Virginia Commonwealth University Models Produce a Ghetto Visionary

STATEMENT MODELZ is a modeling organization founded on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Earlier this weekend, the group went viral on TikTok for posting a video that highlights what most Americans call  “ghetto fashion.” This fashion style makes Black fashion what it is today: original. The models titled their remake of the fashion sense a Ghetto Visionary. 

Long fashionable acrylic nails, different colored beads with braided styles, Bantu knots, and outfits that speak to who we are as a culture make the Black fashion aesthetic so unique. The models captured the essence of being a creative Black person while also keeping the history of our fashion trends in mind.

In the video, the creators tell the evolutionary story of most fashion trends in modern-day fashion. First, traditional mainstream media and critics call a fashion trend ghetto and tacky, then it’s unique, and now it’s visionary. 

Many Black people and fans of Black culture have called out celebrities and non-people of color for calling Black culture ghetto, but the stealing of trends without paying homage to the creators still perpetuates. Year after year, Black designers and visionaries have had to safeguard their content due to large companies and non-Black influencers hijacking their work and style. They also are able to monetize the work and style of others and take credit for it on national and international platforms where Black creators cannot.

Since the beginning of time, Black people have created and worn the most recognizable trends, from the early ’90s to the early 2000s Hip Hop style. Wearing bamboo earrings, baggy clothes, and rocking a shaved head with designs were all products of Black Americans that have consistently been repeated.

STATEMENT MODELZ capture the video with pure joy and love for their culture. The song “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe plays in the background, reminding Black people of the excellence that is within them. The video also highlights how something different can turn into something beautiful. This empowering group can be found on Instagram and TikTok.