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Numéro Issues A Not-So-Apologetic Apology For Its Blackface Spread

by Hilary George-Parkin | 11:46 am, February 28th, 2013

Following up on photographer Sebastian Kim‘s statement yesterday, Numéro has issued an apology for the offensive blackface editorial that ran in its March 2013 issue. Problem is, they don’t really seem to be all that sorry at all.

The controversy began last week when blonde-haired, fair-skinned American model Ondria Hardin popped up in a Numéro spread called “African Queen” in what most perceived as blackface. Kim denied that this was the intention, citing the deeply tanned bohemian icons of 60s Marrakech like Marisa Berenson and Talitha Getty as the inspiration behind the shoot. Nonetheless, discussion is still brewing online, and the magazine has responded with an explanation of their own, effectively laying all the responsibility on the photographer.

Via Huffington Post, here is the text of the apology in full:

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.

Ok, keeping in mind this is a French magazine and there are some things that are no doubt lost in translation, this is still one of the least apologetic apologies we’ve ever read.

  • “We give our photographers artistic freedom and this one is totally into multiculturalism.” ≠ apology
  • “Look, look! Naomi Campbell! How dare you blame us!” ≠ apology
  • “We’re sorry you were offended…now can all this ‘turmoil’ be over already?” ≠ apology

What do you think? Do you accept their apology? Or do you wish they would have at least tried to sound a little bit sincere?




  • Friday Jones

    This is not an apology. Clothing is beautiful, and he should have found an African or African American model to fit the bill. Kim’s interpretation of African Beauty may not have been intentional but reality is Marisa Berenson and Talitha Getty are in no way African. Kim’s lack of awareness and the magazine’s blind eye are examples of what is wrong with the industry – even African Beauty has to be a blending of blah blah blah when there is an entire continent of African beauty.

  • Friday Jones

    What this apology tells me is that Numero and Sebastian Kim do not have a black woman on their creative team that might help them avoid unintentional faux-pas like this one. If his intention was to show a “melting pot of cultures” then he should have found models that reflected that. The headline says African Queen which makes a reference to the model’s beauty. The model in this case is a pale teen aged blue eyed blonde haired American model. She is not Cape Verden, Moroccan, East Indian, South African or even bi-ethnic American. This model on the surface does not reflect anything like a melting pot. She is beautiful in her own right. But Numero and Sebastian Kim give me a break if you have to take a model, spray a tan on her, put make-up, and clothing on her to be some vision of an African Queen that you conjured up in your mind, then I encourage you to look at history books or National Geographic for your inspiration rather than Talitha Getty who was Dutch. Do a little more globe trotting to further your obviously limited creative voice. And do not give BS apologies they simply make you look bad.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kate.abbott.925 Kate Abbott

    Modelling like acting is a form art, of role playing, of portraying a
    scene. I see absolutely nothing wrong with this work or the model used to
    portray the desired outcome. I find the photographs absolutely stunning and the work quite believable.

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