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PHOTO: Michelle Obama Depicted As A Topless Slave On Magazine Cover

by Jada Wong | 11:45 am, August 29th, 2012

Spanish magazine Fuera de Serie is making jaws drop with its August cover girl: Michelle Obama. And it’s because she’s depicted as a topless black slave.

Artist Karine Percheron-Daniels superimposed Michelle’s face onto Marie-Guillemine Benoist‘s painting “Portrait d’une négresse.” Benoist painted the portrait in 1800 as a social commentary on France’s sexism and racism during the 19th century. Historians also view the piece of art as the beginning of the country’s feminist movement.

According to Google Translate, this is how the magazine teased the corresponding article of Michelle. The translation is rough, but you still get the gist that the article praises the First Lady:

Never said it ensures that well-known that behind every great man there is a great woman was so successful in describing the Obama marriage. In the shadow of the U.S. President is a person whose popularity ratings exceed those of Barack own. This person is none other than his wife Michelle, who stars in the cover of the magazine this week.

Political communication experts are no strangers to the overwhelming charm of the first lady and, knowing this, she even point will be key to the reelection of Democrat in the next presidential election to be held in November. To find out how Michelle has managed to seduce the American people, the journalist Paul Scarpellini detail the secrets of women who not only won the hearts of Barack Obama.

The cover and article seem contradictory at first glance, don’t you think?

Unsurprisingly, a lot of people are disgusted by the image. Some feel that it sexualizes Michelle, while others claim that it’s downright racist.

But is the cover just lost in translation? After all, Percheron-Daniels has done nude paintings of other historic characters like Queen Elizabeth, Abraham Lincoln, and even Barack, and there hasn’t been the same type of backlash.

Percheron-Daniels has even updated her website with a statement regarding the controversial Fuera de Serie cover:

If any of you have found this piece of art insulting I would like to say that my GENUINE intention was never to chock [sic] or upset anyone. I created this picture as part of a series of other famous nudes. As an artist I only paint and create pictures of people I admire and feel passionate about Michelle Obama is one of these people. In my eyes, the picture I created here is of a beautiful woman with a beautiful message: The first Lady of America in the first time in history is a black woman who proudly and confidently displays her WOMANHOOD (the nude) her ROOTS (the slave) and her POWER (the First Lady of America embraced by the American flag). This picture, is a celebration of EVERYTHING GOOD, it is a celebration of achievment and in my opinion is not a racist slur.

I am not a racist: I admire people regardless of their colour and this picture was ment [sic] to be a tribute….totally lost in translation. With my art I try and show beauty NOT DIRT.

Obviously, we have no way of knowing the real reason why Percheron-Daniels painted Michelle like this, or why the magazine decided to use the image for its cover, but at least they’ll both be on everyone’s radar now.

See the controversial cover and the original painting below, and tell us your thoughts:






[via HuffPost Style]



  • http://twitter.com/CallaLilly101 Madeleine Gallay

    yes we do know the real reason … desperately seeking attention/page views/mentions

  • ffny

    Disgusting…racist and sexist…wow

  • http://www.facebook.com/MrsFreemanD Dawn Freeman

    In all honesty I believe that if this was meant to be a tribute she should have asked Mrs. Obama if this would be okay. Not only that but what does she know of Mrs. Obama’s roots? IS it because of the color of her skin? Because if this is true then she is wrong and this is racial, maybe a little ignorant on her part. No one can honestly say what a “black person’s” roots are; she could have come from a family that owned slaves. If that were to be true this would be very insulting to here history. As far as her being nude, it is done distastefully! Back when the original painting was done women were not looked at with respect. Look at the painting! Does this woman look as though she is being empowered?! Does she look like she is proud of where she comes from? In my opinion this painting is just showing a story of a black woman that was made to do something else she was made to do. It was not for her but for someone else; just like this magazine cover. It was not done to show respect and empowerment of an African American woman; it was done out of ignorance, disrespect, and selfishness.
    Of course this is just my opinion. ;- )

  • candle westmoreland

    I see you people wanted to offend every black person in the United States. Now I wonder why you didn’t give Ann Romney and equal opportunity to be disrespected in connection with her husband’s campaign although her husband is the disgrace.

  • candle westmoreland

    looks like the elephant in the room is sitting on a few laps to get noticed. Now everybody knows that the Republican Party has brought out every racist white person in the country. WE KNOW WHAT THE REAL DEAL IS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE COME OUT WITH THEIR REAL INTENTIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE. REMINDS ME OF GERMANY IN ABOUT 1936–ALL ROMNEY NEEDS IS THAT FUNNY MUSTACHE TO FIT THE BILL.

  • Sheesh

    This doesn’t strike me as racial, just very disrespectful.

  • LovelyinDC

    Un-ac-cep-ta-ble! Poor taste is an understatement. I have no words for why this “artist” would think this is appropriate in any way, shape, or form.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dredlock.savoy Hotel Savoy

    The funny part is that all you have to do is show a bare breast to America and the uproar makes you famous. America is so scared of sexuality

  • Anonymous

    Not exactly scared. They want it to be dirty so they can enjoy it more when they sin. Puritanical sexy time for the win!

  • Lucy

    I hate how she says that “The first Lady of America in the first time in history is a black woman who proudly and confidently displays her WOMANHOOD (the nude) her ROOTS (the slave)…” Because being nude doesn’t show “womanhood”, young ladies grow mature parts everyday and that doesn’t make them women; I also HATE that she said slavery was Michelle Obama’s “ROOTS”, peoples roots come from where they/their family originated, not from what their ancestors have been put through.

  • My_name_is_Derrode

    OK. let put it like this. If this was someone who is some of even high social ranking that happens to be Jewish, would that have been cool?
    Let just change the picture to some tragic event that has been captured in time, (The Holocaust) & lets put someone face who is of high social, political status… And also is Jewish… Would that have been a “proudly and confidently display” of who they are?
    I bet there is somebody is reading this right now and has taken in only a small part of my statement, & I bet they are saying who the hell do this guy think he is… Right.

  • Lou2012

    If you want to prevent this type of image, put your money where your mouth and boycott the advertisers in the magaze. If they lose money is a stagnate economy, they will think again before advertising product for a shameful image of our first lady

  • helen

    In no way he should have done this cover without it being approve. This artis is just plain crazy. It’s so disrespectful to our first lady, her family and the United States of America. The only reason they would disrepect our first lady like this, is because she is a black woman. Never ever have I seemed a photo showing any other presidents wife breast being shown in a cover photo before. I’m angry!!!! – This artist is a fool.

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