Somebody's Ugly Is Showing

Courtesy of K. the Brilliant, who sent this story along, I'd like to dedicate this next song to the staffers at Glamour, who issued a Glamour Don't decree banning certain ethnic "political" hairstyles:

Early this summer, the junior-level editor accepted an invitation to speak to a group of women about corporate fashion at New York City law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

During the presentation the editor said that “political” hairstyles such as Afros and dreadlocks are a “Glamour don’t.” Several of the African American women in the audience took offense. Since then, the story—which was first reported in the August issue of American Lawyer—has been circulated in the form of a chain e-mail, a Glamour spokesperson says. The incident even led to a segment on NPR.

Editor-in-chief Cindi Lieve is trying to do damage control. She would do damage control, but all you people who are accusing Glamour of racism (Racism! The idea! All women are beautiful here at Glamour! Well, if they are glamorous, of course, and if they are over 5'10", weigh less than 110, are of a preternaturally youthful mien, and yet have fairly big boobs for their frail yet hyperathletic frames--that's just the start, though, because then they have to read our ads, buy the products, and use them religiously. Oh, and also? They need to follow our fashion advice or they will look like frumpy matrons or 7-11 hos or dirty hippies or radical militants, and nothing is less hot beautiful, and sure, even women who are Black can be beautiful, but just try to look as little Black as possible. . .) are getting in her way.

Because they at Glamour are NOT RACIST! And they will be the first to tell you how NOT RACIST they are!

“These are deep, really personal issues for a lot of women, so it doesn't surprise me at all that this discussion has had legs,” Leive wrote in an e-mail to Folio:. “Ironically, they're the sorts of issues we cover all the time in Glamour, so that's what we've decided to do here: hold a forum to get well-known women—and our own readers—talking about issues of beauty, identity and race, and then run the results in the magazine.”

Oh, Glamour ladies. You are transparent, and your insides are ugly.