White Model Ondria Hardin Poses in Numéro’s African Queen Editorial: What is Fashion’s Obsession with Blackface?

Jezebel recently uncovered snapshots of 16-year-old white model Ondria Hardin, posing in a March 2013 editorial by Numéro titled ‘African Queen.‘The pictures show the young lady, dipped in a deep bronze paint, wearing turbans, bold cuffs, statement necklaces, and a bevy of prints.

Is she an African Queen? Well, no, not at all. Ms. Hardin is a native to Lumberton, North Carolina. Which begs the question: Why use her over a black model? Why this obsession with painting white models in bronze/black face?

You may remember another French magazine, Paris Vogue, dipping Dutch model Lara Stone in chocolate in an October 2009 editorial (see it here).

And then Numéro was at it again (or for the first time) with Constance Jablonski (a French model) wearing bronzer and an Afro, and posing with a black baby (read our story about it here):


Though Numéro’s first go at blackface was ultimately deemed only mildly offensive because Ms. Jablonski wasn’t totally bronzed in ALL the pictures, all other instances of white women being painted black or deep brown has been met with controversy, outcries, and universal head shaking. So why do magazines continue to do this? Why not use a black model instead of continuing to stab the poker in our eyes and twist?

In her article about this latest Blackface instance, Jezebel editor Laura Beck (who isn’t black*) writes, “It’s impossible to look at this and not ache for young women of color who want to pursue careers in modeling (and arguably, fashion by extension). When they don’t see themselves on the runway or in magazines, it could be very easy for them to think, “huh, I guess modeling isn’t for me.” Then the status quo reigns, and the runways remain monotone. If jobs for “African Queen” photo spreads aren’t going to black women, what is there?

 
 I have to agree. We’ve been reporting on Blackface in Fashion since 2009 (which is why I was able to reference past instances so easily. See the full category here). Every time it happens, people hem and haw, but absolutely nothing changes. Things have gotten nominally better in the past 3 or 4 years, but there hasn’t been change in any real way–at least not enough to stop with this blackface nonsense.

Which leads me to wonder: Does The Fashion Industry Care about Black People? What do you think? *I included that Laura is not black so that we’re not attacked for being too sensitive as black women writing a multicultural site. Read her full article on Jezebel here.