Can a White Woman Tell Black Women how to be Beautiful?

Left to Right: Essence editor-in-chief Angela Burt Murray, Michaela Angela Davis, Elliana Plancas

By Akilah Porter
Readers and former employees of Essence magazine were outraged when the decision was made to promote a white woman to the position of fashion and beauty editor.
Although diversity is ideal in business, I think when it comes to this position for this particular magazine, only a woman of African dispora can tell other women in that group how to be beautiful and black. We can go to magazines like Elle, Cosmo or Lucky to get beauty tips for white women by white women, but now the magazine we once called our own is no longer ours only.
Former Essence writer Michaela Angela Davis has been speaking out against the decision since July. Hundreds of her Facebook supporters have taken her side on the issue by commenting on her page supporting her distaste in hiring Ellianna Plancas as the new fashion and beauty editor.
Davis insists that this is not reverse racism. She is concerned for the black women who will not have the opportunity to hold an editorial position because of incidences like this.

"Essence was the first magazine that says in their brand that it is for black women and their motto when I worked there was 'where black women come first,'" Davis said on CNN. "This is not about being racist, this is about wanting a place where black women can grow and flourish and go out and help diversify.”

Essence Editor-in-Chief Angela Burt Murray stands by her decision to hire Plancas and wants readers to stay loyal to the brand:

"I understand that this issue has struck an emotional chord with our audience...however I selected Ellianna, who has been contributing to the magazine on a freelance basis for the last six months, because of her creativity, vision, the positive reader response to her work and her enthusiasm and respect for the audience and our brand. We remain committed to celebrating the unique beauty and style of African-American women in Essence magazine and online at Essence.com."

Plancas previously worked at O: The Oprah Magazine and US Weekly.