Illamasqua makeup ad creates blackface controversy
Makeup brand gets heat for new ad.

A new ad for Australian makeup brand Illamasqua is creating a stir in the beauty world.
In the ad, a model wearing an all-white outfit with a matching white face features the slogan "NOT Dreaming Of A White Christmas." The ad next to it features a model wearing an all-black outfit with a matching black face with the same words, "NOT Dreaming Of A White Christmas."
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But despite all the uproar surrounding the potentially racist ad, the beauty brand is speaking out, saying it's showing color ON the skin, not color OF the skin.
The brand’s Facebook page says this in response to the ad.
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"We thank and acknowledge your comments regarding the above image. Obviously it was never our intention to cause offence; Illamasqua has always celebrated the right to self-expression and we continually push creative and artistic boundaries, priding ourselves on working with models of many ethnic backgrounds to reinforce this point. Alex Box, Illamasqua's Creative Director, has emphasised that this campaign is about colour ON the skin, not colour OF the skin, depicting polarity between the two images (both images are the same model) not race."
Tell us: Is this ad offensive?
Bing: Blackface ad controversy
Photo courtesy Illamasqua
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