Katy Perry has agreed to stop selling a model of her new shoe line that many have slammed for their resemblance to the racial practice of blackface. Yes, this is something that really has happened. The pop music superstar recently released a line of footwear that is on sale as such retailers as Dillard’s and Walmart. We’re not sure what qualifies Katy Perry as someone who knows anything about footwear, but we’ll table that question for a moment in order to focus on the two polarizing examples from this line: The “Rue Face Slip On Loafers” and its high-heeled counterpart, “Ora Face Block Heel Sandal.” As you can see below, the first type of shoe cited above has two eyes, a nose and red lips on them; they come in two colors, black and beige — and it’s the latter that has caused quite an uproar. Why? Because it sure does look like blackface, which was a type of makeup donned by white performers in the late 20th century to mock African-Americans and to accentuate stereotypes against them. The heeled sandals (directly above) are also problematic. For the same reason, as you can clearly see. Many social media users have called Perry out, and even singer Masika Kalysha has commented on the controversy. “So we just gonna let Katy Perry slide?” the artist wrote on Twitter. Perry’s team has said that the star never meant to offend anyone, but also that Katy has agreed to stop selling these items. “In order to be respectful and sensitive, the team is in the process of pulling the shoes,” reads a statement to TMZ. For a few very unfortunate reasons, the topic of blackface has been in the news often of late. The governor of Virginia, Ralph Northram, recently admitted that he attended a party back in college dressed like Michael Jackson. He also previously admitted to being featured in a photo from his high school yearback as someone donning blackface. Elsewhere, it was revealed last week that Joy Behar went out for Halloween in blackface just two years ago. And Megyn Kelly, as you must know, was fired by NBC for asking why blackface is considered racist . It’s the year 2019. How are so many people failing to understand why this is so wrong?!?
Read this article:
Katy Perry to Yank Controversial "Blackface" Shoes Off Store Shelves
