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Bria Myles & Brittany Dailey talk about racism in modeling industry
COLOR is something that normally evokes emotion or a mood. IE. RED is known to be hot and sexy. YELLOW deems happiness. etc. But what happens when we look at it from a different perspective… as in, “the skin pigmentation of a person”.
Reaching out to two of the largest females co-STARS (in music videos) Bria Myles and Brittany Dailey set the tone quite differently on what and how things are perceived in the entertainment industry.
Bria Myles:
How do you think dark skin models are viewed in the modeling industry?
I think dark skin models are viewed as less desirable than a light skin model. We are only picked for a video or a gig if the artist ask. If not, they’re going to go with a light skin model and now, more than ever, Spanish and European models are getting picked over black women in general.
Do you feel that there is an equal amount of dark skin models than that of light skin models in the modeling industry as well as in music video?
Yes, but do they get the same shine as light skin models. NO. I could name a few dark skin models that I feel are just as pretty as the light skin and Latin models. Yeah she may get a magazine or 2 and be in a few videos(maybe even more than a light skin girl) but she still gets over looked because to the average person there’s nothing special about her. But that’s definitely not the case.
Do you feel that you are treated differently than light skin models?
Yes, do you think you will ever see me as the lead in a P.Diddy video or an Usher video even though both of them have (in Usher’s case had) a dark skin woman as their significant other. Its pretty sad. Robin Thicke has more dark skin women in his videos than most of the black artist LOL. We have the T-Pain’s, Anthony Hamilton’s and Dwele’s that mostly always use a dark skin woman in their videos.
The parts the most dark skin women play in videos are the ghetto girl, or the girl dancing etc. Light skin women get the parts of the love interest almost always. //Now I’m not saying to switch it up and start treating light skin girls how dark skin girls have been treated. I just want it to be fair and equal. If you can put 3 light skin girls in the same video, then why can’t you do the same for dark skin girls? Stop with the 1 token dark skin girl…
Who do you think we should blame… editors, directors, or the media?
Honestly blame Willie Lynch, and then blame ourselves for not being smart enough to overcome something that was taught to us over a century ago… If you’ve read the Willie Lynch letter then you will understand why black people operate the way they do. I think its time for us to break the cycle and start loving our race and practicing unity 
Brittany Dailey:
Do you think as a light skin model, you are treated better than dark skin models?
No I don’t think so! I have a few dark skinned friends that model and they are very successful and have great relationships with directors and photographers alike and have been in the game for a while and are still getting consistent work.
Do you see yourself getting more jobs than a dark skin model?
Some times but it depends. I think I’ve book a lot of work based on the fact that my look is pretty versatile. But people have different preferences, and there are a lot of people who love dark skin over light so I think its about the same.
When you set foot on a video set do you see more light skin models or dark? Explain your answer
Usually I see more light skinned models than dark skinned. I’m sure why that is other than that, some light skinned girls look latina, asain, or some other mix, and in some cases, that is the case. I’ve met a lot of Dominican, Puerto Rican and Mexican models on set. I would like to see more dark skinned girls in videos, they have been saturated with light skinned women and make them pretty boring.
Throughout the industry, color seems to play a major role…but when YOU look in the mirror, what do you see? How do you feel? For me, when I look in the mirror, I see a confident person who can do whatever it is I set my mind to do and I challenge others to see anything different. Women are not what people visualize when they take a glance and see us for the first time…because images/imagery fades.
It’s what we are made up of, our DNA, what we have to offer, that makes us what and who we are. Be ok with YOU. Be ok with what YOU were given. Make it work for YOU, because YOU is all YOU have. Dare to be different.
Very good interview about the modeling game.
13 Comments
1) These girls are NOT models, ok—they’re video chics… and there’s a big dang difference. I’m not sure what genius decided to start grouping random chics you see in music videos with “models” but a $500 lead role in the next Snoop Dogg video does not classify you as such. When you start landing print ads in MAJOR magazines, billboards and pulling $10,000 a show to walk down someone’s runway—then can we start calling you a model. I can just imagine some 5’2″, big ***’d model walking for Dolce & Gabbana… yea right! Gimme a break—pretty faces, big asses and half naked photos don’t classify so call ‘em what they really are [VIDEO HOEZ].
2) Now moving on to the point… I do agree with Bria. Some of these artists [celebs & athletes included] got the game phuckd up! Half of them get a little money, a little fame—and now all of a sudden, black or darker skinned women aren’t good enough. Many of them are featuring women in their videos they KNOW they couldn’t get under “normal” circumstances and alot of times, these Spanish and European women don’t even support their music! The industry is so saturated with BULL and the artists are too afraid to step out on a limb, take risks and stop conforming with what everyone else is doing. Case in point, Jeremih lost MAD support when the video for “Birthday Sex” came out. Forget the fact that there wasn’t any chemistry in the video, but it was some pale looking blue-eyed Brazilian chic, who didn’t look like she “fit” the role… and she probably didn’t even know who Jeremih was BEFORE the video! They tried to make the video hot with someone who was pretty – but wasn’t well recieved and it just made the video extra WACK!!! Funny thing is, most of these artists are married to darker women/black women or have kids by black women [by the way, T-Pain's wife is WHITE---go figure]. It just goes to show how twisted the industry is.
3) Finally, to play devils advocate, I think sometimes we [as black people] give too much attention to this light skin/dark skin thing. Are ya’ll sitting at home counting how many are in each video, sheeesh?
Damn. Well said!!
I stopped reading after the first sentence. These girls are models…. There are more facets to modeling than just high fashion(typical 5’10 to 6’1, size 0-4 girls). They are glamour models…smh I know you may not necessarily care for this type of modeling but goodness be a lil more opened minded and expand your knowledge on what modeling, as a whole, is.
Oh yeah, a lil lesson. A lot of “high fashion models”(<—remember a facet of modeling) make nowhere near that much money.
I can’t stand when we play the race card. These video hoes shake their *** like strippers and want to be viewed as models? A big donk don’t make a model. Half these video chicks look busted in their homegrown pics. Bria Myles shows now that she’s uneducated and has a “its because I’m black” stupid mentality. Blacks will generally like blacks, whites will generally like whites, and hispanics/fair skinned are liked by everyone.
Couldn’t agree with you cats more even though I didn’t read all that. These chicks sellin themselves dreams by calling themselves models. They’re EYECANDY, nothing more! Understand, an elite or advanced model is a rarity, much like a champion horse. How many woman have extremely long legs, rediculous body, with a face that rivals Satan? Not many. There are billions of beautiful woman but few models that will make enough money to support them selves, let alone, going on to earn millions. Sorry, Bria, you’re still one of the baddest in my book.
Y’all being too jugdemental to men. Any female whose pics are featured in a magazine is a model.
Dont comment much but its the idiotic mentality that Mike has thats got niggas fukd up. “hispanics/fairskinned are liked by every1″ WTF!!!!!
Bria… I got a new found respect for you girl… not many mf’s no about the Willie Lynch syndrome or care to know… you put it out there sweetie… It’s been the same in tv shoes, from Family Matters changing out the pretty dark skinned sistah to the light skinned sistah… too the Fresh Prince, same scenario… ? do you think Obama would be prez if he looked like Wesley…hmmm?
Love our sistah’s no matter what from dark to light you have an option… To each it’s own! I’ll take Chocolate myself that skin just look so smooth and glorious!
Bria is 100% right but 99% of the people here don’t know what modeling is… Then when you all go hard at these girls for “not being models.” You all sound ignorant….smh
Yeah Bria is right light skin models are in there, more than
dark skin models. Usually you see the spanish or the european
models and its sickening to me as a brotha. Even on websites such
as this one atlnightclubspots.com they are quite a bit of brainless
light skin models that I figure are superficial and as Karamel wants
a straight streeet thug while JasmineHaywood happens to have a better
head on her shorter still I do see that type of racism on this website.
Racism did all come from Wille Lynch, its good that Bria mentioned
about the Willie Lynch letter, this mean Bria is as smart as she
is sexy. This is something black people should never forget, even
tea party and the republicans hate each other. Black and African
American people are getting alone far better than they are. Politics
is part of the urban modeling industry as well fair skin people has
an part more than brown skin models playing the ghetto girl or the
girl dancing.
Well bria thats what u get for not gtaking ur dumbass to school..your all just a bunch of brainlss video hoes who get butt injections and implants, and for what?attention that dont last.. Im a black women but to be honest most of my girlfriends are latinas bc alot of black girls have bad attitudes.attitude makes a difference too.Dark skin girls are always blaming us light skin girls for everything.Not right.