L'Oréal Denies Lightening Beyonce's Skin For Ad Campaign
Published: Friday - August 8, 2008
Words by Allen Starbury
Beyonce in L'Oreal Paris's Feria ad (Photo: L'Oréal)
A new ad campaign for L'Oréal Paris, which features Beyonce and appears in the September issue of Elle that hit newsstands this week, is causing an uproar among bloggers and critics who claim the company altered the photos of the singer to give her lighter skin.
If you compare the L'Oréal photos to other photos of the singer, it does appear that her skin is much lighter, which has caused all the controversy.
Beyonce has yet to comment on the photos, but spokesperson for L'Oréal denied the accusations.
"We highly value our relationship with Ms. Knowles," read the statement. "It is categorically untrue that L'Oréal Paris altered Ms. Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign."
The mega pop star has been a spokesperson for the company since 2001. The ad campaign in question features Beyonce with windswept dark blond hair for L’Oreal Paris's Feria hair color.
The ad for L'Oreal Paris's Feria hair color, which is featured in this month's issue of Elle magazine, shows the "Crazy in Love" singer with windswept dark blond hair and what appears to be a paler complexion.
Eric Deggans, chairman of the media-monitoring committee of the National Association of Black Journalists, told the NY Post that magazines should be more sensitive to perceptions that light-skinned African Americans are more acceptable.
Beyoncé's "skin is lighter [in the Elle ad] than the way I'm used to seeing her," he said. "Advertisers and magazines need to be careful about this, even if it's just a production process."
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