Fashion Faux Pas! White Model Poses In Dark Makeup For ‘African Queen’ Spread [Photos]

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Published 12 years ago

Numero Mag Ondria

Has International Fashion magazine Numéro gone too far? The magazine that prides itself on having “unique editorial content”  that provides an “avant-garde view of fashion” has chosen a white model to pose as an “African Queen”. The 16 year old model is Ondria Hardin, a North Carolina native that can be seen in the spread wearing african and tribal inspired pieces, with her face and skin painted in dark bronzed makeup.  Given these quick details about Ondria, we are positive she knows nothing about being an “African Queen”! We won’t mount our soap box like the Queens and Kings that we indeed are, but we will say to Numéro… if the styling is any indication, then you have no idea what a true African Queen looks like!

They obviously thought they were slick by choosing to use a sunkissed tone instead of a tawny or deeper colored bronzer, like that would soften the blow. How sad that they chose to paint a caucasian model, instead of seeking to use one of the many ethnic models in the world, that would have represented the feature very beautifully! And all of this during Black History Month too… what a travesty!

What are your thoughts love muffins? See more pictures below…

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UPDATE: Numero has apologized.

Some people have declared that they have been offended by the publication in Numéro magazine n°141 of March 2013, of an editorial realized by the photographer Sebastian Kim called “African Queen”, featuring the American model Ondria Hardin posing as an “African queen”, her skin painted in black.

The artistic statement of the photographer Sebastian Kim, author of this editorial, is in line with his previous photographic creations, which insist on the melting pot and the mix of cultures, the exact opposite of any skin color based discrimination. Numéro has always supported the artistic freedom of the talented photographers who work with the magazine to illustrate its pages, and has not took part in the creation process of this editorial.

For its part, Numéro Magazine, which has the utmost respect for this photographer’s creative work, firmly excludes that the latest may have had, at any moment, the intention to hurt readers’ sensitivity, whatever their origin.

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Numéro Magazine considers that it has regularly demonstrated its deep attachment to the promotion of different skin-colored models. For instance, the next issue of Numéro for Man on sale on 15th march has the black model Fernando Cabral on the cover page, and the current Russian edition’s cover of our magazine features the black model Naomi Campbell on its cover. This demonstrates the completely inappropriate nature of the accusations made against our magazine, deeply committed to the respect for differences, tolerance and more generally to non-discrimination.

Considering the turmoil caused by this publication, the Management of Numéro Magazine would like to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this editorial.

 

 

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