Vogue Italia has published another controversial spread, this time in its March 2014 edition.
Shot by photographer Steven Meisel, the spread sees Dutch model Saskia de Brauw in face paint alongside African taxidermy. The Huffington Post’s Julee Wilson gave her thoughts in an editorial:
Although the feature doesn’t depict historical minstrel-inspired Black-face, it’s still in bad taste. We’re thoroughly confused as to why the magazine didn’t think this type of editorial would be offensive and why they didn’t just use a black model in the first place. Clearly the “Black-face is NEVER Ok” memo addressed to the fashion industry keeps getting lost in the mail.
This is not the first time the magazine has published a racially controversial pictorial.
Just last year, Vogue Netherlands published a spread adorning a model with a wild black mohawk and thick, black face paint.
What are your thoughts? Is the Blackface is art argument valid or offensive?