Racist or not?

[claw3]

At our local train station at the weekend with ds 12, he was looking at news stand, while i was getting train tickets.

Anyhow at news stand there was a section which had black magazines ie black hair, black beauty, black music etc, etc. Ds asked me why do black people have their own mags and would it be racist if white people had their own magazines ie white hair, white beauty etc etc.

Your thoughts, would it??

Hoochie - The point of the OP were for you to add your thoughts or cant you read!

As i stated to a 12 year old boy who has always been told, people are people, no matter what their colour, to see magazines divided into colour kinda undermined that.

Also the fashion industry is colluding in it's language i.e. if you go to buy a flesh or nude coloured pair of tights they are caucasion aren't they so are they saying that the 'normal' colour for skin is caucasion.?

I really don;t understand how you would have a problme explaining this to a 12 year old.

YEs mainstream magazines have some black/asian models and occasionally recommend suitable products but as they are mass media it doens;t make commerical sense for them to devote many column inches to a minority of the market (thats true of any minority - fat women, women of a different colour, men who like to dress as women)

If there is a large enough minority for it to be economically viable , niche publications will spring up to cater to the needs of that group of people. Works the same way for example in the music world.

Skincare, haircare and to a degree colour pallette is very different for afro-carribeans. Having a magazine target this isn't racism its capitalism!

I think you are way, way overthinking this.

"Ds asked me why do black people have their own mags and would it be racist if white people had their own magazines ie white hair, white beauty etc etc."

Am interested to know, once he asked this question, what was the answer [i]You[/i] gave?

Re: fashion mags - there are white magazines. They're the vast majority of fashion mags out there (very, very few black models in the likes of Vogue and Elle, and even the few there are are a relatively recent occurrence). The black hair and beauty magazines exist to redress the balance. If you're a black or mixed race woman, you are unlikely to find information on make up to suti your skin or products to suit your hair in a 'mainstream' beauty/fashion mag.

The thing is COsmo hair doesn't need to state that it's for causcasian hair, you kinda get it from the pictures the products the styles etc.

I wouldnt be upset personally if cosmo hair decided to rebrand as white hair, wouldn't buy it as white hair sounds like it's for little old ladies with blue rinse perms, but what the hey, if it makes caucasian ladies feel loved and included I'm fine about that.

I'd say the magazines called black hair, asian bridal magazine, are actually pointing out they are different and cater to these under-catered markets. Black hair needs different products and care from causcasian hair, asian brides dress up like christmas trees, the western fairytale white wedding dress would be far to plain for most asian weddings, altho there is a growing trend amongst the younger second and third generation asian brides to wear western bridal gowns (which incidentally I've always found to be utterly enchanting...).

So anyway, I reckon it's to avoid confusion and point out the obvious. And by all means rename mags white hair if it matters so much to you.

There is nothing wrong with magazines designed to cater for different needs, as long as they aren't inciteful or hateful. We don't have a problem with magazines aimed specifically at women, men, children or retired people so why should there by a porblem with magazines targeted at particular ethnic groups?

YABU of course its not racist

How many hair mags do you see pictures that are suitable for Afro/Carriabean people.

and mainstream mags mostly use black models with a more Caucasian look about them.

Its true Foxy

Is Evans sizeist then? Or Long Tall Sally?

Beanieb - I didnt feel it was racist, but i did feel that segregating people into groups based on their skin colour was wrong.

Hoochie - do you feel we've been here before?

Bitoffun - 'Is Evans sizeist then? Or Long Tall Sally?' No they are based on physical differences, not skin colour.

But hair texture and skin colour are different when it comes to hair and beauty products...it's not a value judgement, just an observation.

This is a very strange discussion IMO. If a publication sprang up and declared it was aimed at white people, what would it include that maintstream magazines don't already include?

but a magazine about afro hair is about a physical difference.

skin colour is a physical difference when you are buying make up.

dh takes ds on a 2 hour round trip to a chinese hairdresser because white hairdressers have always made him look hideous. His hair is different from caucasian hair. Nothing racist about treating it differently.

I suspect that this is rabble-rousing.

I may be doing the OP a disservice but the tone and reasoning behind the topic is very similar to the infamous "Paki" thread.

Or am I imagining this?

Bitoffun - Also black music etc, etc. There are lots of magazines, not just beauty mags.

My point being my ds has been brought up to believe that people are people regardless of colour. Having magazines entitled 'black' whatever is dividing, not uniting.

I think at 12 you ds could understand you explaining to him that because mainstream mags are largely white there are black/asian etc. I also think that there is an idea that in order to not be racist you need to be colourblind, but I feel that we should by now be past that and be able to appreciate diversity, different colours/hairstyles/makeup will suit black women, not better or worse, different. We should all be treated equally, but we aren't all the same, therefore the newsagent recognises stocks magazines for everyone.

claw - perhaps you really don;t know that black hair and skin is physically different? I would challenge you to try some of the mainstream hair suggestions with affro-caribean hair or try the latest taupe eyeshadow on black skin

I can't decide whether you are really that naive or are trying to stir up a "Oh its OK for them to be racist but not us" storm.

(FWIW, I do belive you can be racist whatever your colour)

Magazines targtteind aspects of black life/culture/sin/hair etc are just catering for a need that isn;t provided for in the mainstream magazines. I'm sure they won't object if you buy a magazine and read it - even if you aren't black.

As for black music you have a point.

Because, since the mid-50s, and certainly since 1963 or thereabouts, there has been no credible popular music (with the possible exception of punk and country) that has not hijacked black music and rebranded it for a white audience.

Perhaps black music magazines are an attempt to throw white people off the scent?