Feria Can Lighten Anything You Want

by Latoya Peterson

So, I was browsing Jezebel and came across this Photoshop of Horrors entry:

And I thought to myself, what person is this supposed to be? I don’t quite recognize the…wait a sec, that’s supposed to be Beyonce?

Now, Beyonce is a style chameleon.

But I looked at this shot:

And this one:

And a few others, and she still looks like Bey. Even with the changes in make up, hair, and the application of Photoshop, she is still recognizable.

But what did they do to her skin? And her nose?

(Thanks to Jezebel for letting me snatch their scans.)

Edited:

I’m going to add another photo:

And commentary from Cheryl Lynn:

Can we please lay off Beyonce? I highly doubt that this woman, who we have all seen get blissfully darker as she gallivants across the globe with her husband, fired up the ol’ Photoshop in order to lighten her skin color for this advertisement. Why direct your ire at Beyonce? [...]

You want to do something to stop it? Contact the companies that do this and inform them that you will no longer be buying their products until the situation has been rectified. But giving the side-eye to fair-skinned black women who are just trying to make a living? Lame. Especially when these women have been some of the most vocal about the rampant colorism taking place in the entertainment industry. Why? Because they get a front row seat when it comes to viewing the damage that is inflicted upon dark-skinned women who are told that they will never be worthy enough. They see what has been done to their daughters and sisters. And it cuts them deeply. Why yell at the only people trying to keep you from falling while the rest of the world tries to knock you down?