Fashion magazine Vogue has sparked a worldwide race row after it ran a trend story on what it labelled ‘slave earrings’. The article, which has been roundly criticised for being ‘overtly racist’, appeared on the Vogue Italia website and recalled the style of earrings worn by ‘women of colour’ who were brought to the southern United States during the slave trade.’
The controversial article went on to refer to the current hooped gold styles as a ‘latest interpretation which is pure freedom’. The article in full read: ‘Jewellery has always flirted with circular shapes, especially for use in making earrings. The most classic models are the slave and creole styles in gold hoops’.
‘If the name brings to the mind the decorative traditions of the women of colour who were brought to the southern United States during the slave trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom’.
But since publishing the article, Vogue Italia has faced stinging worldwide criticism, the strongest of which claimed Vogue was guilty of a ‘disgraceful’ attempt to ‘glamorise slavery’.
Angry readers later mounted a campaign where followers could tweet Italian Vogue to register their fury at the feature. The petition read: ‘Ad agencies are clearly in dire need of consultation by Black Women and Men, as they routinely miss the mark in communicating with consumers’.
From the Summer’s Eve to McDonald’s to Vogue, the lack of tact, cultural relevance and basic intelligence is simply appalling.’
Demanding a full apology and the withdrawal of the article from Vogue Italia’s website, it continued: ‘In this latest example by Vogue Magazine, we want the ad removed IMMEDIATELY and we want a specific apology to Black women because Black womens’ supposed slave narratives were used in the promulgation of the ad.’
Vogue’s website was also bombarded with angry comments.
In light of the controversy, Vogue Italia have since changed the title of the offending article to read ‘ethnic earrings’ in place of the original ‘slave earrings’, but critics have not been silenced, complaining that the body of the text still outlines the plight of African slaves, linking it to the earring trend.
French Vogue was bombarded with a storm of complaints last month after it carried a photo of a pouting ten year old girl on its cover.
Critics said the image of Thylane Blondeau and a further 15 images inside was a sordid attempt to depict a child as a woman.
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