Allure magazine facing backlash for using white actress to model afro
By Rosalyn Solomon, Postmedia Network First posted: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 11:32 AM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 11:46 AM EDT
A hair tutorial in the pages of Allure magazine has people taking to social media to slam the publication.
The reason? Allure featured a white actress to model an afro under the title "You (Yes, You) Can Have an Afro*" With the asterisk below it reading "Even if you have straight hair".
The magazine featured 70s-inspired hairstyles, such as the bowl cut, long bangs and soft bends in their August issue. The 'Loose Afro' hairstyle was done by hairstylist Chris McMillan and the actress who modelled it was Marissa Neitling from the TV show The Last Ship. Neitling had posted a photo of herself with the spread to her Instagram account, but has since taken it down.
McMillan described the hairstyle as "ballsy and powerful." He told the magazine it was "confident hair". However, people are calling the spread cultural appropriation and asking why a black model or actress wasn't featured instead.
In a statement to BuzzFeed a spokesperson for Allure said:“The Afro has a rich cultural and aesthetic history. In this story, we show women using different hairstyles as an individual expressions [sic] of style. Using beauty and hair as a form of self-expression is a mirror of what’s happening in our country today. The creativity is limitless—and pretty wonderful.”
The article, however, does not mention any history of the hairstyle at all, how it became a symbol of black pride and natural beauty in the 60s and 70s.
While this adds to the growing list of head-scratching moves of portraying beauty in magazines, it will hopefully be seen as an opportunity to diversify and delve a bit deeper when talking about cultural beauty.
Check out other controversial magazine photo spreads HERE.
Allure magazine facing backlash for using white actress to model afro | Fashion
By Rosalyn Solomon, Postmedia Network First posted: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 11:32 AM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 11:46 AM EDT
A hair tutorial in the pages of Allure magazine has people taking to social media to slam the publication.
The reason? Allure featured a white actress to model an afro under the title "You (Yes, You) Can Have an Afro*" With the asterisk below it reading "Even if you have straight hair".
The magazine featured 70s-inspired hairstyles, such as the bowl cut, long bangs and soft bends in their August issue. The 'Loose Afro' hairstyle was done by hairstylist Chris McMillan and the actress who modelled it was Marissa Neitling from the TV show The Last Ship. Neitling had posted a photo of herself with the spread to her Instagram account, but has since taken it down.
McMillan described the hairstyle as "ballsy and powerful." He told the magazine it was "confident hair". However, people are calling the spread cultural appropriation and asking why a black model or actress wasn't featured instead.
In a statement to BuzzFeed a spokesperson for Allure said:“The Afro has a rich cultural and aesthetic history. In this story, we show women using different hairstyles as an individual expressions [sic] of style. Using beauty and hair as a form of self-expression is a mirror of what’s happening in our country today. The creativity is limitless—and pretty wonderful.”
The article, however, does not mention any history of the hairstyle at all, how it became a symbol of black pride and natural beauty in the 60s and 70s.
While this adds to the growing list of head-scratching moves of portraying beauty in magazines, it will hopefully be seen as an opportunity to diversify and delve a bit deeper when talking about cultural beauty.
Check out other controversial magazine photo spreads HERE.
Allure magazine facing backlash for using white actress to model afro | Fashion
