The AUssie Adoration of Blackface

To Mods, I’ve seen other posts where it’s just fahion pictures and I think this is just as interesting with this ~high couture~ cover.

When Australian e-zine, Tangent Mag, uncovered their latest issue featuring a model in Blackface, we felt compelled to ask: Should we really expect anything less from our conscious-deficient counterparts from down under? It was plain old tactless when the ‘über sophisticated’ Europeans decided to revisit the Blackface trend, but can the Aussies be measured by the same stick? Hell, it’s only been about 30 years since non-Whites were even allowed to step foot onto their fair land. Besides, can we really blame a nation founded by penal colony residents for being insensitive and narrow-minded?

Yes (the Aborigines and Harry Connick, Jr. can attest to that).

As we’ve stated time and time again, this futile attempt at generating shock value at the expense of others is dense and wretchedly conventional. These “high fashion” spreads may be absent of bright red lipstick, deranged expressions and other grotesque minstrel-style imagery. However, these new images of haute couture clad lily-white models smudged in brown (or black) make up are totally in keeping with the cunning nature of contemporary racism.

Again, we suggest that fashion’s creatively challenged set utilize an innovative means to create the controversy they seek. It’s rather shocking as well that an industry that embraces being on the vanguard of “what’s in” has held on to the Blackface trend for so long. Perhaps for some, racism is always en vogue. Pity.

Everyone has their take on the whole sordid blackface craze but the fact remains that there are many of us on all sides of the synthetic racial divide that have grown intolerant of this widespread covert racist/insensitive imagery. Who knows? Maybe one fine day, people will realize that racism is a disease, not a marketing ploy.

By the way, Neither Tangent Editor-in-Chief, Heather Cairns nor Creative Director, Emmanuel Giraud were available for comment. Figures.

SOURCE

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