FashionNewsJourdan Dunn does not want to be your token black girl‘I don't know why people applaud designers for having just one ethnic model’, the model saysShareLink copied ✔️March 10, 2014FashionNewsTextZing TsjengPhotographyLouise Damgaard Jourdan Dunn has hit out against racism in the fashion industry, criticising how the industry rushes to congratulate designers who cast a token black model in their shows. "I find it weird when agents say, ‘You’re the only black girl booked for the show. Isn’t it great?’ Why is that great?" the 23-year-old model told Miss Vogue. "I don’t know why people applaud designers for having just one ethnic model. It’s not like only one type of woman loves fashion." It's not the first time Dunn has slammed the insidious racism within the fashion industry. She's spoken before about being turned away from castings or cancelled from shows because the client "didn't want any more black girls" – an experience that has, sadly, been echoed by other black models like Chanel Iman. In one incident, a make-up artist assigned to Dunn refused to work on her face because she was black (and yes, the make-up artist was white). Dunn consistently speaks out in favour of ethnic diversity on the runway and has backed the Diversity Coalition, a campaign launched last year by Naomi Campbell and Iman that calls for designers to make a stronger effort to represent different ethnicities on the catwalk. She's also a big fan of using Twitter to call out racism when she encounters it: I'm normally told I'm cancelled because I'm 'coloured' so being cancelled because off my boobs is a minor : )— Jourdan Dunn (@missjourdandunn) June 30, 2013I swear some people need to learn how to do black hair/skin— Jourdan Dunn (@missjourdandunn) October 3, 2011Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREFrom Lana to Gaga: August Barron curate their ultimate music video nightInside the world of August Barron, fashion’s disruptive design duo Jean Paul GaultierJean Paul Gaultier’s iconic Le Male is the gift that keeps on givingIn pictures: Shalom Harlow’s most iconic catwalk momentsSilver Arrows: Fusing fashion with film noirSo you want to get your hands on Leigh Bowery’s merkin?‘Westwood and Kawakubo are provocateurs’: Inside their powerful new exhibitA look back on Loli Bahia’s best fashion moments Sunrise Angel: Loli Bahia steps out of the shadowsIrish designer Robyn Lynch is riding the ‘green wave’ her own wayDario Vitale has left Versace after 8 monthsThe 2025 Christmas archetype gift guide