Paris runway is again creating worldwide news. The buzz is not just because of the luxury, glamour, and beauty that the autumn/winter 2019 fashion show recently just conveyed, but also because of the photo Robin Givhan, one of the fashion critic of the online publication The Washington Post, posted on her social media account.
The photo, which was posted on Instagram, featured a group of Asian guests that were invited to witness the said event. Guests include prominent influencers and editors who traveled hours from the other side of the world to represent and showcase the runway fashion to their own country.
There is nothing wrong with the photo when you look at it first except with the caption Givhan has posted that says, "Amateur photographers @chloe #pfw." With the critic's caption, a lot of people, especially Asians, were offended calling her racist.
Some of the world's most prominent members when it comes to the fashion world were also alarmed with Givhan's post. These personalities include Susi Lau, Bryan Grey Yambao, and Tina Craig. All of them have Asian backgrounds.
Other Instagram users also express their disappointment with the critic's photo. A user with a name ghostfromnowhere says, "This photo and this caption is malicious and unnecessary, and her excuses are lame! Why even post it?" The user even hoped that the critic would be "bombarded by amateur photographers in public" as a result of what she did.
Though other people took the post negatively, some social media users respect what the African-American critic did with her freedom of expression. An Instagram user with a name tezral says, "Give the woman a break! The photo was an honest unintended blown-up 'mis-take' Mrs. Givhan is a hero in fashion journalism, and her work shouldn't be discounted because of this!"
Fashion editors and influencers from Asia have a lot of contribution when it comes to the fashion world. Reports show how Western luxury brands wouldn't have reach millions of sales without their help since Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and China are their regular customers. Unfortunately most of the time, these fashion influencers were treated unequally with other races.
The South China Morning Post listed three possible reasons why fashion experts from Asia are usually discriminated. These reasons are physical proximity to luxury fashion brands, the difference in language and culture, and the truth that publications from the West "still wield a disproportionate amount of power" as compared to them.
