The Shortlist for Jan. 17
By Jen Odell
Whether or not Beyonce herself is to blame, she sure seems to be a magnet for skin color controversy. New artwork from the singer's album "4" surfaced this week, and her skin (not to mention, that blond hair) appears dramatically lighter than it does in real-life. Although Bey has not yet commented on the growing Web buzz about the image, it's not the first time she's come under fire for the apparent changing color of her skin. In a 2008 L'Oreal campaign, Beyonce's coloring was digitally lightened in post-production. At the time, writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown wrote in the Daily Mail, that "when black celebrities appear to deny their heritage by trying to make themselves look white, I despair for the youngsters who see those images." Last spring, Bey was attacked for wearing black face-paint in an "African Queen"-themed issue of French fashion magazine L'Officiel Paris. (Celebitchy)