There’s no season during fashion week we don’t get to hear models, especially black models airing out their grievances for unfair racial treatment. It’s either cruelty and discrimination at castings, makeup rejection, or lack of diversity. And just when we thought things are getting better, model Londone Myers is spewing out her anger over the unfair treatment she experienced at the just concluded Paris Fashion Week.
In a long Instagram post, Myers explained how she was snubbed by hairstylists over her natural hair just because she was a black model.
I don’t need special treatment from anyone. What I need is for hairstylists to learn how to do black hair. I’m so tired of people avoiding doing my hair at shows. How dare you try to send me down the runway with a linty busted afro. We all know if you tried that on a white model you’d be #canceled👌🏽 If one doesn’t stand we all fall. If it isn’t my fro it’ll probably be yours.
Talking to Teen Vogue, Myers also cited that she usually does her hair before any show but this time around, she showed “unprepared” just like every other model booked for the show.
I was just so frustrated with how people would avoid even looking at me. I usually do my hair before every show, but this time I just showed up without anything on hand like everyone else.
No explanation was given at all. There isn’t really much confronting you can do with these hairstylists. I’m not going to chastise [them], but [they] still don’t know what to do with natural hair … I simply asked around the room for who did black hair multiple times and was cast aside, until they sat me in this guy’s chair who tried to send me off looking unpolished, like the other [black] girls. One of the other black models saw all of the lint in my hair and was surprised.”
According to the runway girl, the racial issues aren’t the fault of whether the beauty team, individual, or a designer, but the industry, in general, is not prepared to be truly diverse. “Some of these hairstylists have never had the chance to work with our hair,” Londone said. “You can always tell when they’re feeling through it haphazardly. I used to experience so many people making my hair look so bad. I just started doing the curls they liked before each show and shoot. It got to the point where I was the only one I could rely on. It makes me mad because I know they don’t expect that from most girls; just the ones whose hair is too hard to do.”
Meanwhile, Myers believes there is enough room in the industry for everyone to excel. “Sometimes it really does feel like the industry just likes to categorize us by skin tone and make us feel like there is only room for one black model at a time,” said Londone. “We need to get rid of that mindset because there is room enough for all of us.”
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