July/August 2010
Vanity Fair Controversy
By Deanna Hartley 02-23-2010
OK, if you're like me and your guilty pleasure is to keep abreast of all things Hollywood, then you've probably noticed the ire of myriad individuals toward the "New Hollywood" issue of Vanity Fair.
Apparently, the magazine features nine up-and-coming starlets, such as Anna Kendrick from "Up in the Air" and Kristen Stewart from the "Twilight" series. There's just one catch, though: Critics note that there is simply no diversity in the group of women that was eventually selected and that it isn't an accurate representation of new Hollywood, which has boasted breakout young stars from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Even a previous issue of theirs featuring "Hollywood's New Wave" fell flat with some for the same reason.
I don't know about you - and I'm not an avid Vanity Fair reader, so my forthcoming comments aren't exactly objective - but I don't really view the publication as the type to give careful deliberation to diversity when planning their content in the first place.
Maybe they do and they just couldn't find any diverse actresses who were deserving (yeah, right!). On the other hand, they may argue that their business doesn't get affected given that the majority of their readers are white.
Here's my question: What should diversity executives who encounter senior executives making the following statements be prepared to tell them? "Oh, we just can't seem to find diverse individuals who are capable of handling these responsibilities" or "Why should it matter to us? Our customers aren't exactly diverse, so why should we try to reflect the diversity of the general population?"
