is French Vogue for Real?

Today I picked up the G2 supplement and read about how French Vogue had 'blackened' up a white model. What made matters worse, before I had even read the editorial - I assumed the model was black!

I felt really disgusted, but then it is French Vogue- France is notoriously racist country. I don't think France has the history like the UK and US of 'Minstrel Shows.' These were shows performed by White men who would blackened themselves up, draw big red lips, and woolly hair to mimic the supposed behaviour of black people. I feel this is a 2009 and version of this.

I am offended as a black woman for numerous reasons. The editorial itself is about successful models in Fashion and none of our 'token blacks' are mentioned e.g. Iman. Naomi, Wek or Dunn. This particular image relates to this editorial by saying we rather have a white model painted to look black than have an actual black model. Also these images use the age old stereotypes of black women being these exotic otherness, she is styled as ‘African Princess’, think animal prints, beads, feathers etc. If she was painted unrealistic ebony black then it would simply and literally be a white woman painted black. But In other pictures of this shoot she is painted an unrealistic white - why? It’s the fact that she is made to look like a particular race that annoys and angers me the most.