White Models Defend Their Use Of Blackface While Dressing Up As Venus And Serena Williams

Wearing blackface is never okay. It appears that models Sophie Applegarth and Julie Iovenitti did not get that memo. The two of them went to a "sports star" themed costume party dressed up as Serena and Venus Williams.

The models did not simply dress up in tennis dresses and carry tennis rackets. They went as far as painting all of their visible skin a dark brown color to imitate the African American tennis stars. A white person wearing blackface is extremely offensive.

Blackface came about in America during the 19th century when slavery existed as a form of theatrical makeup. It was used by white performers and directly contributed to the spread of black stereotypes and racism.

We do not know why these two decided to wear such racist costumes, but they were not the only ones. Sally Coburn also wore blackface while dressed up as Kobe Bryant.

In an array of Instagram photos, the girls seem to just be partying it up without a thought or care in the world that their costumes were extremely offensive. Applegarth defended her choice in costume by saying, "There is nothing racist about backing ur favorite sport stars mate." She later added: "Go to school and learn what racism really means."

Sometime after, Applegarth apologized and said that she had no racist or malicious intent by the photos she posted. She said that they were just praising their favorite sports stars and did not mean to offend anyone.

The damage was already done. Besides the girls losing followers on Instagram, Applegarth's modeling agency has distanced itself from the model because of her actions and the surrounding controversy.

Applegarth is signed with the Chic Management Agency. But, if you visit their website, you will notice that the model's profile has been removed from the site. Her name has even been removed from the list of models that they represent. Chic Management has not made any official statements, and it is not clear if the profile removal means that she has been fired or if the agency is just simply distancing themselves until things start to settle down.

Applegarth removed the offensive photos from her Instagram account. She has also made her account private, but you know that once something is on the internet, it never really goes away. The photographs are still widely available.

An old classmate of Applegarth's has this photo posted on her public Facebook profile. It shows Iovenitti and Applegarth flipping the bird while dressed in their costumes. Supposedly, this is Iovenitti's insensitive response to the backlash the pair has received.

All we can do is hope that these two clearly ignorant models learn their lesson and get what they deserve. Even if Applegarth's agency did not fire her, her career and reputation will be severely damaged by this entire situation.