Dutch fashion magazine Jackie ran a little piece on Rihanna's style. It's a common thing in the magazine world, and usually ends up as a lighthearted look into celebrity fashion. This article however, decided that instead of being informative or funny, they'd be incredibly racist. The piece was called "De Niggabitch" and it reads as follows:
“She has street cred, she has a ghetto ass and she has a golden throat. Rihanna, the good girl gone bad, is the ultimate niggabitch 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. But Dutch winters aren’t like Jamaican ones, so pick a clothing style in which your daughter can resist minus ten. No to the big sunglasses and the pornheels, and yes to the tiger print, pink shizzle and everything that glitters. Now let’s hope she won’t beat anybody up at daycare.”
After a slew of outraged readers reacted, the editor-in-chief issued this apology, claiming that the article was meant to be a joke and that they never intended to offend anyone.
Dear readers,
First: thanks for all your responses. We are of course very fed up over this and especially very shocked. However I'm glad that we’re engaging in a dialogue on this page — not everybody does that. Thanks for this. Other than that I can be brief about this: this should have never happened. Period. While the author meant no harm — the title of the article was intended as a joke — it was abad joke, to say the least. And that slipped through my, the editor-in-chief’s, fingers. Stupid, painful and sucks for all concerned. The author has been addressed on it, and now I can only ensure thatthese terms will no longer end up in the magazine. Furthermore I hope that you all believe therewas absolutely no racist motive behind the choice of words. It was stupid, it was naive to think thatthis 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. We make our magazine with love, energy and enthusiasm, and it can sometimes happen that someone is out of line. And then you can only do one thing: apologize. And hope that others wish toaccept it.
From the bottom of my heart I say it again: we never intended to offend anyone. And I mean that.
Regards,
Eva Hoeke
[via Parlour]
Just Saying December 19th, 2011 at 05:57 PM
The thing that is most shocking to me is that the NL press is not picking this up!! Twitter and Facebook is blowing up and no reaction what so ever!. Lot's of press abroad but in NL none!..That tell's you something!
London Calling December 19th, 2011 at 07:08 PM
NL? What's that? (sorry)
Jay Rakka December 20th, 2011 at 11:11 AM
NL = Netherlands
weezy December 19th, 2011 at 06:14 PM
Its the truth, rihanna put some clothes on please.
european December 19th, 2011 at 06:24 PM
"Niggabitch" is used in dutch as a non offensive term to describe a person who is in to thug rap. Because unlike America that is compensating for the actual racism that exists in society there, in most parts of europe, you can use these terms and black people know not to take offence at them. Grow up America
wtf December 19th, 2011 at 06:31 PM
Are you kidding me? "black people know not to take offence at them"?!!!!! You guys are just as racist as Americans. Disgusting..........
European #2 December 19th, 2011 at 06:36 PM
european: I'm from Sweden, call me or anybody else over here "nigga" or "niggabitch"(?) and we will punch you the f#ck out. Simple as that.
hell no December 19th, 2011 at 06:51 PM
People don't believe this freakin' ignorant European .. I have a lot of Surinamese and Antillian friends who I know from childhood but they would whoop my ass if I would ever use the N word. To me usage of this word shouldn't be used by people of any color. Due to the publishing of this piece me and a lot of other Dutch people have showed their outrage!! The editor in chief issued an apology but on another page (page 129) in the magazine she used the term again so it was not mistake to makes this clearer a Dutch rapper almost choked on his drink when the editor in chief called herself a ^*%&bitch because she used to wear Karl Kani and wore a weedleaf nosepiercing and listened to rap music. IGNORANCE is the only world that comes to my mind. @Just Saying you are right Dutch media is not picking up on this but believe me we will not let this outrage slide.
London Calling December 19th, 2011 at 07:35 PM
hell no: very well said.
London Calling December 19th, 2011 at 07:33 PM
Absolute nonsense. How deluded are you?
Phyllia December 20th, 2011 at 09:30 AM
...how best to draw attention to an internationally unknown flop of a fashion rag? .create a controversy. ignore the simps~ e-mail their advertisers [give them the dirty dish]
John December 20th, 2011 at 02:21 PM
Call me that term and it will be the last time you use it, i'm in London
Anonymous December 20th, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Come on. Niggabitch doesn't even make sense. That article was stupid and a desperate cry to be found "cool" by acting a certain way they thought would attract the urban scene. If you can't respect hip hop, don't say anything. The editor got her shit mixed up. How would she feel if someone published an article about Britney Spears calling her a Breakdown Cracker, or something of that nature? It's just downright disrespectful.
m' December 19th, 2011 at 06:31 PM
put some clothes on !! n by the way, european is right although you have to consider when how and who use this terms ;)
London Calling December 19th, 2011 at 07:39 PM
european isn't right. Maybe that word is used in countries were blacks are very much the minority. Here in London, which is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Europe, whites wouldn't dare use that word flippantly. A few people on this comments section talking rubbish.
m' December 20th, 2011 at 05:11 PM
yeah thats why I write "you have to consider when how n who use these terms". I cant imagine white using the N word in London, at least if you dont want some to get the shit out off you
TTFFf December 19th, 2011 at 06:42 PM
wernt the dutch some of the original slave traders?
Dan December 19th, 2011 at 08:13 PM
So...? It's true indeed, but completely irrelevant to this current situation.. What does it matter? Stop digging in the past.. Sure, that's definitely a horrible chapter in our history, but that doesn't mean we're still a bunch of racists who use terms such as "n*ggabitch" on a daily basis. By far. We (well, everyone I know) actually never do. Matter of fact, we have a huge national multicultural society - with probably significantly way less racist issues and i.e. violence than the USA, to name an example. As a journalist, I indeed think it's a shame there's basically none Dutch media attention about this (hopefully tomorrow), but it's ignorant to say "that tells you something". What's that supposed to mean? Like what? It just shows that Dutch media don't think it's newsworthy enough and put priorities on more important world issues/news than a bad mistake/miscalculation (because that is what it is, it wasn't even meant to be racist) in a fashion(!) magazine. FYI: the biggest Dutch newspaper published about this story. And like US media focus on all racial incidents and racist comments...? But now the Netherlands have ONE incident and several people blame us for being racist? C'mon... USA got KKK and whatever alike organizations/mindstates, people who get killed for their ethnic background, racial violence, people who are openly hateful towards certain ethnic groups... ... But now there's one badjoke-gone-horribly-wrong in a Dutch fashion magazine and all of a sudden that's the biggest racist issue and Dutchies are a bunch of racists? C'mon, learn how to relativate things and take a look at the real problems, seriously... - A Dutchie Ps) Don't get it twisted, I'm with all of you: this is a HORRIBLE mistake and shouldn't have happened and the chief editor should take ALL the blame for it, instead of saying it 'slipped her fingers'. Bad excuse.
Reverse Jam December 19th, 2011 at 08:40 PM
I'm from the Netherlands myself and find this pretty disturbing. I don't know what's up with the other Dutch guy's excuse but where I grew up, I sure as hell wouldn't dare to say the word 'nigga' and even in this day and age I wouldn't dare to say it. It's shocking that some idiot writer/journalist/blogger managed to say something like this in a local magazine. Never heard of this magazine to be honest, so I'm amazed this story even reached the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. But hey, I'm looking at the bright side of this story. It's good to see some tweets below like 'Racism Lives'. First we became known as the country where everyone takes XTC, do prostitution and grow flowers. Glad that we finally reached the status of racists because ONE idiot thought he/she said something cool. What a dignified example of international media.
Kenzo December 20th, 2011 at 08:17 AM
Ok first of all, what the auditor 'European' wrote on here about that word: i have never heard anyone using that word in my country (The Netherlands). So he/she saying that word is used in Dutch as a non offensive term is bull....! That word is not a normal word here! Furthermore, there are soooo many dutch people who are mad, angry and deeply ashamed over this. And they all dissociate from this.
WTF December 20th, 2011 at 11:18 AM
There is no way they should be using the word to describe Rihanna. There's no excuse. Its not even like black American Hip Hop writers be like "yo that new Rihanna joint is hot, she a top niggabitch." That shit is just awkward. She's a fucking popstar. There is no country in the world where its cool for white folks to be throwing that word around. This is dumb.
holland December 21st, 2011 at 03:26 AM
HELLO!!! that was one person who said that. I can't believe the american reactions about Holland. like we are all racists or something. The rest of holland is outraged to. And that stupid remark about slaves in holland?? slavery started in america somewhere around 1400/1500. Just so you know. When one American makes a mistake we don't blame all of America, thats just stupid!
NL December 21st, 2011 at 03:57 AM
where a dunb stupid nation who speaks 3 to 4 languages. whe got churches for every rase, nation and religion and we are the racists. EPIC!
SuriNL December 21st, 2011 at 05:00 PM
Wow you are ignorant! I'm also a dutchie and every day it amazes me what little history is taught at school here and how much is omitted, that you don't even know that the Dutch were among the first slave traders and also the last ones to stop. Ofcourse there was no slavery in the Netherlands! But there was slavery in Indonesia, Suriname and the Dutch Antilles, you know, the places, Holland conquered. Before you call people out, please do your research first.
CAF December 21st, 2011 at 10:36 AM
You cannot say that all Dutch people are racists. Only the jackasses that put out this article are the real racists. I hope the magazines readers and subscribers wise up, quit reading this ridiculous excuse for a magazine, and put it out of business.