Celebrity News June 24, 2020
Tyson Beckford Talks Racism in Modeling Industry, Plus: His Life Under Lockdown
“Extra’s” Charissa Thompson spoke with iconic model Tyson Beckford, who opened up about his past experiences with racism.
In 1993, Tyson came face-to-face with racism in Milan as he was launching his career. He said, “They didn’t want any Black male models, they only wanted me to come, so I just said to them, ‘Well, if you’re not gonna accept us all, then I’m not coming. I protested that and I didn’t go. Some said it was career suicide, but along came a guy by the name of Ralph Lauren.”
Along with expressing how proud he is to stand up against racism, Beckford explained why it’s taking the fashion industry longer to do the same. He commented, “It’s such an industry that looks at the blond and the blue eyes — the stereotype of what America should look like.”
Tyson, 49, also opened up on life under quarantine, his secrets to staying young and his new fragrance Orion Skye. Watch!
