Is there a shortage when it comes to black models?
You would think so after Numéro magazine failed to find a black model to pose in an editorial titled, “African Queen.” Instead, the French magazine caused outrage after it snagged sixteen-year-old Caucasian model Ondria Hardin to pose for the feature in black face. WTH?
According to the Huffington Post:
The young lady in the spread is 16-year-old, blond-haired, blue-eyed Ondria Hardin, who is seen with her skin darkened and striking a pose for the French glossy. To start, we know there are plenty of white people living in Africa — but Ondria is from North Carolina and we’re pretty sure white people in Africa don’t walk around in what could be considered a light application of blackface.
With that said, the editorial serves as another sad example of how the fashion industry continually ignores or exploits ethnic diversity rather than celebrating it. And to think how easy it would have been for Numéro to select one of the countless beautiful black models (see slideshow below) and avoid this justifiable backlash and contribution to an unrelenting problem.
An editor at Jezebel (who is a Caucasian woman) adds:
It’s impossible to look at this and not ache for young women of color who want to pursue careers in modeling (and arguably, fashion by extension). When they don’t see themselves on the runway or in magazines, it could be very easy for them to think, “huh, I guess modeling isn’t for me.” Then the status quo remains, and the runways remain monotone. If jobs for “African Queen” photo spreads aren’t going to black women, what hope is there?
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time the magazine has done this. Back in 2010, they dressed Caucasian model Constance Jablonski up in an afro wig and slightly darker makeup, to portray a black mother in a spread titled, “Independent Woman.”
There isn’t a shortage when it comes to black models. Unfortunately, they just aren’t getting the work. According to reports, only 6 percent of the models used during New York Fashion Week this season were black; 82 percent were white. What a harsh reality…
Update: The photographer of the shoot, Sebastian Kim, responded to the backlash with a statement:
I would like to apologize for any misunderstanding around my recent photos for Numero France. It was never my intention (nor Numero’s) to portray a black woman in this story. Our idea and concept for this fashion shoot was based on 60′s characters of Talitha Getty, Verushka and Marissa Berenson with middle eastern and Moroccan fashion inspiration. We at no point attempted to portray an African women by painting her skin black. We wanted a tanned and golden skin to be showcased as part of the beauty aesthetic of this shoot.
It saddens me that people would interpret this as a mockery of race. I believe that the very unfortunate title “African Queen” (which I was not aware of prior to publication) did a lot to further people’s misconceptions about these images. It was certainly never my intention to mock or offend anyone and I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone who was offended.
Sincerely,
Sebastian Kim
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