Nude is the new black apparently – but only if you’re white

Usually, we try to steer clear of overly fluffy, life style stuff on WVON, but I thought this article in the Guardian was worth drawing people's attention to. Apparently, nude is the fashion world's latest 'in' colour  and it's causing all kinds of controversy, specifically about the language fashion uses to exclude or privilege certain groups.

This most recent scrutiny began when Michelle Obama stepped out with her customary style, in a dress that commentators immediately matched up with the trend of the moment for 'nude' or 'flesh coloured' fabrics. The problem is of course, that Michelle's own flesh is a quite different colour. It would appear that for the fashion world, the default meaning of 'nude' is still white.

So is this all a storm in a D-cup? Is 'nude' simply a descriptive term for a fashion trend that will be old news in a couple of months time anyway? It would be easy to dismiss the idea that this contributes to a culture in which paler skin is aspirational, but I can't help but feel that a little more self-examination on the part of the fashion industry is no bad thing.