Kanye West has received a slew of backlash for hosting a casting for "multiracial" models only ahead of his Yeezy Season 4 show at New York Fashion Week, which takes place on Wednesday.
Kanye posted an announcement about the controversial model casting on his Twitter account, which said "multiracial women only. No makeup come as you are."
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) September 3, 2016
This soon drew the attention of a number of social media users, who were quick to latch onto Kanye's request for multiracial women only.
The call-out led some people to say Kanye was trying to stop black women from being part of his show, while others said the Famous hitmaker's request excluded white models.
"This is a major issue. In an industry that consistently cuts Black models out, you do this?! You are the absolute worst. Truly," one person furiously tweeted.
"Hmm @ multiracial women only. Does that include the dark skinned multiracial women or just the light skinned ones?" another added.
@kanyewest Multiracial women come in every shade. I hope your models don't end up looking one way as if that's the case.
— Ᏸecca (@MJStarLover) September 3, 2016
Stop telling dark skinned women it's "not that deep" about Kanye West only asking for multiracial women, you don't have the right to do so.
— ebon (@tyriquex) September 3, 2016
Multiracial = ethnically ambiguous = Amber Rose-ish = Kardashian-y = mixed = no Black women allowed.
— Alejandro NIGlesias (@AlejandroDaGr8) September 3, 2016
Despite the controversy, the casting reportedly had a high turn out with huge queues of potential Yeezy models circling Jack Studios in New York. The uproar wasn't ignored at the casting however, as one woman protested outside the casting venue, standing topless with a banner which read "multiracial only... lightskin only... you ain't slick ye, we call them mutts Kanye West".
Yeezy Season 4 pic.twitter.com/D3rrC7vz6j
— red paisley. (@CayloFoxi) September 4, 2016
Kanye isn't new to a New York Fashion Week uproar - at his Yeezy 3 fashion show in February an image of his strict model rules did the rounds, which included 'no smile', 'alter between attention and ease', 'do not act cool' and 'do not ever look a the jumbotron'.