AOL just released the earnings of the ten highest paid models in the industry, and it comes as quite a surprise that not a single one of them is black.
The list reveals that the models make between 35 and 3.5 million dollars per year. While those numbers are shocking in and of them selves, the fact that none of the premiere black models have cracked the top ten is even more of a surprise. It is widely known that black models are disproportionately represented in the fashion industry. Still, there are some well known African-American supermodels that seem to be worthy of the top echelons of the industry’s cash cows. Naomi Campbell is still heavily immersed in the fashion machine and has seniority over all of the models named in AOL’s list, though her earnings obviously aren’t in agreement. In addition, several young black supermodels like Chanel Iman, Sessilee Lopez and Jourdan Dunn, have experience (ie. Victoria Secret contracts) that is similar if not equal to that of the lucky few who made the list. Unfortunately, however, there is a disparity between what black and white models in the fashion industry earn; AOL’s list has made that all too clear.
To check out the lucky ladies who made the big bucks this past year, go here.
Click Here to see GIANT Magazine‘s new photo spread with Sessilee Lopez.
Take a look at some of the most celebrated black supermodels below:
