“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

3 responses to “Bethann Hardison Chats with Abe”

1. J.Vara says:

   Jan 9, 2011 at 8:56 am

   Question for Bethann Hardison.
   Why do you feel you have the right to speak about the lack of black models in the fashion industry, but Ms. Eele of Black Artists Association does not have the right to speak about the lack of black fashion designers in "The White house" closets?
   I do not believe one word that comes out of Bethann Hardison's mouth now.
   why?
   Because I am a tv art director and when I called Bethann Hardison to ask her this question, she asked me "How do you know Ms. Eele ever walked for YSL?"
   Ms. Hardison then went on to advise me not to put Ms. Eele on the tv show that I work for as a guest.
   I told Ms. Hardison here are the facts:
   1. Ms. Eele did indeed walk for YSL and many other major designers.
   2. Ms. Eele never made those comments to WWD about Michelle Obama's clothes.
   3. I know that you, Bethann Hardison never walked for YSL, because I researched it.
   4. If I am able to find Ms. Eele and ask her to be a guest on our show, I'll be sure to share your negative comments about Ms. Eele with her.
   Ms. Hardison became very afraid when I told her this.
   she said: "You're right I don't know her, but Ms.Obama can wear what she wants, it doesn't have to be a black designer."
   I told Ms. Hardison "you're right about Ms.Obama's non-black designer fashion choices, and those white designers that you're always complaining about in the media do not have to book a black model either, Ms.Hardison."
   Ms. Hardison became very quiet over the phone.
   I still have this entire sad conversation on my answering machine.

   Bethann Hardison doesn't know Ms. Eele and Bethann never bothered to fact check the lies that were written about Ms. Eele in WWD before Bethann made those silly statements to the media about Ms. Eele.
   I am a white woman and I was shocked that another black woman in the fashion industry (Ms. Hardison) would speak so badly about another black woman ( Ms. Eele) that she doesn't even know based on lies in a fashion newspaper written by a white female writer with an agenda.
   I am not impressed with Bethann Hardison or her so-called legendary status or her famous friends.
   If being legendary means you put another black woman down that you don't even know because you think she said some thing in the media is worse than the white racism that Ms. Hardison enjoys ranting about to the media.
   I for one will be happy when the truth comes out about Bethann Hardison and her fake concern for black talent in the fashion industry.

   Reply
2. J.Vara says:

   Jan 9, 2011 at 9:24 am

   one last word…
   Mr. Gurko,
   Thank you for the video on Ms. Hardison.
   I learned a lot.
   The video and visuals of Ms. Hardison helped me to understand Ms. Hardison's hatred of Ms. Eele.
   Please contact me at my email address if you have any questions about my comments.
   and here's a link on a video that I found of YSL dressing Ms. Eele before Ms.Eele walks YSL's Couture runway in 1984.
   Log on to: http://www.youtube.com and search
   "YSL SPRING SUMMER 1984 WOMENSWEAR" video of Ms. Eele begins at TIME:2:44
   Ms Eele can also be found in the archives of F.I.T.'s library in NYC in
   "Paris Vogue November 1985".
   Ms. Eele was photographed for Paris Vogue by the legendary photographer Guy Bourdin in 1985.
   F.I.T.'s library is the best and that's where I learned,
   that there's a whole lot more to fashion history than Bethann Hardison's limited fashion stories.
   Thank You,
   J.vara

   Reply
3. J.Vara says:

   Jan 9, 2011 at 12:44 pm

   Black fashion designer draws fire for Obama criticism
   Published: January 28, 2009 6:23 PM
   By BARBARA SCHULER barbara.schuler@newsday.com;

   The New York woman who criticized Michelle Obama for not wearing the work of a black designer on Inauguration Day is drawing some fire of her own from several black fashion industry veterans.
   "The comment is inappropriate," said Bethann Hardison, a former model who now is an agent representing Tyson Beckford and an advocate for diversity on the runway. "You don't wear a designer because they are just black; you wear them because they are great."

   Amnau Eele, co-founder of a little-known group called the Black Artists Association, claimed she received death threats after Women's Wear Daily published comments she made in an e-mail last week.
   "If you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?" she wrote.

   On Tuesday, African-American designer B Michael distanced himself from Eele's comments, telling Women's Wear that they do not reflect his opinion.
   "I personally believe it is an unfair expectation to place on the first lady," he said. "Fashion is subjective and a matter of personal choice."

   "We all think it's ridiculous," Hardison said.
   "We just look at it with shrugged shoulders.
   Isabel Toledo is representative of people who are nonwhite. And Mrs. Obama is making creative selections."

   Eele, identified by Women's Wear as a former runway model, said in the follow-up story that her comments were not made on behalf of the designers.
   "B Michael has a right to issue a statement," she said. "It doesn't change the fact that he's an excellent designer and he deserves to be considered to dress the first lady, whether he stands with BAA or not. We don't represent designers, we represent painters.
   We spoke up for black designers because we felt it was the right thing to do."

   The story got play everywhere from The Australian to The Huffington Post to New York magazine's Web site, with most reaction critical of Eele's charges. "I think we start getting into some dangerous territory when we start expecting someone to look, act, speak, etc. a certain way just because they're black," wrote Karyn D. Collins of the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press.
   Beyond that, wrote Collins, "I think it does a disservice to the designers in question for suggesting that their work should have been selected because they're black. I'm sure B Michael, Kevan Hall, Mychael Knight, Tracy Reese, Stephen Burrows and any other black designer would be the first to say they would want their design to be worn because the first lady liked the design, period."
   Anne Bratskeir and Tania Padgett contributed to this story.

   Now, let's ask Bethann Hardison and any of these black industry professionals if they can prove in a court of law that Ms. Eele made any of these comments to WWD.
   They can't, and that's why what was said about Ms.Eele in this article by Bethann and the rest of these clowns is evil and wrong.
   This is all very scary that black people in the fashion industry would do this to another black person.
   The same evil happened to Ms. Shirley Sherrod.
   Ms. Sherrod was fired based on lies and no one fact checking the media story that ran on her and cost her job.
   I'm thankful that Ms. Eele's story is coming to the big screen, because it's time for the truth to come out.
   Thank You,
   J.Vara

   Reply

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