Beautiful starlet Beyonce Knowles has once again found herself in the center of controversy surrounding her skin color.
In a photoshoot for French fashion magazine L’Officiel Paris, she appears in several African-inspired robes and headpieces as a nod to Nigerian musician and human rights activist Fela Kuti, however she is also sporting face paint that makes her skin look darker.
Critics of the shoot say that Beyonce’s blacked-out face is offensive, but supporters say that the look was artistic and never meant to offend or upset. “The designs are all reflective of the African influence on fashion this season,” said the magazine in a statement. “As for the artistic make-up, the inspiration came from several African rituals during which paint is used on the face.”
“We find the images beautiful and inspiring,” the editors continued.
This comes after accusations in 2008 that L’Oreal altered images of her in an advertisement to make her skin look lighter. We highly value our relationship with Ms. Knowles,” said a spokesperson at the time. “It is categorically untrue that L’Oreal Paris altered Ms. Knowles’ features or skin tone in the campaign.”
She’s beautiful. True Africans uses paint on their faces for many different things.
I know, I was married to one. It’s ART people, nothing racist about it.