*French fashion magazine Numero decided to celebrate African beauty in its March issue, complete with its featured model alongside the title, “African Queen.”
The model, however, is a white girl…in blackface. In fact, she’s in blackbody, with dark makeup covering all of her exposed skin.
Needless to say, social media lit up with reaction Tuesday.
“This is offensive and it is done in poor taste. It’s sending the message that ‘We celebrate African beauty … just without any Africans,” Kay Clarke wrote on Facebook.
Fashion blog Styleite pointed out this isn’t the first time Numero has “blurred racial lines.” In 2010 the mag published photos featuring white model Constance Jablonski also with darkened skin, wearing a series of afro wigs and posing with a black baby.
The “African Queen” spread in Numero’s March issue features blond-haired, blue-eyed Ondria Hardin, a 16-year-old model from North Carolina who looks like this when she’s not in blackface…
Ondria Hardin, shot by Raymond Meier for Teen Vogue (February 2012 issue)
This is totally absurd. This is not ‘blurring racial lines’. This is just another attempt to show that black is only beautiful when its appropriated by somebody else. This is not a ‘tribute’ to African women. I have yet to see black female models dressed in ‘whiteface’ from head to toe, pretending to be a white woman. It gives the impression that black women and their bodies are dispensable and can be exploited by others for profit.
Ondria Hardin in blackface, Zoe Saldana in blackface. Toh-MAY-toe, Toh-MAH-toe. Either way, dark-skinned black women are deemed unemployable by the powers that run Hollywood and the fashion industry. At least we know where our darker-hued sisters stand now.
Seriously Numero, you could find no African Americans for your African Queen Spread. No offense to the model, but you are no African Queen. Don’t even no why you let them do this to you.
Women are being beaten and raped just for being women in certain parts of the world. That…….is a real issue.
And this is a real issue as well!!! I feel like this is a mockery towards women of African descent and it is highly disrespectful.
A 14 year old Afghan girl was shot in the head because she spoke out about girls being denied an education in Afghanistan. THAT is an abomination. This is news for “Entertainment Tonight”
Uh, this is an ‘entertainment’ website. If I want to read about a 14 year old Afghan girl, I would go to CNN or some other news outlet. If you were paying attention, you would see that there are different sections that cater to different issues. So don’t tell folks what is important and what’s not. This is a site that caters to African Americans. Don’t like the content, go somewhere else.
Mick: If you are going to bellyache, at least get your facts straight. There is a big difference between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Plus, she was 15, not 14.
And Black folks should stop being hypersensitive about everything. How many times have Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence not impersonated white people, often in unflaterring terms?
I see this more as art than anything to lose sleep over. It could have been worse. Get over it!
NO bellyaching here……I just think think that there are more important issues than the fact that a model painted her face black….
I didn’t see anything at the top of this page that said “this site caters to African Americans. It does say “electronic urban report”…..”urban” is not an exclusive term to African Americans.
And….Flash, if you are going to lecture about facts, you should check your own “facts”……yes the girl was Pakastani, killed by Taliban(Afghan) and she was in fact 14 when she was shot….
Not trying to make light of this, I do get it but, honestly haven’t you seen sisters that look like this chick? And by the way, she looks better black!
Gawd forbid if they show people of African descent with Negroid features. Euro-based beauty is still the norm and that includes blacks with Anglo features
The site does cater to the AA community who are interested in entertainment, news, politics, etc. Does that mean other people cannot post here? NO. The point is the story you are looking for would not necessarily be here. That’s the point and its arrogant of you to tell folks ‘what’s more important’. The story IS important to AA women like myself who are tired of being marginalized, degraded and treated like yesterday’s trash by the news media. There are stories here would not be deemed ‘important’ in your eyes yet you post your nonsense under this one.
Why y’all arguing with “spies” ? Ignore them. Of course this is an important story. Don’t let these “spies” pull you away from the issue at hand. This is a serious issue with these fashion magazines. Trying to black out black models. But, we will not let this go down. *Black power*.
spies, indeed…..
This is not an African Queen. This is a white girl colored black And the reason for doing is ??????????????? Too many African women out here to do something like this. Is this magazine a total joke too?
No one should be upset about the subject at hand because of what is going with the females in other parts of the world?? I’m sticking to the subject, I think it’s really stupid to hire a white model and pass her off as being black, what’s the point? It’s not like there’s a shortage of black models out there, why use this prop. May be those at Numero rely on lies and deception to sale magazines….(shrugs)
We have every right to be hypersensitive over stuff like this, I can count how many times I’ve seen Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy impersonate white people and I’ve lost count at the number of white people who have put on their “black face” in unflattering terms…… Lets see, Carroll OConner, Billy Crystal, Chuck Knipp ( Shirley Q Liquor) Ted Dansen the list goes on. As long as the Al Jolson legacy is kept alive the hypersensitivity and outrage will continue as well.
This is totally absurd, I am a black female and I am very offended.
If you think that I would buy anything from your magazine, or anything from the designer you are so very wrong. I am sick and tired of you people trying to make me feel bad for being black. So are you saying that only a white woman can be black now.
Believe it or not, I think she does have a few black facial or ethnic features. I personally think she looks better black. Some white girls just make better black girls. Think it over Ondria Hardin… I bet you would enjoy being a black.
2013 Still no respect for women of COLOR!!!!! Let me see if I understand your MOCKERY of Black Women, since we are few and minimal, do not measure up with those fair-skin blondheaded blue-eyed beauties who don’t mind being in BLACK FACE !!!!!! THE nerve of you.
I am a American blackman with the masters’ slavename williebrown,and Idont understand y blackfolks get upset by the antics of these caucasions.If u wake up and begin to buy and start your own media outlets u wouldnt have time to entertain the opressors madness.To much time dealing with his madness!
I’m an x- model from the 70′s and we were hard press to get a spread such as this one. Today they should have used a Black model from anywhere around the world. Be it Africa or African American. The money for this spread should have gone to a beautiful black model. This is no different then using a white woman to play a black woman in the movies of yesterday. Such as Jean Crain in Pinky. The photograher stated that he didn’t know that the spread was to portrait a black woman. Give me a break! What else could it be. Black face and African apparel! Please!
She is gorgeous as black