In this op-ed, Teen Vogue associate editor Aiyana Ishmael explores Anok Yai’s response to Alex Consani’s Model of the Year win, arguing that expressing frustration at the institution does not invalidate Consani’s achievement — or justify racist vitriol.
Last night at the British Fashion Council Awards, Alex Consani took home the coveted Model of the Year award. The 21-year-old rising model made history by becoming the first out trans woman to win. Since the list of nominated models for the award was released, fashion lovers and industry insiders have been equivocating between two rightful choices: Alex Consani and Anok Yai.
Yai is a 26-year-old supermodel. She’s the second Black model behind Naomi Campbell to open a Prada show and has been featured on the cover of American Vogue three times. Models.com ranks her as one of the "New Supers" of this generation. Yai’s introduction to the world came back in 2017 after a photographer took her picture while she was on Howard University’s campus for homecoming week. This led to several model agencies going on a worldwide search to find out who she was. Seven years later, she’s solidified herself as one of the best high-fashion models currently out.
So, when it was announced that Consani took home the award, the internet was divided. On the one hand, Consani did have a conspicuously successful year in fashion, garnering not only many coveted runway spots during the seasons across the four fashion capitals, but she also had a major year on the social media side of things. Consani’s general fan base now expands beyond the fashion community, making her a household name, especially amongst Gen Z. Her fan base is filled with fashion fans and also many young LGBTQ+ people who see her outspoken personality and career success as an undeniable marker of progress.
But, as many fans have pointed out, Yai is also deserving of the award this year. The internet is still talking about her “runaway bride” moment from the Vetements show during Paris Fashion Week.
The debate on “who deserved to win” has taken over TikTok and X. Yai herself posted to the app: “Alex, I love you and I’m so proud of you. British Fashion Council, thank you, but I don’t want it anymore.” She followed up with a second tweet stating: “If you have seen the effort that I’ve seen Alex put in; you would understand how proud I am of her. But Alex can be proud and I can be exhausted at the same time. It doesn’t take away how much love we have for each other.”
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Yai rightfully should be frustrated. This is now her second year being nominated. She lost the award in 2023 to model Paloma Elsesser — another deserving model and activist. Yai has made an impact in the fashion industry, especially in the last three years. She’s become synonymous with what it means to be a high-fashion model. Some on the internet, though, believe she hasn’t handled her loss the right way, arguing that her vocal advocacy for herself takes away from Consani’s win. But that is not true.
Yai can be upset at the institution, honoring her emotions while still being excited for Consani. The dismissal of her feelings serves no one. For so long Black and brown women have been told to just be grateful to be in the room, especially when it comes to fashion. But broadly, we can acknowledge that minorities are often expected to accept defeat with humility and grace, while White people get to be whole versions of themselves. Because isn’t it enough that you were nominated? You shouldn’t expect to win.
Consani herself continually acknowledges the Black trans women who came before her and credits them with making everything she’s been able to do in fashion possible. Her allegiance to them doesn’t discredit the hard work she’s had to put in to get there; it only makes her position all the more powerful.
When we ask ourselves why we want Yai to take her loss quietly, we have to simultaneously ask if it’s a response to society’s expectations of Black women. As author and executive coach Janice Sutherland said: “Challenging the expectation of perpetual contentment involves deconstructing stereotypes surrounding the perceived strength and resilience of Black women — the Super Woman Trope. While these qualities are undoubtedly empowering, they should not be wielded as reasons to deny Black women the space to express vulnerability, pursue evolving aspirations, or seek the support we need without judgment.”
Fashion and modeling, especially in its heyday, were viciously competitive. As the years slowly step away from the '90s definition of who a model is, we’ve seen worlds open up for diversity — worlds in which the conversation around top models includes proudly trans women and unabashed dark-skin Black women. Nuance is a very special skill that ultimately gets lost on the internet. Alex Consani deserved her win. Anok Yai deserves that same win. Nothing is lost by honoring both of those statements.
