Blackhair Magazine, a British beauty publication, bills itself as “an international bi-monthly magazine for the style conscious black woman. Packed with 100’s of hair inspirations, fashion, lifestyle and celebrity interviews, we are one of the leading publications for women of colour in Europe.”
However, on the cover of their December/January issue, they featured Emily Bador, a white woman. The editors later admitted they didn’t know she was white, as the picture showed Bador with her hair in a style usually associated with black women.
Bador, whose hair is naturally straight, quickly apologized for the picture and said that she had not given permission for it to be published.
“This image is (I think, although I’m not 100 percent sure) about 3/4 years old, it was never intended to be on the cover of this magazine,” she wrote. “If I had known it was going to be published, I would never have condoned it. I’m upset and angry I was never asked by the photographer/hair salon/anyone if this image could be used for the cover Black Hair.”
She added her apology for cultural appropriation as well, saying that she was 15 years old at the time the picture was taken and “didn’t understand cultural appropriation or the impact it has on POC.”
A photo posted by e m i l y bador (@darth_bador) on
Blackhair’s editor, Keysha Davis, said that the magazine runs pictures that they receive from PR companies and salons and that they always request black or mixed-race models.
“This morning it was brought to our attention that the model gracing our December/January issue is not of black or mixed-race heritage,” Davis wrote. “We were obviously not aware of this prior to selecting the image. We often ask PR companies/salons to submit images for the magazine, specifically stating that models must be Black or mixed race. We can only take their word for it, and of course, try to use our own judgment.”
Davis also thanked Bador for noticing the error and for speaking up about it.
