It seems that in order use something that even slightly resembles 'blackface', you'd have to be completely oblivious to all of the past controversy which surrounds every single editorial in which a white model has her face painted black. Yet, it has happened again. This time, it's inside the May 2013 issue of Vogue Netherlands in a shoot named 'Heritage Heroes' which stars model Querelle Jansen and was shot by Ishi. The shoot celebrates Marc Jacobs' time at Louis Vuitton and shows off several of his most memorable past collection pieces.
The reason why the painted faces might be interpreted as so offensive? The two times it is used, the collections were inspired by black people - Grace Jones and Josephine Baker, so the paint is likely being used to represent the skin colour of the collection's muses. Below is a look at the two shots which feature the paint (the rest of the shoot, Querelle is her normal un-painted self). Is it really offensive considering the history of 'blackface', or just face paint? Take a look at the images below.
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