Cosmopolitan magazine has offered a weak mea culpa after their ill-fated January issue where they created “21 Beauty Trends that Need to Die in 2015, featuring trends they wanted to “kill” (the black photos) next to trends that were considered “gorgeous” (the white photos) In the gallery of 21 side-by-side photos, all four photos that displayed Black women with “RIP” across the top of the photo.
Social media exploded in anger as they equated the images as racism. One of the Black women featured on the “RIP” side was supermodel Joan Smalls and she vented her white hot anger in Cosmo’s direction.
She tweeted Cosmo, asking them what they were trying to imply with the gallery and the magazine replied:
There’s also now an editor’s note at the top of the gallery, stating, “A note from the editor: This article focuses on beauty trends with images that represent those trends. Some images have been taken out of context, and we apologize for any offense. Celebrating all women is our mission, and we will continue.”
The magazine tweeted the apology as well, inciting an even harsher backlash:
https://twitter.com/Ice_Jones/status/584035567811211264
Black women aren't a trend we set the standard. everything yall put in your magazines Blk women did yrs ago #Cosmopolitan #BoycottCosmo
— MoMoTheGodmotha (@CoCoValentine) April 3, 2015
https://twitter.com/KrazySexcCool/status/583697678866997248