability and honesty here. I still have a lot of rough edges the Lord needs to smooth out. In my flesh and in the natural state of who I am, I carry a lot of anger. So if my son died the way George Floyd did – I would probably have burned down the world. I love my son fiercely and I can not imagine someone wanting to harm him because of the color of his skin. The thought alone makes my blood boil. I get so angry at the thought that I start to shake and have to excuse myself to go calm down. But again, I’ve got a lot of anger Jesus is refining out. 

Thankfully I am married to an absolute ray of sunshine who helps calm me down when I find myself in a bit of a stormy passion. While I felt helpless to change the state of our world, my husband graciously reminded me that I can play a small part for the Kingdom of God – Right here at home. It starts with my children and with yours. We need to be more than just “not racist”. Galatians 3:28 states: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. I understand there are gender differences so calm down. I’m not trying to take Scripture out of context here. What I am trying to say, rather inarticulately, is that God sees all of his children as beautiful – regardless of race or gender. And this needs to be reflected among those of us who call ourselves Christians. Because Jesus himself was not white. He was a Jew and He was from Nazareth. It’s in the Bible. Look it up. 

If like me you’re wondering what tangible steps you can take today to make a difference, then I’m glad you’re reading this. You can start by looking at your children’s books. Not a parent? Then listen up anyways because you might be someday. The books you read to your children, the tv shows you let them watch, and the barbies or figurines they play with should all convey one simple message – all skin colors are beautiful. EVERY home should have ethnic diversity so that our children can spit out the garbage older generations have fed them. Racism exists. But so does reverse racism. Neither is okay.

Right from infancy our babies need to see that all skin colors are precious and beautiful in God’s sight – and in ours. I know a lot of my readers might live in rural communities where there is not a lot of ethnic diversity. And that’s precisely why you need to be intentional with what you teach your kids regarding beauty and race. All my barbies growing up were tall, thin, blonde and blue eyed. I don’t know about you, but my daughter will not be programmed by our culture to believe that beauty is Barbie. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I believe beauty is skin deep. But in this world where the physical catches our eye, we need to train and teach our children’s eyes that all skin colors are equal and incredibly beautiful – crafted by a very loving and wonderfully artistic God.