Above is a picture of Beyonce in a photo shoot where she was paying tribute to Fela Kuti, a Nigerian musician and human rights activists. The photo shoot was to celebrate African beauty and involved Beyonce having her face painted resembling minstrel characteres. The pictures have sparked emotions from different people claiming that they were unsure how painting her face black paid respect to him and saw this as an act of disrespect. Others have went so far as to claim this as an act of racism from the French magazine. Believe it or not, the black face painting has caught on as a fashion trend overseas which as you can imagine does not sit too well with many people. This is not a good look for Beyonce, especially following rumors of her using skin bleaching (see first blog post). I personally feel that it can be looked at as art however I do not believe that it was a smart choice for Beyonce to participate in such a photoshoot. If we are to forget the past, as some people are proposing and to "just get over it", then what other "fashion statement" is to come out next? White pointed hats or women dressing with inspiration from Mammy?
I am not sure of the Relevance for the french magazine to require her to paint here self in honor or commemoration of our Beloved ancestor Fela Kuti, but it is blatantly deplorable.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same. The pictures are without a doubt beautiful, however I think that reasons for the face paint should have been a little more thought out
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