Has Black Become Unfashionable?: BET News Explores the Decline of African American Models in the Fashion Industry in 'FASHION BLACKOUT' Premiering Thursday May 29 at 8:30 PM

Has Black Become Unfashionable?: BET News Explores the Decline of African American Models in the Fashion Industry in 'FASHION BLACKOUT' Premiering Thursday May 29 at 8:30 PM

Top Black Industry Insiders, Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Naomi Campbell, Bethann Hardison, Tyson Beckford, Tracy Reese, Andre Leon Talley And Many Others Sound Off About The Sharp Decline In African American Images In The Fashion Industry

NEW YORK, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- According to targetmarketnews.com, Black women in the United States spend more than $20 billion on apparel each year. Unfortunately the runways, magazine spreads and the image/beauty industry at large are increasingly ignoring their buying power and their existence by choosing instead to market an Eastern-European form of beauty as the standard. This global decrease in the use of African Americans models in top campaigns and in major fashion shows has sparked the question: has Black become unfashionable? On Thursday May 29 at 8:30 PM, BET News goes behind the scenes of New York's Fashion Week to find the answer in a half hour special, FASHION BLACKOUT. Top Black industry insiders, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Naomi Campbell, Bethann Hardison, Tyson Beckford, Tracy Reese, Andre Leon Talley and many others sound off about the sharp decline in African American images in the fashion industry, the blatant racism and their plans on how to keep the Black model from becoming extinct.

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At New York's September 2007 Fashion Week the runways were dominated by white faces. In fact, Black faces were more absent from the runways than some fashion insiders have seen since the '60s. Of the 101 runway shows, more than 1/3 employed no Black models; most of the others used just one or two. Blacks fared no better overseas: When the fashion caravan moved to London, Paris and Milan, the most influential shows -- from Prada to Jil Sander to Balenciaga to Chloe and Chanel -- made it appear as if someone had hung a sign reading: No Blacks Need Apply. So is the fashion industry racist or are Blacks simply not in season? FASHION BLACKOUT will explore the issues and how the exclusion of an entire race has a negative effect on Black women and their sense of self-worth.

For more on FASHION BLACKOUT viewers can go online to http://www.bet.com/OnTV/BETShows/fnbo.htm

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which offers ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

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Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Tricia N. Newell of BET Networks, +1-212-975-8230,
Tricia.newell@bet.net

Web site: http://www.bet.com/OnTV/BETShows/fnbo.htm

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Profile: International Entertainment