Beyonce Lightened For Ad? L'Oreal Denies

NEW YORK — Cosmetics giant L'Oreal is denying it lightened Beyonce's skin tone in an ad.

"We highly value our relationship with Ms. Knowles. It is categorically untrue that L'Oréal Paris altered Ms. Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Feria hair color," the Paris-based company said in a statement sent to the Associated Press through the singer's representative.

The ad is in the current edition of Elle magazine.

L'Oreal, the maker of Garnier hair care and Lancome cosmetics, is the world's largest cosmetics maker.

A representative for Beyonce said the singer would have no comment beyond L'Oreal's statement.

Beyonce has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal since 2001.

Comments

[Sarahjan]

Propeity
“She doesn't look particular "white" in the ads. She looks quadroonic or octatroonic”, IMO. .
Propeity
And you know that Quadroons were specially ‘sexually and reproductively’ produced to increasing their values in the slave market. Your comments showt that whiteness has always meant money!
Beyonce knows this; L'Oreal know it and you know it!

[jcwtts1]

gotta tell you quadroon and octaroon are really offensive terms. I actually haven't heard them in about 20 years. Seriously wow.

[Theda]

I've never even heard of the word OCTAROON. It sounds ridiculous.

[MalloMel]

I agree. I think somebody is a bigot and is trying to get a shot in there.

[MalloMel]

I totally agree.

[Propeity]

She doesn't look particular "white" in the ads. She looks quadroonic or octatroonic, IMO. .

While I think that its refreshing that people like Alex Wok and others can be celebrated, the fashion media and totally forgotten about this one very beautiful niche, the "mysterious octarooon", that can be asssociated to many different ethnic identities.. Hispanic, White, Native American and Creolel. It would be wonderful to see more girls associated to the African American or Creole identity with this kind of physical ambiguity. Generally, when you see this kind of physical ambguity, the models or celebrities typically identify as white or Hispanic.

And kudos to Loreal for maintaining Beyonce's essence. I've seen other photos of various celebrities, whereby the features and hair were so heavy handedly done, that the subject model was not regonziable. With Beyonce, you know its her.

[DCCommuter]

The only thing "mysterious" about quadroons and macaroons (whatever) is how their white fathers "back in the day" convinced their white wives that those part-black kids did not exist.

[Propeity]

DC Commuter,

Please read the autobiography of the Delaney Sisters, the subject of the hit Broadway play. They are descended from a white woman who raised their ancestor, a mulatto along with her other white kids.

This mulatto woman, went on to marry a white man. And that progeny (quadroon) married a white man. And the resulting progeny married a white man, who gave birth to the mother of the Delaney sisters--a white woman who choose to remain in the black community. So, please don't generalize about the mal-treatment of quadroonic/octaroonic women in general. Many were regarded with great respect by their white fathers.

[bavb63]

the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice!

[IRememberClifford]

If you say so.... I prefer Strawberries myself.

[MalloMel]

I like .raspberries, but blackberries are really good, too.

[catswatching]

Beyonce IS tan on the pic on the left.
Beyonce is very light. The pic on the left looks like Beyonce's natural color ... which is "light".
WHY do publishers always have to "darken" blacks in pics?
I have a Fortune magazine in my office with an awful pic of Obama about ten shades darker than he actually is.
When I commented about it with other people in the office, no one even noticed.
But I still wonder ... , WHY did Fortune magazine do that?
Funny thing is ... the media doesn't do that to Harold Ford.

[jcwtts1]

maybe not the national media but I'm sure it has been done in tenn. By the way did you see the Meet The Press interview with O... about 12 minutes in they changed the lighting and lightened him. I think the second O was more his normal skin color and the initial lighting darkened him. JMHO

J

[Sarahjan]

Alessan

I read your comment about photographic lightening two ways: That you have not read the about the history of photography, including the deliberate practice of turning subjects many shades whiter than these subjects actually are or you are trying to muddy the waters with L'Oreal Faux Fas with Beyonce by bring up photography. If you lack knowledge of photographic production of racial whiteness, I urge you to read Richard Dyer’s seminal book, “White”[1997]

[joe757]

Of course they lightened it. And airbrushed it, and got rid of some lines, and did all sorts of things. Magazine photos do that to everyone. Famous people don't look like that in real life!!!

[ibivi]

Look at the pictures. In the first she's outside and the second is obviously a studio photo. And probably airbrushed and photoshopped as well. Hey this is not the first that magazines have altered pictures. It has become pretty routine.

[fetacheese]

yes exactly. i don't understand what the fuss is about. even before i worked in post production, you just kinda know that they fix photos. it's a given. but after i started working in post, it was shocking to see how MUCH they fix, trim, and airbrush. these people look nothing like their photos or commercials (some more than others, of course). and i'm sure it being a beauty ad, they HAD to adjust her skin tone to complement her hair. beyonce is recognizable and likable enough that they're not trying to make her someone else, or "whiter" for the american masses (as that is what seems to be implied). but photoshop, especially for a beauty ad, is a GIVEN. people need to settle down!

[WRPrintz]

I just saw Jonathan Frakkes (sp?- Cmdr. Riker) last week. He looks about the same as you see him in pictures. Taller than I expected.

.....though, this has nothing to do with Beyonce.

[Alessan]

Oh, for goodness sake, don't be so crazy, dark skin sometimes photographs very dark or very light, depending on the lighting in the room or outdoors the sun. What exactly is the matter with people.
Has anyone that is saying this seen her in person, the television doesn't show true color all the
time either, second, maybe she was darker from the sun when she took the picture and now she's
lost the tan when she took the second picture, yes dark skin does get tanner.

[NoPCZone]

I think it has more to do with the lighting and makeup than any photoshop work and I used to make my living as a photographer.
Either way, she is beautiful.

[Seven7s]

Willie Lynch was a hoax...Rasthe Destroyer (Seriously, look it up not well known that i twas a hoax most dont know)/

Also, there are so many possiblities that have nothing to do with race so it's unwise to just jump straight to race on these things.

Im black so I understand the paranoia and a lot of times it is founded in truth but sometimes you have to at least think of all possiblities before jumping to one.

Second of all beyonce isnt exactly a beacon of black pride. She had a nose job to get rid of her wide nose. She wears looooong straight weave and not even weave but BLOND weave. So if we are going to play the "black power" card lets not hand the cards to Ms. Knowles.

[ms.understood]

It seems to me that the media and media outlets appreciate black attributes as long as they are not on a black person. For instance, what's so great about Kim Kardasians' booty, when other women of color have possessed those things since the beginning of time? The same thing was swooned over about J. Lo a couple of years ago. I'm so sick of beauty being recognized just in one hue and not in others. Things will be a lot better when people realize that beauty comes in many different forms, and no one should have to "lighten" anything in order to be considered beautiful or to sell a product.

[sparkandy]

With the pics side by side, she's much more beautiful with the darker skin and hair. So much more natural looking. I don't understand why black people want to color that lovely black hair. My mother had hair that color, even though she had pale skin and blue eyes, and I'm partial to black hair. I'm a natural blonde and I always wanted hair that color, since I was the only blonde in the family. Of course, people with my skin color spend millions of dollars and millions of hours trying to get it darker, which is also silly. Natural is always prettier, and Beyonce is gorgeous in the darker picture and sort of cheesy looking in the lighter one.

[BigMike75]

Amen!

[rasthedestroyer]

what does it profit to gain the world and lose your color....... Mr. Crow i'd like you to meet Mr. Lynch.

[Daly]

Vogue Italian in July 2008 published an all black model issue to rave reviews and it celebrated women of every hue in the "black" rainbow with interesting color enhancements done to lighten AND darken the women.

http://jezebel.com/5024967/italian-vogues-all-black-issue-a-guided-tour

[mexicanamerican1948]

Women of color are beautiful. That is the truth. I came back from a recent trip to Cartagena Colombia and 90% were a 10 as an expample. She does not need touch up , the cosmetic companies just need to leave her alone, she is a 11.

[BlackWidowPilot]

It is August in Texas and it is pouring rain outside.

"mexicanamerican1948" and I are in 110% agreement on something.

Did Hell just freeze over?

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Sarahjan]

Ceasenake
She wears expansive long straight fake hair with soft texture.

[Sarahjan]

Oliviasmommi
Yes black people tan! I do tan. But you really do not believe that "tanning" is the reason why Beyonce is few shades lighter in L'Oreal ad? Do you know how billions dollars of lightening cosmetics L’Oreal sells to women of color every year? Because they[women of color ]can worth it! What is that it is? The “It” is beauty. But beauty for L’Oreal is white!