For the longest time Designers within the Fashion Industry have been styling, dressing and choosing their models however they preferred. This changed within recent years with the influences of the BLM movement and new sense of awareness regarding social situations. More people are active online and they use their platforms to speak up and voice their opinions. This new norm of micro-activism has put many brands in predicaments and at risk of cancellation. And it has also pressured brands to put more effort into working more responsibly; e.g. hiring more diverse models, equal pay and better treatment of staff. To fully understand the extend of this progress i will be looking into the case study of African American female models; the way they are represented in media, treated in the industry and perceived by designers.

During the peak of the BLM movement in 2020 companies were held accountable for staying silent or posting with a lack of understanding; this then resulted in them loosing customers and being confronted in the comment sections of their pages. As of late, many companies have recognized the profitability of having an inclusive brand identity, which leads us to the concept of being a "diversity hire". This concept is a reference to when a company chooses to recruit a new personal solely based on their minority background. This behavior might seem as an effort towards becoming inclusive, but more than often it is an effort towards the aesthetic of being inclusive.

According to casting directors and models within the industry, it is assumed that black models do not perform well in promoting products and models who have eurocentric features get hired more. Additionally, an ongoing trend in styling black models has been masculine leaning hair styles and minimal to no makeup. This trend is not like the others that are based on taste alone; on the contrary this trend has to do with factores such as hairdressers not knowing how to work on kinky, curly or coily hair textures. As a designer it is no longer enough to only hire black models. Additionally they should hire staff that are capable of doing makeup on multiple skin shades, as well as hair dressers who knows how to do curly or coily hair.