Does that digitally-altered image of First Lady Michelle Obama making the rounds in the blogosphere today offend you? It's a Spanish magazine's August cover featuring Obama's head super imposed over "Portrait d'une négresse," a 19th century painting by French artist Marie-Guillemine Benoist. The cover, which appears on magazine called Fuera de Serie, depicts a semi-topless Obama seated on a chair covered with an American flag.
According to Clutch, an online magazine targeting black women, the image accompanies a story titled, "Michelle Tataranieta De Esclava, Dueña De América" which translates to "Michelle Granddaughter of a Slave, Lady of America."
Given how touchy Americans are over the subject of slavery, it's understandable that a lot of folks are looking sideways at it. When I first saw it, my thoughts snapped back to that infamous New Yorker caricature of the now first lady in camouflage and an afro. With this particular cover, though, I'm inclined to write it off as just another magazine, looking for attention, which it certainly has achieved. I'd attach the cover to this blog post, but why give it any more publicity?