The style director of Brazilian Vogue has resigned after her 50th birthday party was criticised for evoking themes of slavery.
Donata Meirelles hosted the lavish dinner party last Friday in Bahia, northeastern Brazil.
But an online furor began after a guest posted a photograph on Instagram showing Meirelles, who is white, seated on an elaborate throne surrounded by black women in traditional white dress.
Vogue Brazil's Style Director Donata Meirelles has resigned after images from her 50th birthday party drew criticism for evoking slavery
Guests were positioned on a throne-like seat while black women in traditional dress, reminiscent of former house slaves, posed for photographs
Critics quickly pointed out that the imagery of elaborately dressed black women welcoming guests and posing alongside them was blatantly reminiscent of Brazil's colonial past.
Rita Batista, a Brazilian black television presenter re-posted the photograph on Instagram alongside a similarly arranged image taken from 1860 taken in Bahia to demonstrate why Meirelles' party was so offensive to the region's black population.
Explaining the historical context, Batista quoted an excerpt from the book 'Jóias de Crioula' ('Jewelry of the Brazilian Creole') by Laura Cunha and Thomas Milz.
'The slaves of wealthy houses were adorned by their own masters,' Cunha and Milz wrote.
Brazillian television presenter Rita Batista, posted this photograph on Instagram, which was taken in the same Brazilian region in 1860
'When they went out into the streets with their ladies or children, they were displayed in fine, jeweled garments.
