Blackface in French Vogue

I haven't posted in a long while because it appears that no one has, or ever will, read this blog. But I'm going to plug it mercilessly on Twitter (@darkheadlights). Hopefully that will help, and if I get any readers, even if it's just one person, I will post more often.

Onto the issue at hand. I have just heard that French Vogue put Lara Stone in blackface for a fourteen-page spread in the lastest issue, which is supposedly dedicated to supermodels. Interestingly, according to this Yahoo article, no actual black models appear in the magazine. No Iman. No Tyra Banks. No Naomi Campbell. Just Lara Stone, looking like this.

The author of the Yahoo article, Joanna Douglas, is (understandably) very upset about this, as many other people, both white and black, both French and of other nationalities, must be too. Especially taking into consideration the recent incident in Australia involving Harry Connick, Jr., and some actors in blackface portraying the Jackson 5.

The first thought I had when I saw the pictures from the spread was about a particular cycle of America's Next Top Model, cycle 4. One of the photo shoots the girls had was one in which each one's ethnicity was changed through the use of makeup. A white girl became African American, a black girl became Korean, a Mexican/African American girl became Icelandic, etc. As far as I know, no one got angry about this. Personally, when I saw the episode, I wasn't upset. I was intrigued. I thought it was amazing that makeup could go to those levels. Looking at the pictures of Lara Stone, it doesn't seem like Vogue is really trying to offend anyone. I don't think it was deliberate, and I don't think they need to apologize for it. I think they were simply exploring the limits of makeup. Now, normally Lara Stone looks like this.

She is a Dutch model, obviously white (or Caucasian, if you prefer). The transformation she went through to appear African must have been extensive. When people did blackface performances back in the nineteenth century or so, they simply smeared some greasepaint or shoe polish on their faces and perhaps did something to emphasize the size of their lips, all in a cruel imitation. It looked messy and it was just for some cheap laughs. The Vogue spread is neither of these, nor is it trying to accomplish either of these. I know these days we are generally quick to discredit anything and everything that might be offensive to African Americans, for fear of being labeled a racist. But there is a balance.