Beauty giant L’Oréal appears to have whitewashed Beyoncé Knowles in a shocking magazine ad, digitally lightening her complexion and making the world-famous singer virtually unrecognizable.
The L’Oréal Paris spot in the current edition of Elle magazine includes a full-length head shot of the “Bootylicious” singer with a windswept do, pitching Féria hair-highlighting product.
A L’Oréal spokesperson did not return calls for comment, and Beyoncé’s publicist said he hadn’t seen the spot and declined to comment.
A rep for Hachette Filipacchi Media, publishers of the glossy fashion-and-beauty monthly, said the company would look into the matter.
The company rep, though, pointed out that magazine editors generally accept an advertiser’s creative product without close inspection.
The 636-page Elle, with Jessica Simpson busting out on its cover, has eight pages of L’Oréal ads: two with Beyoncé, two of Scarlett Johansson pushing hair-coloring products, two pages of Milla Jovovich hawking lipstick and two more sheets of Penelope Cruz selling lip conditioner and shampoo.
The L’Oréal ad could have the reverse impact of the Time fiasco of 1994, when the weekly newsmagazine darkened the booking mug shot of double-murder suspect O.J. Simpson.
Time and its primary rival Newsweek both ran the same booking mug shot prominently that week.
But Time used computer manipulations to make Simpson look darker-skinned.
Black activists ripped Time, arguing that the photo illustration equated dark skin with dangerous, violent behavior.
Beyoncé’s personal Web site trumpets advertising deals that she cut in 2006 with L’Oréal and Tommy Hilfiger.