8841: One More Defense Of Naomi Campbell.

Mostly due to her diva—and criminal—tendencies, it’s hard to rally behind Naomi Campbell in her dispute with Cadbury. Nonetheless, MultiCultClassics will momentarily play diva advocate to offer chocolate food for thought.

First, everyone insisting the Cadbury campaign is not offensive should know this blog continues to believe that no individual may decide for others whether or not someone/something is racist. People draw their own conclusions in such matters based on personal perspectives and experiences.

Try to consider the situation via Campbell’s primarily British point-of-view, especially since the Cadbury campaign appeared in the U.K. From a pure numbers angle, Blacks are more of a minority in Britain versus the U.S.—with many sources indicating the British Black population to be as low as 2-3 percent. Even Campbell’s critics grudgingly admit, “Chances are Naomi Campbell suffered a similar experience to many other Black children growing up in Britain—being teased in school about her skin looking like chocolate.”

Additionally, this is not the first time Campbell has objected to being associated with chocolate. In the other instance, she was literally labeled a “chocolate soldier,” yet her position was the same: White people and corporations should not be calling colored people chocolate. Hell, it can be a problem when Black people refer to Black people with the word, as evidenced by former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s “Chocolate City” remark.

Finally, it doesn’t help that the advertising industry has a history of exclusivity and insensitivity. Plus, Cadbury has been guilty of displaying racial ignorance in the past—and the candy company is minimally guilty of using Campbell’s name without her permission. It’s absolutely possible that the message is another example of cultural cluelessness brought to you by White adpeople and clients.

Granted, this spectacle is about chocolate rather than, say, Black jelly beans. That should not, however, diminish Campbell’s right to feel insulted.

But just to complicate matters further, the image illustrating this post came from Consumption by David LaChapelle—a series of photographs addressing the excesses and overindulgence of modern society. The title of the piece? Naomi Campbell: Chocolate Playmate.