Is Taping Your Eyes To Look Asian The New Blackface?

The fashion industry and off-color references have existed as far as camera crews could fly to the Serengeti, and this latest iteration of race-inspired "homages" has us feeling queasy. For this Vogue Nippon editorial, Anna Dello Russo dressed Crystal Renn up in spangly Dolce & Gabbana duds and taped her temples to pull her eyes back into an almond, Asian shape. Body modification has been a topic of interest ever since Gaga explored face "implants," but is eye-taping just about experimenting with form and shape with your body (as opposed to your clothes—which is what fashion is all about), or is there something more icky going on here? Is it better because it's in an Asian magazine? Does it matter if it's two white ladies making an editorial for primarily Asian women? What about Asian women who get eyelid surgery to appear white? Check out the video below and sound off—do you think this is offensive or just avant-garde? (Styleite)