As a lover of fashion, I’m embarrassed to say I had not heard of Bethann Hardison.
Naomi Campbell, Iman, Tyra Banks, these were Black supermodels who permeated the culture, but behind their success was the formidable Bethann Hardison. For several decades, Hardison has been a powerhouse within fashion. Moving silently and gracefully but never timidly or weakly she has made monumental strides in increasing opportunities for Black and Brown people within the fashion industry.
Bethann got her start within fashion when working in the garment industry but it was a chance encounter on the street that changed everything. Willi Smith discovered Hardison in the late 60s and hired her as a model. She experienced firsthand the racist discrimination models of colour endured just to get hired but this did not deter her. Her attendance at the Battle of Versailles fashion show is legendary. It was commonplace for well-established designers to only allow one Black or Brown model to walk their runways. Invisible Beauty does not shy away from naming the designers in question and airing the excuses they gave for not employing Black or Brown models. Suffice it to say, the excuses are nauseating to hear.
Invisible Beauty opens up with a voice over of Hardison discussing how to start her (long overdue) documentary that celebrates her contribution and activism in fashion. She has been writing her memoirs for the last two years. We learn of her unique upbringing and the influence of her father and mother on her life. Her father was an intellectual and later became a devout Muslim. He taught Hardison what it meant to be conscious of the world around her and he did not shield her away when famous revolutionaries communed in his home such as Malcolm X.
Bethann describes her mother as a party girl. She was popular and social. Under her mother’s guidance, Bethann had a lot of freedom and grew up as a ‘’latch-key’’ kid, free to come and go as she pleased. Her mother and father’s distinct and contrasting parenting styles had a profound effect on Hardison and can clearly been seen by how she tackles the lack of diversity in fashion. Hardison is discipline and creativity combined in equal measure.
Invisible Beauty features many models, actors, fashion critics, photographers, designers, agents and CEO of famous fashion houses who all testify to the impact Bethann Hardison had and continues to have upon the industry. Some of the testimonials will bring a tear to one’s eye as the famous Black models we love recount the intense discrimination and isolation they faced while trying to work in an industry that wanted them to remain invisible.
Without Bethann Hardison runways would still be white and ‘uniform’ without an ounce of diversity on the catwalk. Rather than accept this, Hardison created her own modelling agency and made it a point to hire a diverse cast of models and mentor them. She took a four year break and within that time the industry tried to revert back to the status quo.
Rather than be content with what she had already achieved Hardison took to the issue like that of an army general. She had her trusted colleagues secretly gather data from fashions shows to prove what the industry has known all along: their catwalks are white only. Bethan Hardison recounts these experiences matter of factly and with humour. The pivotal turning point is a letter she wrote that rocked the industry. After this letter is published no fashion house could get away with having just one Black model on their runway.
Her father’s devout faith and strict upbringing, combined with her mother and grandmother’s encouragement and creative freedom produced a courageous woman who was determined to shake the fashion industry out of its complacent slumber. Invisible Beauty is a celebration of Hardison’s monumental contribution to fashion and her tenacity and drive that never waned. Watching Invisible Beauty is eye-opening and at times disheartening as the history of discrimination within fashion is well-documented and multi-layered. Hardison is not one to mince words as she confidently states that her mission was to help white people understand that they are in charge and they are the ones who have the power to make a lasting change.
By the end of Invisible Beauty one feels an immense sense of gratitude and awe for everything Hardison has achieved. Not one to seek all the glory for herself she highlights her colleagues who helped and advised her along the way, a testament to her character. We cannot live forever and Hardison is confident that this generation will continue her work. They say behind every great man is a great woman. Invisible Beauty celebrates that behind every great model of colour is Bethann Hardison.
Invisible Beauty is currently playing in New York theaters courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. The film will expand to LA theaters on September 22, and additional markets in the following weeks.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh_qswS2G-o]
By the end of Invisible Beauty one feels an immense sense of gratitude and awe for everything Hardison has achieved. Not one to seek all the glory for herself she highlights her colleagues who helped and advised her along the way, a testament to her character. We cannot live forever and Hardison is confident that this generation will continue her work. They say behind every great man is a great woman. Invisible Beauty celebrates that behind every great model of colour is Bethann Hardison.
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