French Elle magazine has apologised for an article posted on its website which suggested that a black American elite, inspired by the Obamas, was finally embracing ‘white’ fashion.
Fashion blogger Nathalie Dolivo claims in the piece that the Obamas are the catalyst for a ‘black fashion renaissance’ and suggests America’s first black president has given the black community a ‘chic’ option other than ‘streetwear codes’.
‘In 2012, the ‘black-geoisie’ has integrated all the white codes … but with a twist, bourgeois with an ethnic reference that recalls their roots,’ she argued.
Elle editor Valerie Toranian published an online apology, saying the magazine was ‘deeply sorry’ to have caused offence.
It has invited an anti-racism body to take part in a debate about the article.
Widespread fury: Writer Nathalie Dolivo says the Obamas are a catalyst for a ‘black fashion renaissance’
French Elle magazine has apologised for an article posted on its website which suggested that a black American elite, inspired by the Obamas, was finally embracing ‘white’ fashion.
Fashion blogger Nathalie Dolivo claims in the piece that the Obamas are the catalyst for a ‘black fashion renaissance’ and suggests America’s first black president has given the black community a ‘chic’ option other than ‘streetwear codes’.
‘In 2012, the ‘black-geoisie’ has integrated all the white codes … but with a twist, bourgeois with an ethnic reference that recalls their roots,’ she argued.
Elle editor Valerie Toranian published an online apology, saying the magazine was ‘deeply sorry’ to have caused offence.
It has invited an anti-racism body to take part in a debate about the article.
Controversial: In her blog post, Nathalie Dolivo claims the Obamas are the catalyst for a ‘black fashion renaissance’
In a new post on Elle’s site, Dolivo also apologises for the article, saying it was an attempt to take a ‘positive’ look at US society and style.
‘It was about putting the spotlight on these new figures who are unsettling and fascinating the worlds of fashion and entertainment,’ she wrote.
The blog post has unleashed a storm of protest from both sides of the Atlantic and drawn accusations of racism.
In a new post on Elle’s site, Dolivo also apologises for the article, saying it was an attempt to take a ‘positive’ look at US society and style.
The New York Daily News claims it managed to ‘insult black Americans as a whole’, while the Huffington Post said a clumsy attempt to praise black style had ‘unravelled into a string of controversial, stereotypical and insulting statements’.
However, the magazine has denied it is racist. The Societe des Journalists, a body representing journalists at the title, said in a statement, ‘No, ‘Elle’ is not racist’. It added that the magazine has ceaselessly campaigned for the dignity of all women for more than 60 years.
The piece has been removed from Elle’s website.
