14 DAY TRIAL // Claudia Schiffer rarely, if ever, makes headlines for something negative but, this time, she could be doing so through no fault of her own. In 2007, famed designer Karl Lagerfeld shot the model for a special spread for Dom Perignon and some of the pictures have just now been released. One of them in particular is getting people all hot under the collar, as AceShowbiz can confirm.
The photo in question (also attached to this article) shows Claudia in high-shouldered sequined dress, with a huge afro and in blackface. She’s gazing fiercely into the camera and the focus falls solely on her, as there is nothing in the background to distract one’s attention from the model. As it’s happened before with spreads using white models painted black, Claudia too is now coming under serious fire in the media for agreeing to take part in the spread, which is a clear instance of racial insensitivity on her part.
“It shows poor taste and it’s offensive. There are not enough women of color featured in mainstream magazines. This just suggests you can counteract the problem by using white models. I don’t believe they deliberately set out to offend, they obviously see it as being arty and feel that they are pushing boundaries. But clearly no thought has been given to the history behind what they have done and the comparisons it draws with minstrel shows,” fashion editor at Pride magazine, Shevelle Rhule, says of Claudia’s blackface pic.
The model’s rep, however, insists there is nothing wrong with the picture, especially if considered in the context in which it was meant to be seen. “The pictures have been taken out of context. The images were designed to reflect different men’s fantasies. The pictures were not intended to offend, they were done very creatively and they are some of Karl Lagerfeld’s favorite images of Claudia. People should not jump to conclusions,” Schiffer’s publicist says.
As we also reported on past occasions, Vogue magazine also took serious heat for running an entire spread with a model in blackface, while Tyra Banks was in her turn criticized for putting the girls from America’s Next Top Model in a bi-racial spread.