PRESS RELEASE -
Some people have declared that they have been offended by the publication in Numéro magazine n°141 of March 2013, of an editorial realized by the photographer Sebastian Kim called “African Queen”, featuring the American model Ondria Hardin posing as an “African queen”, her skin painted in black.
The artistic statement of the photographer Sebastian Kim, author of this editorial, is in line with his previous photographic creations, which insist on the melting pot and the mix of cultures, the exact opposite of any skin color based discrimination. Numéro has always supported the artistic freedom of the talented photographers who work with the magazine to illustrate its pages, and has not took part in the creation process of this editorial.
For its part, Numéro Magazine, which has the utmost respect for this photographer’s creative work, firmly excludes that the latest may have had, at any moment, the intention to hurt readers’ sensitivity, whatever their origin.
Numéro Magazine considers that it has regularly demonstrated its deep attachment to the promotion of different skin-colored models. For instance, the next issue of Numéro for Man on sale on 15th march has the black model Fernando Cabral on the cover page, and the current Russian edition’s cover of our magazine features the black model Naomi Campbell on its cover. This demonstrates the completely inappropriate nature of the accusations made against our magazine, deeply committed to the respect for differences, tolerance and more generally to non-discrimination.
Considering the turmoil caused by this publication, the Management of Numéro Magazine would like to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this editorial.
André S. Belcher-El
8 yrsMore
Valentin Lubunga
@Victor Renkel: if your link is meant to call out on Black hypocrisy, well, let me tell you something you may understand - just because there are self-hating Jews, it doesn't mean that anti-semitism doesn't exist. Yes, there are blacks who hate themselves and who bleach their skins but that doesn't mean racism does not exist nor does it mean Numero was right!
8 yrsMore
Valentin Lubunga
I believe that:
1) Numéro was insensitive and now are playing at some artistic posturing and at the same time they are trying to placate "the sensitive readers" they accuse of bad faith ( in the French apology) by issuing a non-apology apology. Immature and disastrous crisis management!
2) The majority of Numéro's supporters (90% of them Caucasian or non-Black), do not seem to understand the historically controversial and racist context of "whites in black faces" issue. Naïveté and privilege are among the many ingredients of racial insensitivity and outright racism.
Claims such as "the pictures are beautiful", "it's art!", "why are some people so sensitive?" are the usual passive-aggress
1) Numéro was insensitive and now are playing at some artistic posturing and at the same time they are trying to placate "the sensitive readers" they accuse of bad faith ( in the French apology) by issuing a non-apology apology. Immature and disastrous crisis management!
2) The majority of Numéro's supporters (90% of them Caucasian or non-Black), do not seem to understand the historically controversial and racist context of "whites in black faces" issue. Naïveté and privilege are among the many ingredients of racial insensitivity and outright racism.
Claims such as "the pictures are beautiful", "it's art!", "why are some people so sensitive?" are the usual passive-aggress
8 yrsMore
LaZandra Simmons
Numéro I think that you are just wrong. If you really were celebrating a melting pot of cultures, you would have dressed a white woman like the white people in Africa. Taking the culture of Africa and its diverse people and highlighting each one. That is not what you were doing! You slapped a black face on a white person in the name of creativity ... And then slapped African queen on that to add insult. Next time you should put a mmodel in a stray jacket and put Numéro on the front and call it insane... Maybe then you can paint offensive things all around so we can still know how disgusting your magazine is
8 yrsMore
Yelena O'Keefe
it snot just about offending people or people not liking your publication - its about the fact that only 6% of all models are black and walk the runway, and you should've hired a BLACK MODEL to do this, not a white model with black makeup on her. its OUTRAGEOUS for a magazine of your calibre to do that! why not give the right models this job?
8 yrsMore
Tamika James
You are absolutely in the wrong and this apology is trite at best. You need to pull the editorial and offer a SINCERE apology to the people of the african and african descendant communities. The title states AFRICAN QUEEN there are many models of African descent that you could have used and didn't. This is not about blurring the lines of race. You were completely offensive and until you make a concerted effort to rectify the situation I will make it my sincere mission to spread the word and have your magazine boycotted. Social media is a powerful tool these days.
8 yrsMore
Tamika James
And to the "non offended black male" as a mixed race BLACK woman I find your position deplorable and full of self loathing. The fact remains that the ties and history of black face and it's uses should have been enough to cause this photographer pause. Yes the model is beautiful but this photographer could have found an ACTUAL black model just as beautiful to shoot this piece. As for the other people(mostly white, and that fact is not lost on me at all) I find that you really should SHUT THE HELL UP. Your emotional or personal connection to this issue is NIL. And no my grandparents nor great grandparent was a slave but I was fortunate enough to have my great grandmother live to 103 and her father WAS a slave and she had vivid memories and stories from him to pass on to us. My grandmother and aunt lived through Jim Crow. My mother lived through the beginning of the civil rights movement. I can't say that she lived through the end of it because, obviously, we are in the thick of a civil rights movement when we are still dealing with people who believe it's more artistic and beautiful to paint a white person black than use a black person
8 yrsMore
Leia Porter
Blackface is Blackface no matter how you try to dress it up & light it. Have the audacity to take responsibility (for gross negligence) & stop trying to pass it off as creative license!! This aint your first time at the rodeo & you as a publication have made a conscious decision to go to print!! Furthermore, your press release only adds insult to injury; whomever graced or graces your cover does not excuse the offense- Get your priorities together & regroup. No matter how you try and fashion *it* you're not *reading* "editorial" nor cutting edge... back to the drawing board. Cease & Desist the fuckery.
8 yrsMore
Leia Porter
{Insensitive & contrite is not the new "Spice trade"}
8 yrsMore
Carlitos Brigante
Your explanation is as embarassing as the work of the photographer! It's discouraging that at this date in time in 2013 when we've come so far, you are not able to provide a legitimate excuse as to why a real "AFRICAN QUEEN" wasn't used to pose for the pictures. No matter how you try and clear up this offensive mistake, it unexcusable and at this day in time it's so embarassing to see humanity moving backwards instead of foreward. It's not 1913 anymore where white actors painted themselves to play black characters, disgusting truly unapeasing!
8 yrsMore
Friday Jones
Numero and Sebastian - it is time to have an African on your creative team to help you through insensitivities
8 yrsMore
Tatiana Robinson
I am a little sick to my stomach about this article after all it is the year 2013!!!!!!. What were you thinking. And don't say you are just supporting the person who took the picture.
8 yrsMore
Dr. BOD
Just created a petition to discontinue the use of black face in photo spreads. Sign the petition if you feel enough is enough https://
8 yrsMore
Kate Abbott
I think the photograph is stunning and cannot for the life of me understand why anyone should have been offended. It is after all an artistic expression and a good one at that.
8 yrsMore
Lc Trương
^ it could've been an artistic expression without Blackface. not hiring a Black model for this editorial is unexcusable and just shows how little their staff know about the history of Blackface. http://
it's also despicable that Numero didn't own up to what they did. apologizing for their readers being offended? and doing absolutely nothing to improve the situation other than saying the offended READERS are wrong? because Numero featured TWO token Black models recently?!? Bad PR and absolutely pathetic!
it's also despicable that Numero didn't own up to what they did. apologizing for their readers being offended? and doing absolutely nothing to improve the situation other than saying the offended READERS are wrong? because Numero featured TWO token Black models recently?!? Bad PR and absolutely pathetic!
8 yrsMore
Mélody Bastide
completely stupid to discuss about that. the pictures and the idea are just beautiful. That's all.
8 yrsMore
Mélody Bastide
Black models gonna come next probably, MAYBE PAINT IN WHITE.
8 yrsMore
Mélody Bastide
i'm sure it will be a problem again for the same people. Please world, don't think too much and do appreciate beauty.
8 yrsMore
Valentin Lubunga
My point again: Please go ahead and Wikipedia “black faces” before claiming this is just beautiful. Next thing a Jew in a Hitler Costume will be beautiful – right?
1) The majority of Numéro's supporters (90% of them Caucasian or non-Black), do not seem to understand the historically controversial and racist context of "whites in black faces" issue. Naïveté and privilege are among the many ingredients of racial insensitivity and outright racism.
2) Claims such as "the pictures are beautiful", "it's art!", "why are some people so sensitive?" are the usual passive-aggress
1) The majority of Numéro's supporters (90% of them Caucasian or non-Black), do not seem to understand the historically controversial and racist context of "whites in black faces" issue. Naïveté and privilege are among the many ingredients of racial insensitivity and outright racism.
2) Claims such as "the pictures are beautiful", "it's art!", "why are some people so sensitive?" are the usual passive-aggress
8 yrsMore
Valentin Lubunga
Kate Abbot and Mélody Bastide: My point again - Please go ahead and Wikipedia “black faces” before claiming “the picture are stunning, it’s art, and other trite stuff.”
Next thing a Jew in a Hitler Costume will be beautiful – right?
Next thing a Jew in a Hitler Costume will be beautiful – right?
8 yrsMore
Tanja Cilia
Just one simple question: are there no models with a skin colour that does not have to be painted or dyed for an ersatz-authenti
8 yrsMore
GiGi Brewster
Wrong, wrong, wrong!. Please submit an apology that expresses how sorry you are, this apology was pathetic. Also please start a recruitment program for more black models.
8 yrsMore
Sergio del Amo
the only problem here is the editorial title... Which I guess it's never chosen by the photographer.
8 yrsMore
Adeola Naomi Aderemi
All talk and justification, even a ten year old kid know that this is not an apology.
The fashion industry need to realise that we are in 2013 and they are black/
Don't talk about Numero alone but look at all the models that walked the fashion week runways of all the 4 big cities and please be honest with the percentage of the non/white models, so please don't only grab on one part of the issue but the whole of it.
There is sadly no diversity in the industry even though there are great and very talented models/fashion designers that are non-white but somehow they never have so much publicity and editorials as their white counterparts.
The industry need DIVERSITY and this publication is just been very offensive with the editorial and they should stop giving out bullshits we are not fools.
Its very sad to see because I really use to buy them and as a black young lady that respect myself and my origin, no penny of mine will ever go to this publication ever again.
The fashion industry need to realise that we are in 2013 and they are black/
Don't talk about Numero alone but look at all the models that walked the fashion week runways of all the 4 big cities and please be honest with the percentage of the non/white models, so please don't only grab on one part of the issue but the whole of it.
There is sadly no diversity in the industry even though there are great and very talented models/fashion designers that are non-white but somehow they never have so much publicity and editorials as their white counterparts.
The industry need DIVERSITY and this publication is just been very offensive with the editorial and they should stop giving out bullshits we are not fools.
Its very sad to see because I really use to buy them and as a black young lady that respect myself and my origin, no penny of mine will ever go to this publication ever again.
8 yrsMore
NFP Talent Agency: Training, Management, Promotion
Well said
8 yrsMore
Vivienne Alexandra Zhang
It is not the photographer who put the colour on the model's face. It is the readers have colours in their on eyes.
8 yrsMore
Leia Porter
Real "African Queen" Miriam Makeba. http://
8 yrsMore
Camelia Tsubaki
I think there are some sensitivity needed on Numero's part. Sebastian Kim didn't know it was going to be called African Queen. And he didn't mean to portray an African Queen in the first place...
8 yrsMore
Sean Ridley Tyler
I don't stand for the black man's side, I don' t stand for the white man's side. I stand for God's side. Bob Marley
8 yrsMore
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