More from #YeezySeason4 fashion show pic.twitter.com/cNc6iERiZG
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) September 7, 2016
We didn’t have to wait long to see just what “multiracial” meant in the mind of Kanye West when he requested models who only fit that ambiguous criteria try out to walk in his latest fashion show. And while black girls everywhere were pleasantly surprised at the amount of melanin on display during Wednesday afternoon’s show on Roosevelt Island — including Teyana Taylor’s epically chiseled body — from all other points of view the show was somewhat of a disaster.
See simply including bodies of color in a fashion show doesn’t mean you care about them, and from the majority of live accounts from the show, Yeezy might have put black women on display but their well-being wasn’t exactly a priority. A few models were reported to have passed out from the blazing heat they were expected to stand still and walk in for hours while Ye and his cohorts personified the mantra “the show must go on.” In fact, it was an audience member — not a member of the show’s production team — who gave one model water, according to The Cut Editorial Director Stella Bugbee who chronicled the “abomination” that was the New York Fashion Week show with disturbing detail.
A model needed water. The poor models. This is cruelty. #YeezySeason4
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
I'd like to see Kanye and Vanessa Beecroft stand in the hot sun in nude leotards for three hours. #YeezySeason4
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
But of course she tried to stand up again, because: FASHION!! #YeezySeason4
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
Model passed out in the heat is given water by man in the audience but no one on the #YeezySeason4 team helps.
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
Watching editors leave #YeezySeason4 But I feel obligated to watch out for these models and see what else they have to go through.
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
Model in all black can barely make it down the runway. Is going to fall. #YeezySeason4
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
Most awful thing I have ever seen at #NYFW #YeezySeason4
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
Boycott #YeezySeason4
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
I feel physically sick from that abomination.
— Stella Bugbee (@stellabugbee) September 7, 2016
Footage confirms Bugbee’s details (somewhat dismissing claims she’s just a hater though some argue that’s still up for debate), as more than one model was seen struggling to walk in their heels, with one actually giving up and taking them off.
Homegirl couldn't do it anymore. DOGS WERE BARKIN #YeezySeason4 pic.twitter.com/OZXLvhT9I0
— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) September 7, 2016
Because, DONDA. #YeezySeason4
LMAOOOOOOOOpic.twitter.com/vWLHZmXM7m
— 2DOPEBOYZ (@2DopeBoyz) September 7, 2016
When all was said and done, Teyana’s 6-pack and Chanel Iman closing out the show seem to be the only bright spots. Thoughts?
Everything you need to know about #YeezySeason4 (minus all the pain of attending) https://t.co/n0c7dzopXl pic.twitter.com/4yPHz8NNJY
— حًنٌٱنٌ عبّدُٱلكريّم (@Hanan_AAKARIM) September 7, 2016
