French Vogue decided to do a fashion story with Lara Stone 'blacked up' which has sparked huge outrage in the media and the public. Firstly, lets not forget that French Vogue is synonymous with controversy and in some cases the controversial fashion stories that they produce do have a positive effect and show that fashion is an art form. In this case however I think it is highly insensitive and offensive. I do not believe that Carine Roitfield and Steven Klein's vision for the shoot was actually racist as I think that they are too intelligent for them to publish something so overtly racist. I believe that they were doing it to create controversy and indeed to cause a reaction.
For me, I find the whole incident a reminder of the constant issue with the use of black models in Fashion. If a black model was used instead of Lara Stone there would be no problem. If Roitfield argues that she was trying to portray the history of 'blacking up' white actors for plays she could have used black models in a clever way to portray the exact same thing.
I am a supporter of fashion being used as an art form and to convey messages that aren't always politically correct as it gives fashion a voice and creates debates. The only message that this shoot conveyed was that there is still racial prejudice and insensitivity in the fashion industry.
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