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iStock/David_AhnNaomi Campbell has a lot of issues with the latest edition of Elle Germany.
In the issue, Elle highlights their latest campaign, “Black Is Back,” showcasing various models of color on the inside of the mag. However, there’s a white model on the cover. In addition to that, many, including Campbell, have called out the publication for appearing to suggest that blackness has suddenly become a new trend.
Campbell points out that the magazine also misidentifies a black model. The editorial uses a photo of a model named Naomi Chin Wing with a caption that referred to her as another model named Janaye Furman.
“Your mistake is highly insulting in every way…I’ve said countless times we are not a TREND. We are here to STAY.” Campbell writes, captioning a photo of the “Black Is Back” feature. “I too in my career have seen pictures of others models called me just because of the color of our skin, and recently seen many pictures of models of color being [mistaken for model] Adut Akech Bior.”
“Very disappointing to say the least,” she continues. “If you would like a conversation to know how to have a diverse mind, we are here to sit and accommodate. It’s very important for a publication to be culturally sensitive and give credit where it’s due.”
After the issue’s backlash, Elle Germany released a statement online.
“Misidentifying the model Naomi Chin Wing as Janaye Furman has also been a mistake which we regret and for which we apologize. We are aware of how problematic this is,” the statement reads in part. “This has definitely been a learning experience for us and we deeply apologize to anyone that we have hurt or offended.”
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black calls campbell fashion issue misidentifying model naomi
