"In fashion, there's a lack of strong male images. And there's a huge lack of strong African American images. I noticed over the past thirteen years, Ralph and those guys have used guys that looked similar to me. And I was happy for those guys, but eventually I said, 'Enough is enough, I'm just going to go in and take my job back.'"

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Source: Tyson Beckford on Modeling, Zoolander, and Racism in the Fashion Industry. Interview with Jonathan Evans, www.esquire.com. January 17, 2014.

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Tyson Beckford

Model

Tyson Beckford is a renowned model and actor, notable for his influence in the fashion industry and his advocacy for self-acceptance.

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"I mean, a lot of people don't realize it, but fashion is one of the most racial industries left out there now. Radio and music aren't. Television and movies aren't. Even commercials now are showing interracial couples. You see a lot of diversity in TV shows, but you don't see that in fashion. You think there would be some, because the consumer is of all colors and all shades. But you don't see that in fashion."

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