London, June 4 (IANS) Supermodel Claudia Schiffer has been accused of racial insensitivity after she posed as a black woman for the cover of a magazine.
The photograph, which appeared on the cover of German fashion magazine Stern Fotografie, was taken by fashion designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld. Schiffer wore dark foundation and an African wig, reports dailymail.co.uk.
The images taken two years ago for a Dom Perignon advertising campaign were among six shots of Schiffer to celebrate the magazine’s 60th anniversary.
‘It shows poor taste and it’s offensive. There are not enough women of colour featured in mainstream magazines. This just suggests you can counteract the problem by using white models,’ said Shevelle Rhule, fashion editor of lifestyle magazine, Pride.
However, representatives of the model claim that the pictures were intended to show the model as a variety of fantasy figures.
‘The pictures have been taken out of context. The images were designed to reflect different men’s fantasies. The pictures were not intended to offend, they were done very creatively and they are some of Karl Lagerfeld’s favourite images of Claudia. People should not jump to conclusions,’ said her spokesperson.
