Naomi Campbell took to Instagram to express her thoughts on ‘Elle’ Germany’s controversial “Black is Back” article. This was after Diet Prada, a fashion call-out account, posted photos of the article, which proclaims that “models of color were never in demand as they are now.”
This proclamation was opposed by Campbell, who stated that Black models are “not a trend” and are here to stay. “It’s ok to celebrate models of color but please do it in a respectful way.”
‘Elle’ Germany’s front cover headline “Back to Black” is contradictory as they made Gertrud Hegeland, a White model, their cover for their November issue. To make it worse, they also misidentified model Naomi Chin Wing as Janaye Furman, which led to Naomi expressing how it feels to do a job and never get the right name credit. As a response to the article, Furman uploaded a video on Instagram of her sipping a cup of tea.
‘Elle’ Germany has since issued an apology, stating that they are “aware of how problematic” the article is:
The magazine’s cover line that presents being Black as a trend just proves the actuality of White supremacy, and how Black people are still constrained by unfair stereotypes. As Diet Prada notes in their Instagram post, they have been denied both access and visibility in the fashion industry. The magazine completely missed the point, but Campbell is willing to educate the publication. “If you would like to have a conversation to know how to have a diverse mind, we are here to sit and accommodate.”
[Refinery29]
Photo courtesy of Naomi Campbell’s Instagram Account
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