"Didn't Speak Paris, Didn't Speak Italian": Why Whitesplaining Never Works
"Do you know how hard it is to be blonde? I have to get a highlight every month." Victoria's Secret model Devon Windsor defensively stated in a conversation about diversity in the modeling industry in a recent clip from E! series Model Squad.
According to a Buzzfeed article, viewers on Twitter were confused by Windsor's "Don't speak Paris" quote and even more confused by her need to whitesplain and center the conversation around her. What could have been a serious moment for successful models of color to discuss how Eurocentric beauty standards and heteropatriarchy have blocked off opportunity from these models, instead is hijacked by a defensive white woman unwilling to recognize what the modeling industry really is. Whitesplaining helps no one by ignoring the experiences of marginalized people and by cementing racial power dynamics that further oppress them.
According to a Buzzfeed article, viewers on Twitter were confused by Windsor's "Don't speak Paris" quote and even more confused by her need to whitesplain and center the conversation around her. What could have been a serious moment for successful models of color to discuss how Eurocentric beauty standards and heteropatriarchy have blocked off opportunity from these models, instead is hijacked by a defensive white woman unwilling to recognize what the modeling industry really is. Whitesplaining helps no one by ignoring the experiences of marginalized people and by cementing racial power dynamics that further oppress them.
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