First French Vogue put Dutch model Lara Stone in blackface for a Steven Meisel-shot editorial. Then Tyra put contestants of "America's Next Top Model" in blackface for a challenge. Now V Magazine's latest editorial has many wondering about the growing trend.
Meisel's shoot for French Vogue was no doubt meant to be edgy and controversial, though Meisel (an American) probably should have known the styling would elicit some rather strong reactions from folks stateside -- especially after that uncomfortable Australian TV moment with Harry Connick, Jr.
Then a couple of weeks later, Tyra Banks took the group of contestants on "America's Next Top Model" to a sugarcane field in Hawaii, where she announced the aspiring models would each be done up to look like "hapas" (a.k.a. people of mixed ethnicities). The models were then given biracial-looking makeup -- which the Huffington Post was quick to note seemed basically like a euphemism for blackface. You can watch a clip of the segment below and judge for yourself.
The most recent fashion publication to use blackface is V Magazine, which just unleashed an editorial shot by Marco Sorrenti that features two blond models -- one in full-body dark makeup.
One or two blackfaced models in fashion shoots might have felt like coincidence, but three certainly feels like a trend.
