Michelle Obama Appears As Nude Slave On Magazine Cover
Well, it’s definitely a conversation starter. Michelle Obama is depicted as a naked slave on the cover of the latest edition of Spanish Magazine Fuera De Serie.
Yep, that’s bound to get some people talking.
But the magazine cover may not be as offensive as you might think. According to Buzzfeed, Michelle Obama’s face was photo-shopped onto a painting called Portrait d’une négresse by French artist Marie-Guillemine Benoist. The painting, which depicts a slave woman in nineteenth-century France, is generally seen as a supportive statement for women’s rights.
Art historian James Smalls writes:
“(Benoist) responded to early nineteenth-century French racialism and the less-than-desirable treatment of women… Her painting may be seen as a voice of protest, however small, in the discourse over human bondage.”
The article itself, according to Newsone, is about Michelle Obama’s popularity and how she has helped President Obama lead our nation.
Here’s a roughly translated description of the article “Michelle Tataranieta De Esclava, Dueña De América” (Michelle, Granddaughter Of A Slave. Lady Of America):
“…(The phrase) Behind every great man there is a great woman describes the Obama marriage. In the shadow of the U.S. President is a person whose popularity ratings exceed those of Barack’s own. This person is none other than his wife Michelle.”
Here’s the image of Michelle Obama as a naked slave on the cover of Fuera de Serie.
Here’s the original painting Portrait d’une négresse.
But despite the message of the original painting and the subject of the article, some people are still calling the image offensive and racist.
The Frisky writes:
“Plenty of absurd things are ‘artsy,’ like crafting Jesus on the cross out of elephant feces or giving birth inside an art gallery as a live action installation. But a drawing of Michelle Obama topless on the cover of Spain’s Magazine de Fuera de Serie is plain old tasteless.”
What do you think? Is the naked Michelle Obama cover racist?