Colorism in Vogue A critical visual analysis of skin color discrimination, diversity and beauty in American Vogue magazine

Colorism is a form of racism that discriminates against individuals with darker skin and uplifts those with lighter skin. While this issue is often regarded as a detriment within Black communities of America, it stems from historical White prejudices and should also be analyzed and discussed through the lens of traditionally White-owned media such as Vogue magazine. Vogue has a great deal of influence on the women’s perceptions of beauty due to its prestigious stature in the fashion industry. As the world of beauty of fashion is an ever-evolving industry, it is possible that the way Vogue chooses to depict beauty could be evolving over time, making it an appropriate medium to analyze how the presence of colorism plays a role in the magazine as well as its potential effects on how Black women’s beauty is presented within the fashion industry. It was of particular interest to analyze any changes in diverse representation and beauty standards over a period time in order to determine if any significant changes have been taking place. A Visual Critical Discourse Analysis was implemented for this study in order to determine implicit meanings and themes within Vogue covers. The sample for the visual analysis consisted of 100 Vogue covers chosen over a span of 20 years, beginning from 2001 and extending to 2020. The process of analysis began with an initial codebook of elements to search for in the magazine covers that could provide insight into how Black women of varying skin tones were being represented. Next, open coding was used to establish and identify the overarching themes seen most frequently throughout the analysis. These main themes consisted of inclusivity of Black women, or tokenism, presentation and sexualization of Black women’s bodies, evolution of beauty standards and changes in beauty branding. The findings show colorism’s significant presence in Vogue throughout the years. Although there was a greater quantity of dark-skinned models featured in the latter half of the sample, the depiction of the women, use of reoccurring models, consistent presence of an ethnically ambiguous aesthetic and tokenism made the brand’s sense of diversity appear performative and potentially even disingenuous. There was also a disparity in how Black women were styled and presented dependent on their skin tone, with the lighter-skinned models often being presented in a more flattering and glamourous way than the darker-skinned models. The finding from this study will be able to contribute to previous colorism studies while broadening the conversation of skin color discrimination within racial groups to a larger phenomenon present in traditionally White-owned and globally influential media.