A World Where Women Lose in Female Industries

What industries are generally associated with women? Fashion, beauty, music. Glamorous screen stars and sex icons. The majority of the world's most famous women are in these industries. So why is it that men tend to become the most successful?

The most iconic woman of all time?

Raf Simons announced yesterday that this was his last season as the creative director for Dior. In my opinion, since he became the head Dior has had some its best designs- minimalist, clean and innovative. I will miss him, as I think he really brought Dior to modern day. However, with his departure the question of who replaces him arises. There are two rumoured favourites- Riccardo Tisci and Phoebe Philo. Tisci is currently the designer for Givenchy (which I am also fond of) and has an excellent resume when it comes to taking the reigns for an equally as prestigious label. Likewise, Philo is a well-renowned designer and in 2014 was named by Time Magazine as one of the world's Top 100 Most Influential People. She is currently the designer for Céline, a fashion house that has also moved towards the minimalist yet feminine design of her pieces, much like Simons.

"I'm coming for Chanel, bitch! Karl, you better sleep with one eye open."

They are both admirable candidates, but shouldn't a woman be the head of this house for once? Every single one of Dior's creative directors have been male. This is peculiar, especially since fashion is seen by the majority as a female interest and industry. But despite this, the majority of the most esteemed fashion houses- Chanel, Fendi, Balmain, Saint Laurent, Burberry, Louis Vuitton- are headed by men. There are notable women of course, such as Donatella Versace for Versace, Frida Gianni for Gucci, and Diane Von Furstenberg for her own label, but this is not enough. It is not fair that women should be taught that fashion is their hobby, their forté, when men tend to be the most successful. Without submitting to a cliché, these men do tend to be gay, but perhaps that's where the magic formula lies- femininity without being a female. Being a camp, effeminate man with 'girl' interests equates to success. This is male privilege in action.

"I hope you don't want to be a designer darling, because Kate only got Topshop and she's the Supermodel of the World..."

Don't get me wrong- I'm glad that fashion is an industry where being gay in celebrated. However, it is extremely discriminatory in other areas, ironically including the gender of its most avid followers. It isn't just fashion that has this issue- cosmetics and makeup artistry is dominated by men, fashion photographers are primarily men, Hollywood consciously pays men more- honestly, the only part of the entertainment industry where women win seems to be music (hello Adele's new album!). Even in things like cooking, the top chefs are men, despite it being taught that it is a female duty. It might be different if women prospered in 'male' orientated industries, like banking, business or sports, but this is not the case either. From what I've gathered, it's a lose-lose situation for women. I hope that Philo becoming the director for Dior could be just a baby step forward for women having a fair chance at the same success men achieve.

Now here's a woman who won! The undisputed queen of the universe- Beyoncé.