It's Just Fashion.

Fashion has aided in movements across several issues because of its impact it has on its consumers, however we continue to see racism, body shaming and other issues of intolerance within the fashion industry.

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Fashion over the years is an industry that has been a leading force in the inclusion of races, sizes and genders but there still seems to be pitfalls after all the breakthroughs that it has established.

Earlier this year, H&M had stirred up some controversy due to a young black boy modeling a jumper that read "coolest monkey in the jungle" on their website. The company received a lot of backlash from both their consumers as well as influencers that have collaborated with the brand prior to the issue. However like all controversies there is what most people would consider a half-assed apology and then it is soon forgotten.

Victoria's Secret, easily one of the most know lingerie companies in the world had their fair share of backlash after this years fashion show. During his interview with Vogue, the chief marketing officer, Edward Razek expressed his views on plus size, transgender and older models walking the runway. It's no surprise however by the way the shows have gone since they started that he had nothing good to say.

The most recent controversy was with the popular Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana. The very anticipated fashion show that was to take place in Shanghai on November 21st, 2018 was cancelled the day of because of racist accusations from their campaign leading up to the show.

In the video that has since been taken down, you saw a Chinese woman eating Italian food with chopsticks and even holding them apart, one in each hand which in the Asian culture is considered disrespectful. The creators had no choice but to cancel the show after many well known guests pulled out from appearing as well as the outrage from users on Instagram.

There are always going to be people that continue to support brands that refuse to be inclusive or that make racist remarks for the sake of fashion. There are also people and brands that are on a mission to be as inclusive as possible and represent people of all walks of life.

This post is not to bash fashion or brands but to create awareness that some of the biggest brands in the world are highly praised without looking at the facts. Some of the most inclusive brands are so underrated because they don't portray the idea of "fantasy" as Razek puts it but they relay the idea of the everyday and as some people in the fashion industry say, no one wants to see ordinary they want to see fantasy.

Regardless of everything, all l hope is not lost. Rihanna, a famous singer has been a force to reckon with in the fashion and beauty industry. She revolutionized the makeup and fashion world within a year of her breaking into the industry. In September 2017, her makeup brand, Fenty Beauty launched with a never before seen range of foundation colors, 40 shades to be exact and other products that work on a wide range of skin tones. This years', New York Fashion Week (NYFW) was closed out by Rihanna's lingerie line that received a lot of attention and applause. The show featured women of all races, sizes and even two pregnant women.

There are plenty of businesses in both the fashion and beauty industry that have diversity at the core of their brands, unfortunately they are almost always dominated by brands that don't have the same core values. Rihanna, luckily has been so influential in her breakthroughs that brands are now needing to keep up with her just to stay relevant to the public.