Constance Jablonski by Greg Kadel for Numéro #117

Posted by · Oct 1st, 2010 · 2010, Constance Jablonski, Editorial, Greg Kadel, Numéro, Patti Wilson ·

Starring in the controversial shoot from Numéro October, Constance Jablonski delves into the wilderness for a day of nature and familial bonding. Photographed by Greg Kadel and styled by Patti Wilson in an array of seventies inspired looks including a blonde and brunette afro, the French model takes on the role of mother to a black child. Numéro has always been a cutting edge publication, but is this just an artistic statement or did this shoot push it too far? What do you think?












  • Bigler Steve

    Great images, beautiful story… why get all panty bunched and draw color lines?….

  • Jjovana3

    Why not just get a black model??

    Then again, who cares about her, that adorable cute baby steals this editorial!!!!

    • Celia

      Well almost every people interest in fashion since she is the one wearing the clothes…

      And why not get a black model? Because I dont see any onetrying to play a black women! Only a white model wearing an afro wig!
      Soo please you like other people try to think for once before trying to create a debate base on nothing…
      Even the baby himself is not totally black but more chocolate so he is probably a mix btwn black and white parents.

      • Sasha

        The issue is that it looks as if they darkened her skin (to see examples of her skin color go here: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f52/constance-jablonski-september-2008-march-2010-a-71709.html ). The fact that she is sporting an afro and being shot with a black boy would make it clear that she is trying to pass for a black woman (or at least a mixed woman). It is a problem because she’s not a black model and some would consider this “blackface” (which I hope I wouldn’t have to explain and tell how insultingly racist that trend is).

        And the child’s skin tone is not indicative of being a mixed child. There are some black people who simply have lighter skin and some black people who simply have darker skin.

        • Bigler Steve

          You are flying the blackface/sambo card? Lame… and just as racist in reversal to label as such.

          Res ipsa loquitur!

          • Twocherrydoves

            There is no such thing as reverse racism, you moron. This is clearly blackface, and you’re of the utmost ignorance and in denial of it if you can’t recognize that. You don’t even deserve an explanation of why blackface is racist and how this editorial is also.

        • Nicole

          What you are saying it’s so stupid!!! Come on!!!! constance skin is may be a bit more golden than usually but certainly no black!!!!!! And even thought she was playing a black in what is it racist? Then if you see a male model wearing heels on an editorial you gonna yell Homophobia??

          • Jjovana3

            That makes no sense whatsoever. Why do you automatically assume if a man wears heels on a runway, he’s gay? Some people see this as Constance in blackface, some not. Its a matter of an opinion, and dont try to pass your opinion as a fact. Its irresponsible and dangerous.

      • sarinni

        what is the problem in seeing black references? even in the clothing i can see them… so what?
        beyonce goes whiter so why not get constance get darker?

        • Jjovana3

          People always bitch and complain how there is not enough black models in the industry. Thats why some people might see it as a problem. Im sure there were plenty of black girls who would have done this editorial, yet they chose a very white girl and made her skin extra “tan”. Lets get real here please.

      • Jjovana3

        I made my comment based on her skin, because TO ME it looks like it was darkened to make her appear black. Constance is NOT this “tan”. Im not saying its racist, Im simply asking, if you are gonna make her “look” black (skin, hair, clothes etc.) why simply not get a black gal. Thats all.

      • Twocherrydoves

        Celia, grow a brain cell please. Black people come in all different shades, but according to you, in order to be “totally black” you have to be Alek Wek’s skin tone. Get off the computer, and go educate yourself about cultures other than your own. Oh and take some grammar classes while your at it, I could barely understand what you were trying to say.

        • Celia

          Well if you want we can continu the debate in sweden, this way no pb of grammar! so your comment about the different shades of black is also true for the different shades of white!!! We are in 2010 I just think it makes no sense to create a debate about that s not racist but the opposite of it!! To me this editorial express the idea of a diversify world but anyway you ll find something to say this is racist… You are just narrow-minded and full of anger so you need something to express! By the way I m black myself…

        • guest

          ‘There is no such thing as reverse racism’. Such a totally idiotic statement and a great way to expose yourself as a BLACK RACIST.

          • Insuline

            There isn’t reverse racism, but you have different types of racism. That’s a difference, not reversed.

          • Insuline

            There isn’t reverse racism, but you have different types of racism. That’s a difference, not reversed.

          • Insuline

            There isn’t reverse racism, but you have different types of racism. That’s a difference, not reversed.

        • guest

          ‘There is no such thing as reverse racism’. Such a totally idiotic statement and a great way to expose yourself as a BLACK RACIST.

  • Rolex

    ? Kadel!

  • http://alafemme.blogspot.com Alafemmeblog

    I actually love these, the little boy is so cute!!

    http://alafemme.blogspot.com

  • anonymous

    I do love Kadel and Constance, but I don’t see the point behind this. It’s not even shocking because I’ve seen editorials like this before. I see how an afro recalls the 70′s, but why put Constance in this role (other than to get attention)?

  • Weslen Pedro

    There is nothing racist in the photos. Only two things bother me. The first is because they chose a black model and the second link made between the maternal relationship black and wild countryside.

    • Anonymous

      The model is NOT black, but a french caucasian with a serious spray tan.

      This is a problem because an overwhelmingly small amount of models of color – especially black models – are used in fashion shows, etc. – and this photographer chose to “represent diversity” by not hiring a model of color and representing them as such.

    • Anonymous

      The model is NOT black, but a french caucasian with a serious spray tan.

      This is a problem because an overwhelmingly small amount of models of color – especially black models – are used in fashion shows, etc. – and this photographer chose to “represent diversity” by not hiring a model of color and representing them as such.

    • Anonymous

      The model is NOT black, but a french caucasian with a serious spray tan.

      This is a problem because an overwhelmingly small amount of models of color – especially black models – are used in fashion shows, etc. – and this photographer chose to “represent diversity” by not hiring a model of color and representing them as such.

  • guest

    These are inching close to black face, and yes, why didnt they get a black model? Its not like high fashion couldnt stand to be more diverse. The photos are lovely but its also quite sad that they will choose controversy and cast a white girl when they could have given legions of models of color a time to shine

    • Bigler Steve

      Get a ‘black model’ song? Okay let’s play this out…

      How black? Cross okay? Or would the be inferior? Nigerian, coco, chocolate, caramel, ebony, how big the lips, how flat the nose, Ethiopian? (no… that would be tainted from North African / Middle Eastern breed mixing) Let’s just go with Pygmies or isolated Aboriginals… after DNA testing of course….

      • anonymous

        What are you even saying? I’m willing to listen to your argument but I cannot understand you at all.

      • Jjovana3

        That is so pointless. Who “sorts” people like that, black or white?

      • guest

        Wth are you talking about?
        You are right- African and African descendant folks come in a wide range of phenotypes and colors. Not the point here.
        The point is, they are trying to invoke an ‘ethnic’ feel and they used a white ass girl to do it when they could have used the dozens of up and coming and equally talented models of color. Melodie Monrose anyone? Jourdon Dunn? Any of them + more could have rocked this shoot, but they had to use Constance. Don’t tell me there is nothing racist about the fashion industry when black girls/models of color are bypassed time and time again.

    • Jjovana3

      I completely agree. Thats exactly what I was implying above also.

  • Bigler Steve

    Lol… Naomi wearing blue contacts… how dare she… clearing attempting “white face”?

  • http://twitter.com/TheJemaniGroup The Jemani Group

    Was there any written content that went along with this editorial shoot? And who is the designer of the sick orange coat in look #2 ? Perhaps the photographer and stylist should have worked more closely on the concept of story behind the woman it does seem a bit all over the place. It seems because the lighting is so very inconsistent there is a degree of uncertainty. Look # 1 is ideal as far as if the concept is mother and child. If she is just a model on a shoot in the Outback or the African Savannah and she is just at aw over this cute kid as they stop for a break while changing locations then any look works.

  • Jess

    not gonna lie, this is kinda freaky.

  • Anonymous

    Am I the only one who didn’t see this as ‘get a black model?’

    I kinda saw it as she was a white girl with a fro, and a baby that appears 1/2 white/1/2 black or similar mix. I dunno, I didn’t read it at racist when looking at it just now, I kinda saw it as a white girl with a black baby daddy and hanging out in black culture…

    • Celia

      THANK YOU!!!!! I think it s exactly what is about here!

    • flo

      It’s funny because here in London I see everyday white women push prams with darker babies in them. It is called : multiracial society and couples. I have also seen white women with green eyes and afro hair due to mixed parents.
      What I don’t like in the ed is not all that chitchat we are creating, but the inconsistency of the format and form of the sequence of images. ANTM sprung to mind (sorry, but it is true) when they make the models pair up with a colored baby, with an afro to boost. That can’t really be a good thing….

      • sarinni

        of course there’s mix parenting, thats not the issue here… do the white women pushing prams with darker babies in them have afros?

    • Trevor

      and these white girls also grow fros because they are into black culture
      and if they were trying to convey at multi racial relatioship then where is the black male model
      mis communication lies all throughout this editorial…Constance is not that tan just look at her on the runway now
      that baby is not of mixed desent just because he is lighter…i am 100% black and i am lighter than that baby so Celia’s comment is also
      invalid…i dont find this racist i just find it lazy and uninspiring…they could have either hired a black female model as the mother or got a black
      male model dad to at least be in a couple of shots as well

  • http://multiplefashiondisorder.wordpress.com poeticrealist

    Wow. Everyone’s so focused on the political and social implications of this. That’s not terribly surprising I guess. But Numero’s always been cutting-edge sometimes to the point of major controversy. I agree with basementcat; I think it’s fine. Also, is it weird that I really love that finger-length ring on her pinky? It’s so awesome.

  • Anonymous

    This is hands down one of the best editorials I’ve seen in a long time. I don’t much care about the politics that people might choose to see within the pictures, because frankly speaking it isnt really about that at all. The white girl with an afro and quasi-African baby is just a symbol of our mixed society today etc…. its merely a nice thematic touch.
    Lets rather take note of the superb styling, flawless model and GORGEOUS photography + lighting. Bravo!

    xoxo

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2ZHOP2PJU6DIRLBZ2AQJD3M3RM Doen EnO

      I agree. There’s too much reading into things going on. Perhaps whoever the casting director was for this decided that Constance would do the best job. Maybe they wanted a specific look and couldn’t readily find a black model with the features they wanted, etc etc. There could be 1,000,000 reasons for this but I don’t see why we need to harp on it. The clothes are beautiful, the setting’s beautiful, the photography is beautiful, Constance and the child look beautiful, it’s a great spread.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2ZHOP2PJU6DIRLBZ2AQJD3M3RM Doen EnO

      I agree. There’s too much reading into things going on. Perhaps whoever the casting director was for this decided that Constance would do the best job. Maybe they wanted a specific look and couldn’t readily find a black model with the features they wanted, etc etc. There could be 1,000,000 reasons for this but I don’t see why we need to harp on it. The clothes are beautiful, the setting’s beautiful, the photography is beautiful, Constance and the child look beautiful, it’s a great spread.

  • http://stylometre.blogspot.com Vikki

    Amazing editorial, I just love everything about it (especially the little boy!)…

    Vikki

    http://stylometre.blogspot.com

  • Jenny1232

    i cant believe everyone’s focus here is on the political and social ramifications of what the shoot is/is not insinuating. as an editorial this is weak – the styling is pretty poor, why all the random prams, why is she in a wheat field – those lace tights are actually distracting – and these pics are a little over retouched. regardless of the message these pictures are trying to deliver, the method chosen to do so is not very effective

  • http://twitter.com/RossinaBossio Rossina Bossio

    I don’t care about racism or political issues. I just think Constance doesn’t look good with darkened skin and doesn’t play an interesting role here (she has the same face in every picture). The hole editorial just looks kind of creepy to me. I agree with Jenny1232: “regardless of the message these pictures are trying to deliver, the method chosen to do so is not very effective”.

  • Jjovana3

    Easy for you all to say this isnt political. You are not in the flock of black girls dying to be in magazine such as this. There is PLENTY of them out there. I can only imagine how they feel when they see this.

  • Guest

    This editorial is really beautiful. Why get into comments about racism and stuff when it’s just beautiful clothing, photography, and overall ART?

  • Weslen Pedro

    leaving aside that the model does a white paper black. As a black mother has to be in a field? Is the urban landscape not belong?

  • Twocherrydoves

    Most of the comments on here reflect just how far we’ve come in society and fashion when it comes to race , which is obviously not very far at all. Most of you can’t even recognize how this editorial is insensitive to say in the least. They put a white girl in an afro wig and darkened her skin, along with giving her a black baby as an ACCESSORY! This is ignorance in the guise of art, because it’s totally fashionable to be black unless you’re actually black. Many of you don’t want to see the “politics” involved in this, because you choose to stick your head in the sand, and enjoy your privileges of not being part of a culture that is still looked down upon, and constantly shafted. I love fashion as much as the next person, but I’m educated enough to not be distracted by pretty girls and clothes and recognize that this editorial is a slap in the face to many people.

    • Bigler Steve

      Let’s expand this to the message being sent out by black models wearing blue and green contacts then… (lol)

    • firsttaste

      I think she’s wearing blackface, too.

    • Collaborationetc

      well what are your thoughts on the fact that the stylist Patti Wilson is a black american woman? just wondering. because i see your point but think that this editorial may have been more relevant when adopting african babies were all the rage. or at least that is how the media spun it. i look at this story and i see it for what it is, not the best editorial. it to me says affluent rich woman that happens to maybe be biracial or entertaining the idea of wearing the “ethnic trend”.

    • guest

      Perfect response! Anyone saying, look beyond the politics, has never had their lives devastated/affected by racial politicking. I don’t give a fuck if you are some prissy rich -white- person not offended by this. Of course you arent. You have the luxury to ignore politics and dehumanization.

  • http://internalregret.tumblr.com Alicia

    You’re all idiots.
    Can’t even see the story for all your
    worrying about whats’ racist and what isn’t.

    • Jjovana3

      way to get your point across by starting it with insulting folks who are having a healthy, normal debate about the spread. Get real.

  • Danielle

    Why does everything have to make sense? Why can’t a white model wear an afro? Would people be equally outraged if there was an editorial with a black model in a blonde wig with a white baby? I’m black and I honestly think this editorial is beautiful. While I think a black model could have also done it beautifully, it would have had a completely different look and feel. I hope to see more editorials like this, with both black and white models, where it’s more about beauty and artistry rather than cautiously toptoeing around racial lines.

    • Jjovana3

      Fashion industry is NOT diverse, as much as some people claim it to be. look at the runways, 1 black gal for 10 white ones. Im sure are TON of black gals who would have given their kidney to be featured in a spread like this, yet they were passed on for a white gal, with blackface and afro. There is just too much sand around for people to stick their heads in, and ignore the REAL issues we are plagued with.

      • Bigler Steve

        Lol 1 to 10? What fantasyland are you living in? More like 1 to 157.
        Personally I am offended at the thought of the Wayans Brothers doing that movie where there wore white face. How dare they…

        • Lydia

          OMG! THAT IS SO RACIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Georgeta

    Well can any of you, among those seing things where they aren’t..

    If I choose to cast in a photoshoot/play/anything a thin woman wearing pillows to make her appear fat rather than a naturally fat woman ..IS IT THE SAME THING?

    If u cannot see the difference, then please let us artists do our jobs?

    • Anonymous

      you can ALWAYS tell a difference. Then why not cast a bigger girl? Same here, why not cast a black girl?? Blind can see they made her into “blackface”

  • Georgeta

    Well can any of you, among those seing things where they aren’t..

    If I choose to cast in a photoshoot/play/anything a thin woman wearing pillows to make her appear fat rather than a naturally fat woman ..IS IT THE SAME THING?

    If u cannot see the difference, then please let us artists do our jobs?

  • Ferdinand

    All I see is more over-processed caricaturization of a human being, with the model looking like a plastic doll. If race is to be debated, there first has to be something depicted that resembles a human being and not a caricature of one.

  • luvu

    why not use an asian mohdle??

  • luvu

    why not use an asian mohdle??

  • anon

    WTF? shoots like this make me realize how moronic fashion can be. Booooooooo

  • Codahaus

    These are really weird.

  • Codahaus

    These are really weird.

  • Lydia

    Too much photoshop on some picture, but the overall is gorgeous!!!

  • Anonymous

    Mmm, 53 comments…

  • Anonymous

    Mmm, 53 comments…

  • http://twitter.com/harlo harlo

    obviously, the artist was making a nod towards Blaxploitation films, and for the most part, controversial choice-of-model notwithstanding, does a VERY good job capturing the aura of the filmic ideal. Ever see a Pam Grier movie from the 70s? (Friday Foster and Sheeba immediately come to mind to me…)

    i understand, and sometimes, deeply feel, exactly why this is an affront to black women (myself included) but i’m also willing to give credit towards a pretty ballsy, and well-executed artistic endeavor.

  • Anonymous

    Stunning debat. Some black people seem to be insulted. But as I am not black (half yellow), I did not see any racism in the pictures. Just a game about colors (the model does not even look as a Black woman or it is the worst make up I ever saw :-)). I like it, it’s strange and dreamy.

  • Guest

    This is stupid. We are so fucking racist we don’t even realize it anymore. Stupid and offensive.

  • http://twitter.com/huitingxo Huiting

    Dont like the hair, or the fake black. and the black and white here.

  • Maya

    I don’t care if she’s not black but let’s face it they should have used someone who looks good with an afro….she kinda looks ugly in some shots.
    Kid is cute though :)

  • Maya

    I don’t care if she’s not black but let’s face it they should have used someone who looks good with an afro….she kinda looks ugly in some shots.
    Kid is cute though :)

    • Celia

      OMG! right now my biggest wish woulbe to expose your face to the entire world, this way people could laugh about How ugly you must look!!!

  • Ben Coover

    This is such a weird one. There’s two ways to analyze this editorial, of course: in a strictly aesthetic sense, or within a wider cultural/political context. I guess it’s easiest to start with the former? Regardless of who they hired as a model, this would be a wack-ass editorial, at least in my opinion; it’s all over the place. Like, who is exactly is this woman? Ok, so she’s got the afro and 70′s kind of styling, so those elements suggest one thing, but then there’s the environment she and “her baby” are in, which seems out of place, and finally the crazy Victorian pram, which throws the whole thing off again. Obviously combing incongruous elements for the fantasy of fashion can have really amazing results, but in this particular case, the end result doesn’t transcend the dissonance of the ingredients. It LOOKS disjointed.

    As far as the more pressing, political/racial side to this editorial…what were they thinking? The people who oversaw the creation of these images couldn’t have been ignorant of the implications of casting a blue-eyed blonde as a black boho mama. Sorry, but this feels like smug controversy baiting and it’s like…for what? You can’t congratulate yourself for saying anything new here; the only thing that Greg Kadel is doing is rehashing some of the lamer societal messages still ingrained in our white-dominated capitalist culture. This editorial reminds me of all the tacit, behind-the-back discrimination that goes hand in hand with luxury culture. Fashion is a particularly bad example of this, as it’s a particularly VISIBLE example.

    This is so blandly, stupidly racist that it doesn’t even live up to the controversy it so desperately is trying for.