Research Presentation

Transcript

1. An investigation into Representation of ethnicity in the UK Fashion industry
2. Introduction For my topic of research I chose to research into the subject of ‘representation of race in the UK print industry’. This was a broad subject so I narrowed my research down into the question of ‘Is the population of different ethnic minorities of women fairly represented in the UK fashion industry’. I did this due to the fact that it is clear that women are affected by this issue more than men. For my research I undertook secondary research in which I established sources that had already been published based around my topic question. This was beneficial in the sense that this gave me evidence to support my research. I also constructed my own primary research using focus groups, questionnaires and the content analysis of different magazines. By using a focus group I aimed to gather information for my research would be useful in the sense that the participants will be able to elaborate on their views further given more time as well as being able to interact with one another and share different views. I gathered a six young women aged from 18 to 23 and discussed various topic questions. For my questionnaire I had to gather sufficient demographics and relevant information that I could use for my research. In order to do this I produced a questionnaire based around the topic of is race represented fairly in the UK Fashion industry. I included a fair amount of open and closed questions to try and get the best possible results I can. I chose to hand these to only females as I mainly like to target my research for women as I think this would be much more beneficial to my area of research as mostly women read fashion magazines and would be able to give me better views. Lastly by using various fashion magazines, I looked to see how many people of different races are included in different magazines. I used a tally chart to include statistics in my results. This was a good form of primary research as this helped me in comparing different aspects based around my topic question. However it was far more complex when deciding how to categorize information in a way that was clear to answer and not misleading.
3. Analysis of Grazia Another magazine I chose to look at was Grazia. This magazine is a very well known fashion magazine that includes fashion ideas to the latest styles and trends. When doing my content analysis of this article I also used a tally chart to calculate the different ethnic minorities I saw featured throughout the magazine. When studying this magazine I found that the majority of ethnic groups featured may be seen to be rather unproportional in comparison to the amount of people in the UK. When looking at statistics for the UK’s national ethnic population, statistics show that 82.2% of the population are from a White: British background. Clearly this magazine does represent the most popular ethnic group as from the results 79% of the women appeared to be from the same ‘White’ ethnic group. 12% of women were from a Indian background and in comparison to the UK’s national statistics 2.7% are from a Asian: Indian background and 1.2% are from a Black: Caribbean background one could argue that due to the fact that these are both very small percentages, this is a representation of the UK’s national statistics therefore are a representation of race in the UK print industry. On the other hand the UK’s national statistics show that there still an estimated 2.7% of Asian: Indian people but in my results there is no percentage of people from an ethnic minority. This factor can be a contradiction to the point previously made. Something I failed to do in this area of my research was to possibly have looked at various other magazines in order to make this a fair decision by comparing other Grazia magazines and see if they do or don’t represent different ethnic groups of women fairly. This idea of research had proven to be more challenging than expected when deciding upon what category I should to gather my research effectively. The ethnic groups I used to determine what group people fell into put me in a very complex situation as for some people featured in the magazine I couldn’t make the correct judgment of whether they were from a full white background. I also did research the different ethnic groups I could use but as there are a range of various ethnicities so I had to simplify it so I didn’t have too many groups and also I wasn’t every women I could classify to be from for example a white: Bangladeshi background. 79% 2% 3% 0% 1% 3% 12% 0% Grazia (7th November 2011) White Black-African Black-carribean Asian Chinese Mixed race Indian Arab
4. Analysis of Marie Claire & Look magazine Other magazines I looked closely at was ‘Marie Claire’ which is also a fashion and beauty well known magazine aimed at women. This issue was published in September 2008, which does make it a very current magazine however, as it is a well known magazine I still chose to use it as I feel it was useful to see whether the amount of ethnic minorities featured in this magazine has changed till now or still remained the same. When looking at this source I used a tally chart to count the different races in each category I saw. By doing this the figures showed me the results below. I also chose to do to a content analysis of the well known fashion magazine LOOK. When carrying out my research for both magazines, I made a tally chart to count up all the different ethnic minorities that I saw featured throughout the magazine. Due to the fact that my investigation in on representation of ethnicity in the UK print industry, I used these source of information to gather the statistics needed. When doing this research I categorised the different ethnic groups into the various ethnicities below. I also used the Look magazine source as due to the fact that it is current , I could use my results to compare with a magazine that was published in 2008 and see whether the percentages of ethnic minorities represented in the UK fashion magazines had increased of decreased over time. 89% 1% 2% 0% 3% 5% 0% 0% Marie Claire (September 2008) White Black-African Black-carribean Asian Chinese Mixed race Indian Arab From the results I collected from the magazine the statistics showed me that the percentages of different ethnicities represented through this magazine were very low . By looking at this data it shows that 85% of people featured in this fashion magazine were white, 15% where either of a Black African or Caribbean, Chinese , Asian, Indian or mixed race. 0% were Arab. Out of this 15% of different ethnic groups, women who were mixed race were featured the most then follow by black African women. The results I got from the magazine showed me that there was still a correlation between the magazine and the UK national statistics. Below it is proven that in this magazine 89% of the people featured where from a white ethnic background. However due to that fact that the category's I divided the different ethnicity up into one could argue that they were not diverse enough and therefore the results only favour one ethnic minority. LOOK (14TH November 2011)
5. Comparing representation to national statistics This table is the national UK statistics of the amount of people from various ethnic groups in 2009. As this table shows that 82.2% of the UK’s growing population is from a white British background, one could argue that therefore the representation of race in the UK print industry is a fair representation of the UK’s population as there is a much smaller minority of people from other ethnicities . This was clearly shown through the results I collected from my magazine research. This may be statically fair in the sense that magazines could be just representing the UK’s national statistics however, some may say this assumption could be bias and therefore want things to change. Reference 2 is an example of a model that is finding it challenging to break into the fashion industry. It shows that it is becoming increasingly harder for ethnic women to break into the UK fashion industry and also suggests that heir should be more of an ethnic diversity in the UK’s fashion industry. One could argue that, everyone should be equal no matter what statistics show. This issue could be due to the fact that people involved in the industry may reflect what the national statistics prove. However, should this really be something to cause such controversy. From the feedback I received from the focus group I conducted, when I asked the question of “Do you think ethnicity is represented fairly in the UK print industry?”, the majority of the answers were know for the following reasons: * The UK full of different ethnicities and this isn't represented through magazines, or more people of different ethnicities should be shown as it would be a fair representation of some if not all ethnic groups. This portrays how even though statistics show one thing , peoples general opinions have shown to differ from what is shown on the national statistical table. Ethnic Group 2009 Population 2009 Percentage White: British 42,893,400 82.2% White: Irish 558,100 1.1% White: Other 1,861,800 3.6% Asian or Asian British: Indian 1,414,100 2.7% Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 990,700 1.9% Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 384,300 0.7% Asian or Asian British: Other South Asian 377,700 0.7% Black or Black British: Caribbean 609,400 1.2% Black or Black British: African 787,500 1.5% Black or Black British: Other 124,500 0.2% Mixed 956,700 1.9% Chinese or Other: Chinese 439,500 0.8% Chinese or Other: Other 412,100 0.8% Total 51,809,700 100%
6. What people think of the Representation of ethnicity in the UK Print industry Using the primary and secondary methods of research I collected, this enabled me to analyse the various views and opinions different women shared on my topic. In each of my primary researches I carried out the, I saw a clear correlation between the UK statistics and my magazine research and a correlation between the feedback I got from the questionnaire results and the focus group. My questionnaire results showed me that when I asked the following questions here is some of the feedback I received. Do you think the UK represents different ethnic minorities of women fairly? : • No, as with any other representation of women the pictures are edited so the women look too perfect. Also ethnic minorities are under-represented. In contrast to this point reference 7 is a good example of this. The source explains how the famous singer Beyonce had been previously appeared on a magazine to be washed out and then appeared on a magazines to have been painted darker than her natural skin colour. This point to a certain extent contradicts itself as this source could have been viewed to be representing a different ethnic minority but at the same time one could argue that it is unnatural to portray another ethnic group in this way. • Yes, now they do but in the last few years only. When comparing this view to my magazine research the statistics contradict this point as in all my magazines I analysed the percentages were unproportional and there was a larger group of people from a white ethnic background than any other ethnic minority. However once again one could argue that this could just be a representation of the UK’s national statistics. • Not really because certain magazines would feature certain ethnicities on the front cover. • No because in most magazines the majority of women are not of ethnic minorities. This could be down to the fact that ethnic models may find it much more challenging to break into the fashion industry. Reference 2 states, "It's a lot harder to start a black girl than a white girl, for a number of reasons," says Carole White, Premier's founder. "There's not so much work for them, and sometimes photographers and makeup artists are scared. They don't know how to light or make them up properly so it takes a lot longer . . . It's a slower process.“. In contrast to this reference 11 supports this argument in the sense that this is another articles about mixed race models being refused by the UK fashion industry. • Yes because magazines are not racist. • Fairly when compared to the ratio of people in the UK. Reference 14 contradicts this idea as, the in this source it tells us about the Vogue only showing black models as a statement that discrimination against ethnic models should stop. Also in my focus group I noticed that some of the participants gave the same view when I asked the same question. In contrast to this the magazines I analysed could relate to this point in the sense that they seemed to reflect the UK’s national ethnic ratios. • Mainly white women models are featured. • There's always going to be racism in the industry but, its getting better. • In the magazine world there are a variety of different ethnic groups which can relate to many people. My magazine research contradicts this point as the results showed me that the most popular ethnic minority were people from a white background. • Ethnicity is not represented fairly in the UK “White” magazines don't incorporate black images. This view could be seen to rather bias as it is a strong opinion from a questionee. However most peoples feedback from this question shared near enough the same view. • Most magazines relatively have very few women of colour. Looking at this data women who filled in the questionnaire mostly tended to share the same views on this question. Due to the fact that most of the women who filled in my questionnaire where from a White ethnic background this shows how different ethnic minorities share some of the same opinions on this topic. It is still uncertain to make a clear judgement of whether the representation of race for women in the UK print industry is fair.
7. What people think of Representation of ethnicity in the UK Print industry In the fashion industry do you think people of colour are involved more or less in magazines, catwalks etc.? Less: Less because the industry seems to favour people with lighter complexions. In contrast to this point reference 11 contradicts this as this source is about mixed raced models being ignored by the UK fashion industry. This article focuses on 18 year old Aisling Serrant who is a mixed raced girl which is aspiring to be a model but having difficulty as the UK British industry are seen to be over looking mix raced girls as they are ‘too hard to pigeonhole’. She says, “I’d get sent to castings where they were asking for a tall girl with tanned skin and brown hair and I’d struggle; there was much more chance of getting those jobs if you were a white person…A lot of black models hear they’re not black enough or too black; white models don’t get that.” * Less in magazines and more on catwalks but not to many people from diverse ethnicities. * Less as when you look at most magazines and catwalks you don’t really tend to find that many people from various ethnic backgrounds. More * Depends on the type of magazine like the genre for example there are some magazines aimed at black people. * More because there are both people from different ethnicities in all magazines its just the amount that tends to vary. You wouldn’t find a magazine with people from the same race only featured. Do you feel this is portrayed in the media industry today? Yes * You will mostly tend to not find many ethnicities in magazines No * Their are still people of different ethnicities involved in magazines and catwalks. * Media is a lot of different things. Their are still people from different ethnicities involved in the industry. * Media still involves a lot different ethnicities so it is unfair to make this judgment. Do you think ethnicity is represented fairly in the UK print industry? Yes None of the participants said yes to this question. In comparison to the questionnaire feedback some of the opinions said yes to this question as some thought it was getting better compared to previous years or some thought that it is just a reflection of the UK’s national statistics. In contrast to this it shows how the participants in the focus group differ but looking at the magazine analysis results it supports what the women may have thought about this question. No * More people of various ethnicities could be featured more it would be better. ( A majority of the people all agreed with this point) * The UK is full of different ethnicities and this isn’t represented through magazines. Do you think this is a growing issue in the UK? Yes * Some aspiring models may not be accepted because they are from a different ethnicity as they may not have the ‘Look’. In contrast to this Reference 11 shows how mixed race models were refused in the fashion industry. * Different ethnicities should be portrayed as a good thing in the UK * There should be a division in what people who are from different ethnicities should be featured in everyone should be equal. * This would only be a hindrance to people who want to be involved in the UK print industry whether it be modeling, magazines or catwalks.
8. What various ethnicities do you think of when it comes to thinking of the people who are involved in the fashion industry? Why? * People who are white because there predominantly white magazines. * Mainly white and mix raced you see very few other ethnic groups. * Various different ethnic groups you may not have a lot of the same ethnicity but you do see one from each group. Do you think it is harder for people from ethnic backgrounds to break into the fashion industry rather than someone who is not? Why? Yes * Women of colour find it harder to break into the fashion industry because there is seen to be a certain look for magazines etc. Black models find it harder as most models are white or mixed race. No * It is equally harder for every ethnic group because the fashion industry is not a easy industry to get into. * If you have what the industry are looking for it doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are. Do you think it is fair that there are “Black magazines” and “White magazines” than magazines everyone likes to read? Why? Yes * Gives an opportunity for black people to express themselves in a way that other magazines may not give them this chance to. * Adds a more diverse aspect to the UK * Enables you to see views from different ethnic groups. No * Every magazine should have different ethnic groups involved. * All magazines shouldn’t have specific ethnicities featured. Do you think the amount of magazines being published is aimed at different people with different ethnic minorities? Yes None of the participants said yes to this question. No * Most people read the same magazines. •When you read a certain magazine you don’t think its aimed at you, rather you read it because its interesting. My focus group allowed me to find out sufficient results related to my area of topic. When conducting this experiment I found that it allowed the six female participants to elaborate and discuss in further detail their views and opinions. The results I got were very varied in views, this allowed me to see both positive and negative sides as to what women feel about the representation of ethnic minorities in the UK fashion industry.
9. Questionnaire Research 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Under 16 17-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 45+ What age group do you belong to? This graph shows the demographical ages I collected from my questionnaire. The age category that was most popular was 17- 20 years. This method I used for this questionnaire was good in the sense that I did get opinions of every age group however, it is clear to me that in order to have made my research better I could have got the same amount of people from each age group to fill in my questionnaire and would have therefore made my results more accurate and less limited.
10. Questionnaire research 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 White Black African Black caribbean Black other background Mixed- White & Caribbean Mixed- White &Black African Mixed-White &Asian Mixed - other Background Asian-Indian Asian-Pakistani Asian - Bangledeshi Asian- Chinese Asian-Other Background Arab Other Prefer not to say What ethnic group do you belong to? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Grazia LOOK Vogue Glamour Elle Marie Claire Cosmopolitan Other What magazine is most popular to you? From analyzing this table, the most popular ethnic group the women were from was a White background as 7 out 30 questioners represented this ethnic group. We could then look back to the national statistics which show that the biggest ethnic population is predominantly white in the UK which could explain why there was a high amount of white people who filled in my questionnaire. On the other hand as my investigation is about representation of race in the UK print industry I feel that I could have been more specific with the females different ethnic origins rather than generalising them into categories I chose which are shown the chart. For example, one category I stated was “White”, this was a poor representation of ethnic backgrounds as looking back at the national UK statistics chart, I could have the categories more diverse or researched further into my categories. The most popular magazine shown in my results was ‘Look’ magazine. I chose these magazines as they are considered to be the most known magazines in the UK. Out of the 30 women I got feedback from, Glamour magazine appeared to be the most unpopular. However, this could have been due to the fact that I could have handed out more questionnaires which would have allowed me to get feedback from a greater range of women and also to make my results more accurate.
11. Representation of ethnic minorities…is it fair? It is still undecidable to make a fair judgment on whether different ethnic minorities of women are represented fairly in the UK fashion industry. Looking back at my secondary research this explores many different issues that have arose concerning problems of race and discrimination in the fashion industries around the world. Some of the sources I used I couldn’t Secondary research talk about issues of “racism”. Reference 4 is a controversy that came up surrounding the whole racism in the fashion industry situation as Vogue had painted a white model black which links into reference 12 which is an example of what one could argue that the fashion industry is racist. The Bollywood model was furious over Elle magazine skin whitening . In contrast to this source, reference 5 & 7 is another example of racism in the fashion industry. Reference 5 states, “The image says we’d rather turn a European model white than hire a black model.” and, “It’s as if we’ve stepped back in time,”.Both these sources show that there are clearly issues of representation in of ethnic minorities of women being represented in the fashion industry in the UK as for example shown in reference 11 with the mixed raced model being refused by the fashion industry, as well as in other countries such as India. Reference 8 states, “Analysis of the websites of leading agencies showed that in most cases only a handful of the hundreds of female models featured were non-white, yet 33 per cent of the population of London is non-white, according to the latest data from the Greater London Authority”. From all my primary research this showed me that most of the people’s views on representation of race of women in the UK fashion industry were near enough the same however, statistics from both my questionnaire and magazine research showed that the amount of people featured in magazines was very unproportional as in both research results there was a high percentages of people from a white ethnicity. This links back to the UK national statistics as one could just see it as a representation this however, on the other hand it can also be seen that the results do prove that there isn't a fair representation as there is a much greater proportion of people from one ethnic group than others. Looking back my secondary research most of the articles I found were issues surrounding representation of race in the fashion industry and none of these where a positive view on this issue. Reference 14 is a clear campaign as a Vogue magazine that has only used black models with spreads of 100 pages for the July issue of the magazine. This was portrayed to be a statement to the Fashion industries all over the world against discrimination. The magazine features pictures and articles of successful black women as many industry insiders claim that , “black girls are not used because they just “do not sell”.
12. Conclusion It is still very inconclusive whether the or not the representation of race in the UK fashion industry is fair. This topic can be seen from two views. From all the research I have carried out I personally don’t feel the representation of race in the UK fashion industry is fair. What went well: • Researching into magazines • Focus group • Questionnaires What didn’t go so well: • Some of the sources I found I couldn’t really use as a few were irrelevant What I would have done better: • I could have looked at more magazines to come to a better conclusion on this topic • I could have handed my questionnaires to a wider range of audiences • I could have researched into more secondary sources to back up points with evidence.
13. Webography Reference 1: Source 1 Reference 2: Source 2 Reference 3: Source 3 Reference 4: Source 4 Reference 5: Source 5 Reference 6: Source 6 Reference 7: Source 7 Reference 8: Source 8 Reference 9: Source 9 Reference 10: Source 10 Reference 11: Source 11 Reference 12: Source 12 Reference 13: Source 13 Reference 14: Source 14 Reference 15: Source 15