It's puzzling--to say the least--that after the fashion
industry has landed in hot water many times for
stereotyping race and culture, that Heidi Klum would
green light this "Native American-inspired" photo shoot
for Germany's Next Top Model.
The "themed" photo shoot features non-Native women
(contestants on Germany's Next Top Model) posing in
elaborate feather headdresses and face paint. In one
shot--a close-up--a model stares into the camera with a
single tear running down her cheek.
Heidi posted images from the photo shoot on her
Facebook page with the caption, "Here are my beautiful
GNTM girls!" Unsurprisingly, the photos were met with
outrage, criticizing Heidi and those involved in the photo
shoot for racial and cultural insensitivity.
Unfortunately, this is not a new offense for the fashion
industry. This past December, Chanel took heat for
featuring models in headresses during the Chanel-Dallas
Metiers d'Art show. Similarly, Victoria's Secret landed in
hot water after Karlie Kloss wore a Native American
headdress and bikini during the 2012 Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show.
That same year, the brand Paul Frank faced backlash
after holding a Fashion's Night Out party that was
dubbed a "Dream Catchin' Pow Wow," encouraging
guests to wear "war paint." And Urban Outfitters has
been the subject of criticism for its frequent use of the
word "Navajo" in product names.
These brands have since apologized, and the hope would
be that others would learn from these mistakes. While
Heidi Klum has not made an official statement,
Christoph Korfer, a spokesperson for Germany's Next
Top Model production company ProSieben, told The
Independent on behalf of Klum and the show, "By no
means was our intention to insult Native Americans or in
any way demean their heritage. We sincerely apologize."
The images are still up on Heidi Klum's Facebook page,
with over 1,000 comments, ranging from "Beautiful
photos!" to "Disappointing" to "This is racist and
offensive."
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