Unfortunately, the lack of diversity has a domino effect that reaches the fashion industry. Attorney April Reign famously coined the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag in 2015 in reaction to the Academy picking all-white nominees for all major acting Oscars two years in a row. In short, have things gotten better since then? Some gaps are closing; people of color make up about 40% of the U.S. population and landed about 28% of lead acting roles in 2019 blockbusters, which is an improvement in relation to previous years’. However, these heartening statistics shouldn’t distract from how far there is to go.
Recently. UCLA’s 2020 Hollywood Diversity Report concluded that Hollywood still hasn’t demonstrated the “fundamental structural change” required for true equality. Behind-the-camera and executive roles are still overwhelmingly white and male. Directors of 2019 blockbusters were only 15.1% women and 14.4% minorities, while writing credits were 17.4% female and 13.9% people of color. Of the eleven major studios UCLA studied, 91% of C-level executives were white, and 82% were male. These authority figures have an outsized influence on how business gets done in Hollywood, perpetuating a film industry where women and people of color get paid drastically less than their white male co-stars and actors.Vestiti da Sera
Hollywood’s deep resistance to structural change has consequences for the world of fashion. Black actors have spoken up about encountering on-set makeup artists who don’t have the tools or experience to make their complexions and hair look good. Stylist Jason Bolden has seen brands pass on partnerships with slim, Oscar-nominated actresses of color while taking expensive, risky chances on unknowns. Lighting and technology choices can affect how actors of color appear on camera, whether they’re acting in a film or walking a red carpet—and many photographers tend to lean towards calibrations that make lighter skin look better. Clothing sizes and design are some of the most obvious connections between Hollywood and fashion. Designers often make high-profile, widely seen dresses for red carpets in size two only, leaving plenty of actresses scrambling to find an outfit (the average dress size among American women, meanwhile, is 16-18).
