Agreed.
Anna - it's just a thought with very debatable legs. But again, using a Black African woman wouldn't work
if that thought was actually in play.
What spiderlashes said about offense being present in the racist art form of it didn't cross my mind. If that's what people who're familiar with racist art like that are clearly seeing/it's unmistakable, then it's safe to say the thought doesn't apply.
The only way I assumed people were reacting to it was "so even when they want to honor Black African beauty they use a white woman, out of perception that her beauty is superior."
Which made me wonder if the shoot's team could have conceived of it like "here's a white woman who wants to capture Black African beauty." Western-idolizing behavior turned around. She's altering herself to fit the mold she's aspiring to. You couldn't send that message with a Black African model.