Russian Socialite on Black Lady Chair Offers Hearty Nonpology

Miroslava Duma, the Russian fashionista behind the blog Buro 24 7, has apologized for posting a truly awful photo of another Russian socialite posing serenely on a chair comprised of a black female form posted to her site on Martin Luther King Day. Well, she didn’t really apologize. She said she was sorry people were offended and that she saw the chair as “art,” and she loves everyone so flowers and butterflies and let’s all hug. Okay.

The apology, posted to Instagram after the entire internet reacted to the photos with a piping hot WTF?, seems to omit the words “I’m sorry” and instead just goes down the ol’ “Sorry Ur Mad; I’m a nice person though!” path.

See? Duma seriously, sincerely does not want people to be mad at her.

To review: Words mean things. Symbols mean things. Russian fashion editors and street style muses don’t get to decide when things do and do not mean things. “But… art!” does not mean that things do not mean things. And “but I’m a good person!” doesn’t mean it’s not still possible — nay, probable— that a person might fuck up sometimes. Here’s hoping Duma doesn’t commemorate the Chinese New Year at a “coolie couture” party.