Oh No They Didn’t!

Yes they did, unfortunately. American Apparel has come under fire for a recent editorial piece in i-D magazine featuring a black model in blackface. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the term “blackface” it originated back in the day when Vaudeville shows were all the rage (1880 – 1930). White entertainers (and later black entertainers) would often paint their faces with black makeup and proceed to caricature black people using hurtful stereotypes. i-D magazine’s latest photo is reminiscent of these images (see here) and have caused many to ask the question “what were they thinking?” You can read the comments left on American Apparel's site here. I for one think this photo was in poor taste. They can claim it's “Art” but what good is art if it hurts a large cross section of the population? And what about the caption? Is she for sale or something? :( What are your thoughts?