Is Beyoncé’s Skin Tone Too Light In This New Promo For 4?

In re-promotion of her album 4, this is the photo of Beyoncé being used to remind those of us who haven’t bought it to pick it up stat. When the photo was released this week it stunned critics and fans alike because of the lightness of her skin. The New York Post has called the photo “shocking” while other sites are condemning the artist and new mother for not “representing” her African American ethnicity.

It’s hard to tell whether it’s the lighting that was used during the shoot or if the image was digitally altered afterward, but either way it’s definitely not a clear image of Beyoncé’s true skin tone.

This isn’t the first time she has been slammed in the media for her dishonest coloring. In 2008, L’Oreal was accused of lightening her skin in a Feria hair color ad. In that case it might be easier to blame marketing instead of Beyoncé.  But one would like to hope that her contract would allow her to have a say in how she’s represented. If she really is who she claims to be in her song lyrics, you’d think she’d step in and point out that there’s a lot of false advertising going on in these advertisements.