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People Are Pissed About Valentino’s “Africa-Inspired” Show

Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage/ Getty Images.
It's hardly news that the fashion industry has a problem with cultural appropriation — and it doesn't seem to be getting better. Case in point: Valentino's spring 2016 show today featured mostly white models walking down the runway, sporting cornrows for a collection that was inspired by Africa. It was especially surprising coming from Valentino — the same house that sent Derek Zoolander and Hansel down the runway last season, in what many saw as the ultimate act of the fashion industry holding up a mirror to itself. But alas, the designers completely missed the mark this time, and plenty of people are downright angry, for a host of reasons. Some took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, and let's just say there was a whole lot of ignorance for them to be mad at. The fact that the models were predominantly white:
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The fact that the industry continues to use words like "wild" and "tribal" to describe Africa:
The fact that the mostly white models were wearing cornrows:
The fact that Africa is, in fact, a large continent, and therefore nearly impossible to categorize:
But mainly, people were fed up with cultural appropriation in general:

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