A Dutch fashion mag has issued an apology after its readers slammed it for calling Rihanna the n-word used in conjunction with the word bitch. The magazine “Jackie” used the phrase to describe the singer in its latest issue — sparking immediate criticism.
“While the author meant no harm — the title of the article was intended as a joke — it was a bad joke, to say the least,” Editor-in-chief Eva Hoeke wrote on the magazine’s Facebook page. “And that slipped through my, the editor-in-chief’s, fingers. Stupid, painful and sucks for all concerned.”
The article was essentially a critique of Rihanna’s style, down to her “ghetto a--” and “porn heels.” The editing mistakes also extended beyond the use of a racial slur — it incorrectly implied that the sexy songstress is Jamaican when she is actually from Barbados.
“Rihanna, the good girl gone bad, is the ultimate n----bitch and displays that gladly, and for her that means: what’s on can come off. If that means she’ll be on stage half naked, then so be it,” the author wrote.
On Facebook, Hoeke addressed the writer’s word choice. “I hope that you all believe there was absolutely no racist motive behind the choice of words. It was naïve to think that this was an acceptable form of slang. You hear it all the time on TV and radio, then your idea of what is normal apparently shifts – but it was especially misguided: there was no malice behind it.”
But Hoeke’s explanation might not cut it. Jezebel.com called her apology “unsatisfying,” and said that “if tossing around racial slurs is the Jackie staff’s ‘idea of what is normal,’ they might want to look into some new hires.”Parlour Magazine wrote that the article is “just wrong from every angle.”
“So, as editor in chief, Hoeke had no idea that this was offensive before running it and actually considered it as a joke?” the publication questioned on its website. Jackie is a well known fashion magazine in Holland, with a circulation of 57,700 copies per month, Parlour reported.