Katy Perry has apologised and says that she is deeply saddened after one of her shoe lines was deemed to be racist on social media. She has subsequently removed the offending shoes from her Katy Perry Collections website.
Pictured below, the two styles of shoe, the Rue Face slip-on loafer and the Ora Face block heel sandal, feature a face with prominent red lips. The singer was accused of evoking racist imagery in the form of blackface.
The shoes had been on sale in many US retail shops such as Walmart, but have also been removed following the backlash. A spokeswoman for Katy Perry told Sky News that Katy had been "saddened" by the negative response to the shoes, which were supposed to be a nod to modern art.
Ok Katy Perry explain these shoes SMH #blackface #KatyPerry #gucci #gucciblackface #boycott pic.twitter.com/j0dswNOSoH
— ChantillyCoco (@ChantillyCoco) February 11, 2019
